Xuedou's 100 Odes to Old Cases A Translation with Commentary : A Translation with Commentary - Steven Heine

Xuedou's 100 Odes to Old Cases A Translation with Commentary

A Translation with Commentary

By: Steven Heine

Paperback | 26 February 2024

At a Glance

Paperback


$67.75

or 4 interest-free payments of $16.94 with

 or 

Aims to ship in 15 to 25 business days

When will this arrive by?
Enter delivery postcode to estimate

Xuedou's 100 Odes to Old Cases is recognized as the seminal discourse in Chan Buddhism, one that has exerted significant influence on the way stories of former teachers (guze) have been appreciated and appropriated for the past thousand years. In this volume, Steven Heine offers a much-needed translation of this pivotal work along with extensive background and commentary. Heine brings important perspective to a 1000-year old text that became the basis for the Blue Cliff Record, which continues to have a profound impact on the overall legacy of East Asian Buddhist intellectual history and religious literature.

Xuedou's verses reflect the author's unique capacity for taming through elegance the undisciplined and deluded minds of followers struggling with self-imposed obstacles to discern reality and thereby discover inner peace. Xuedou cites multiple Chan sources, uses irregular meter to disrupt the reader's expectations, and evokes unusual allusions to Chinese lore while often interjecting personal comments or lyrical imagery that goes beyond a reliance on doctrine. Xuedou's work is timeless, informative, and extremely influential. Heine offers us a glimpse into his mind and work, as we are taken back in time to the birth of the most essential aesthetic qualities of Chan and Zen Buddhist discourse.

Industry Reviews
"This is an excellent book on a topic otherwise not covered elsewhere in English language scholarship. Heine is one of-if not-the most prolific writer in English over the past two decades or more on the topic of so-called Japanese Zen (Chinese Chan and Korean S&on) and especially literature, which makes this a welcome addition to his oeuvre. Here, by translating Xuedou's 100 Odes, readers gain access to-as Heine points out-one of the most important collections of Chinese Chan texts, which fills a considerable gap in scholarship on the topic of Chan/S&on/Zen literature in translation." -- George A. Keyworth, Associate Professor of History, University of Saskatchewan Heine's book is a major contribution to our understanding of Chan and of Chinese literary achievements...This important book is abundantly endowed with what Chinese poetry critics call shenyun -marvelous resonance!" -- Dale Wright, Journal of Buddhist Ethics "Xuedou's 100 Odes to Old Cases: A Translation with Commentary, it is an autonomous text that deserves careful study." -- Lion's Roar "With a full translation and an insightful commentary, Steven Heine's Xuedou's 100 Odes to Old Cases provides superb access to a seminal Chan Buddhist text that gave rise to a literary and religious tradition unparalleled anywhere in the world...This important book is abundantly endowed with what Chinese poetry critics call shenyun-marvelous resonance!" -- Dale Wright, Journal of Buddhist Ethics "[Heine's] book's introduction includes two masterly written chapters on the main protagonist and his work, as well as on the text itself. Chán studies scholarship at its best." -- Religious Studies Review "[Heine's] book's introduction includes two masterly written chapters on the main protagonist and his work, as well as on the text itself. Chán studies scholarship at its best." -- Religious Studies Review

More in Asian History

Emperor of the Seas : Kublai Khan and the Making of China - Jack Weatherford
Between Two Rivers : 'A WONDERFUL READ' -- TOM HOLLAND - Moudhy Al-Rashid
The Golden Road : How Ancient India Transformed the World - William Dalrymple
The Shortest History of Japan - Lesley Downer

RRP $27.99

$26.50

Ten Myths About Israel - Ilan Pappe

RRP $22.99

$21.90

Cactus Pear For My Beloved : A Family Story from Gaza - Samah Sabawi
The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine - Ilan Pappe

RRP $22.99

$22.90

Genghis Khan : And the Making of the Modern World - Jack Weatherford
The Battle of Long Tan - Peter FitzSimons

RRP $49.99

$38.75

22%
OFF
Chickenhawk - Robert Mason

Paperback

RRP $22.99

$21.00

World History : From the Ancient World to the Information Age - DK