Translated by Thomas Cleary The first complete modern translation of the classic Denkoroku by one of the premier translators of Buddhist and Taoist texts illustrates how to arrive at the epiphanic Zen awakening known as satori. Attributed to the thirteenth-century Zen Master Keizan (1268-1325), Transmission of Light is one of three essential koan texts used by Zen students. Techniques for reaching the enlightening experience of satori are revealed through fifty-three short tales about awakenings of successive generations of masters, beginning with Shakyamuni Buddha and ending with the twelfth-century Zen Master Ejo, dharma heir to Dogen. The translator's learned introduction discusses the Zen teaching of awakening the dormant potency of the mind and establishes the context for Transmission of Light within the Zen canon. According to Transmission of Light, everyone has this hidden endowment; this inspiring text illustrates how the deliberately cultivated, genuine experience of satori transcends time, history, culture, race, gender, and personality.
