A new translation of one of the great koan collections--by the premier translator of the Chinese classics--that reveals it to be a literary and philosophical masterwork beyond its association with Chan/Zen.
A monk asked: “A dog too has Buddha-nature, no?” And with the master’s enigmatic one-word response begins the great No-Gate Gateway (Wu-Men Kuan), ancient China’s classic foray into the inexpressible nature of mind and reality. For nearly eight hundred years, this text (also known by its Japanese name, Mumonkan) has been the most widely used koan collection in Zen Buddhism—and with its comic storytelling and wild poetry, it is also a remarkably compelling literary masterwork. In his radical new translation, David Hinton places this classic for the first time in the philosophical framework of its native China, in doing so revealing a new way of understanding Zen—in which generic “Zen perplexity” is transformed into a more approachable and earthy mystery. With the poetic abilities he has honed in his many translations, Hinton brilliantly conveys the book’s literary power, making it an irresistible reading experience capable of surprising readers into a sudden awakening that is beyond logic and explanation.
“I love this book! The classic koans of the No-Gate Gateway are brilliantly and boldly translated by poet and scholar David Hinton. The introduction and notes are rich resources that open doors to the heart of Zen.”—Roshi Joan Halifax, author of Being with Dying and Standing at the Edge
“David Hinton is a fabulous translator. This book is luminous and transparent. You can see the light of the original Chinese masters shining through.”—Roshi John Tarrant, author of Bring Me the Rhinoceros
“David Hinton is the best English language translator of classic Chinese poetry we have, and have had for decades. A magician’s grace glows through all of the poems, a grace and ease uncommonly found, uncommonly masterful.”—from the citation for the Thornton Wilder Prize for Lifetime Achievement in Translation, American Academy of Arts and Letters
“Hinton’s translation comes without the additional commentary we see in contemporary Western editions of the work, and his reader’s guide can help practitioners deepen their study. The book also includes translator’s notes, though these aren’t placed in text. Thus, readers may linger on each case, allowing the reading experience to loosen their proclivity for binary thought.”—Tricycle: The Buddhist Review
