Texts

Kumārajīva’s translation of the sutra the Platform Sutra says Huineng heard recited.

The sutra tradition says Bodhidharma handed to Huike, here in Guṇabhadra’s four-fascicle translation of 443. Important to early Chan; four Chinese translations were made, and three survive.

A few hundred characters on emptiness, in Xuanzang’s translation; chanted in Sōtō services and, the Sōtō school says, by nearly all Buddhist groups in Japan.

Formal talks and verses given at Kōshō-ji and Eihei-ji, compiled by Dōgen’s students.

The teachings attributed to Huineng. A shorter text survives in a manuscript from Dunhuang; the text catalogued here is Zongbao’s edition of 1291.

The sayings, verses and family stories of Layman Pang, his wife and his daughter Lingzhao, compiled by the governor Yu Di, at whose side Pang died.

Zhaozhou’s exchanges and sayings, in the text re-edited in the eleventh century by Chengti, abbot of Qixian on Mount Lu, as preserved in the Guzunsu yulu.

Talks and exchanges of the founder of the Linji house, compiled by his student Huiran, in the edition with Ma Fang’s preface of 1120.

Dōgen’s short manual for seated meditation, first drafted, he says, in the Karoku years (1225–1227). The Taishō prints two texts, one signed and dated 1233 and one undated; the Sōtō school’s own translation follows the undated text.

Dōgen’s essays on practice and doctrine, written in Japanese between 1231 and 1253. He edited a 75-fascicle and a later 12-fascicle version; the most common, the Sōtō school says, is the 95-fascicle edition his descendants produced in 1690.

One hundred cases selected by Xuedou Chongxian with his verses, and commentary by Yuanwu Keqin.

One hundred cases with verses by Hongzhi Zhengjue and commentary by Wansong Xingxiu, both of the Caodong line.

Forty-eight koan cases compiled by Wumen Huikai in 1228, each with his comment and a verse.

A poem attributed to Dongshan Liangjie, chanted in Sōtō temples alongside the Sandōkai. In his recorded sayings Dongshan tells Caoshan Benji that he received the jewel mirror samādhi from his teacher Yunyan and now passes it on.

A short poem attributed to Shitou Xiqian and chanted in Sōtō temples. The Jingde chuandeng lu of 1004 prints it under his name.

A hymn in praise of zazen, traditionally attributed to Hakuin and chanted in Rinzai temples.

A poem on nonduality attributed to the third ancestor; the attribution is traditional, and the poem is probably later.

The Chan lineage from the seven buddhas to the heirs of Fayan, fifty-two generations and 1,701 people, in thirty fascicles. Compiled by Daoyuan and presented to the Song court in 1004.

The second of the Song lamp records, compiled by the layman Li Zunxu and presented to the court with an imperial preface dated 1036. It follows the Jingde chuandeng lu and gives the Linji line fuller coverage.

Keizan’s talks on each ancestor of the Sōtō line, from the Buddha to Ejō; the school’s own account of its lineage.

Compiled and edited by Philip Kapleau and first published by Weatherhill in Tokyo in 1965. It presents the teaching of Yasutani Hakuun, eight accounts of kenshō, and Kapleau’s own account of his training under Harada and Yasutani.

Shunryu Suzuki’s talks on Zen meditation and practice, edited by Trudy Dixon.

A book by Yamada Kōun, published in English by Wisdom Publications in 2015, after his death in 1989.