The Sandokai--a poem by the eighth-century Zen master Sekito Kisen (Ch. Shitou Xiqian)--is the subject of these talks given by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, author of the influential Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. Delivered in 1970 at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, the teachings reveal a Zen teacher in his prime elucidating for his Western students a venerated, ancient, and difficult work, one of the core texts of Zen. The poem addresses the question of how the oneness of things and the multiplicity of things coexist (or, as Suzuki Roshi expresses this complex thought, "things-as-it-is"). Included with the talks are questions from students and his direct answers to them, along with a meditation instruction. Suzuki Roshi's teachings are valuable not only for those with a general interest in Buddhism but also for students of Zen practice wanting an example of how a modern master in the Japanese Soto Zen tradition understands the Sandokai today. Branching Streams Flow in the Darkness reveals the insight, humor, and intimacy with Zen that made Suzuki Roshi so influential as a teacher.
|
