The Roaring Stream: A New Zen Reader (Ecco Companions)

A valuable addition to any Zen collection. The Roaring Stream offers a sense of the living tradition of Zen teaching from Bodhidharma on through the Japanese teachers -- including lay adepts and poets. Not only are the selections distinct and useful, the biographies and historical contexts are informed, i.e., not simply hagiographic but quite down to earth and insightful in their own right. If you';re interested in Zen (and not "The Zen of . . . ") this is a book you're going to find of real use.

What a splendid way to begin each day by reading a short chapter or two in this well-structured and informative anthology. By providing some biographical and historical context for each entry, the editors provide a base from which to step off into more ethereal levels. I've read in Zen off and on for 40+years. This book is as useful and helpful as anything I've found. In their introduction, the editors themselves express a disdain for thetrend in recent decades to reduce Zen to a collection of pithy observations and hip greeting card sentiments. They were striving for accessible depth. Gary Snyder's comment on the cover that "this is the reader to carry with you on the Way" is as good a recommendation as one might hope for.

This book is fascinating & entertaining for anyone with a more or less serious interest in the practice of Zen Buddhism. The editors vividly present a wide selection of the "heroes" (and a few heroines) of @ 1,000 years of Chan/Zen vividly human beings who actually (for the most part) lived. taking advantage of modern scholarship to de-mythologize the hagiographies and b;ow away sp,e of the mists of superstition, Orientalism and kung fu silliness. Nietzsche wrote something like "when the false gods die the true gods appear." As in this book which has earned a top position in my Buddhist/Zen library.

If you want to know about Zen Buddhism and its rich history, look no further. There are short chapters for every influential Zen figure, making it easy to digest. Not only does it give a short historical account, but also a look at that Zen master's writings and legacy.

A mix of poetry and short essays. Smart, well chosen, resulting in probably the best of the American anthologies focused on zen buddhism and poetry.

No less than Gary Snyder (aka. "Japhy Ryder" of Dharma Bums infamy) has prasied this as a great collection of Zen textual gems. Well, that Beat Generation crowd and hype aside...this actually IS a surprisingly engaging mix of Zen stories, characters, koans and poems, there is everything relevant about a collection like this. It speaks to the strong energizingly authentic life of Zen practice and perspective as a path to enlightenment and personal self-redemption. It also illuminates what is eternal about the Zen path by demonstrating how ancient sages expressed their relation to the universe from their own particular, unique vantage points.When I first read through it, I didn't have the reading and practice familiarity to appreciate it fully, and probably still don't, however, now it seems a new book to me with new figures and sparkling new mysteries. It gets newer as time passes.Get the hardcover edition. Take my word for it.Worth every penny.

I just want to add my voice here. I have read widely in the popular literature on Zen and Chan and this is my favorite book. It combines history and original texts with a beautiful translating style. Really, if you want one book on Zen, this is it.

Very good content. The quality of paper used for this edition is low average.

This item is very good.