The Zen Works of Stonehouse: Poems and Talks of a 14th-Century Chinese Hermit

By Shiwu Qinggong and Stonehouse

Stonehouse has been called "the greatest of all Zen monks who made poetry their medium of instruction." His works have rarely been available in English, but now all of the hermit monk's poetry,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 156279101X
• ISBN13: 9781562791018
• Release Date: July 1997
• Publisher: Mercury House
• Length: 248 Pages
• Weight: 0.84 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.8" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

The book that started my infatuation with the Ch'an poets of old

I don't think I can adequately express my love for this book, so I will just tell a little about the contents. Stonehouse is the English translated name of the Chinese Ch'an (Zen) poet Ch'ing-hung who retired early from being a temple abbot (he pleaded old age) so he could return to his beloved mountain retreat and live a peaceful, reflective life in nature. This great Zen monk whose medium of instruction was poetry also gave brief but potent Zen talks which are included here. Burton Watson's commendation on the back cover is correct about Pine's translation of the poems, noting that "...Red Pine has devised and unusual translation style that not only captures much of the flavor of the Chinese originals, but at the same time works splendidly as English." Yes, so splendidly that in reading a few to a friend, she began weeping. As if Red Pine carries in his chest the heart of the original poet, he expresses each poem sensitively and perfectly into English for us. Here's what else I love about Red Pine's works: he has thoughtfully accompanied every poem with notes explaining contexts, references, and doctrinal backgrounds. The poetry carries you back to a beautiful wilderness in fourteenth century China and awakening a love for simplicity, return to nature, and Zen mind. Six pages of introduction to the monk provide very good backdrop for his poems. This volume contains three parts: Book One: Mountain Poems Book Two: Gathas Book Three: Zen Talks I read excerpts of Stonehouse for an incense game called Kodo, and a Zen monk attending exclaimed, each one is like a meditation!

Careful, Carefee & Paradoxical

Another great treasure of poems translated by Bill Porter. I believe this could be the best of the lot. These poems are tough, gentle & uncomprimising. I've gone through them several times always at ease and also alert.They truly come from the void, the Tao, whatever that is or isn't. Like notes from shakuhachi: soft ,dim slow quick, sloping, climbing. This man was a teacher of many and yet also a true recluse shutting or opening his brushwood door. I have read many poets from this period and used to wonder why Stonehouse was somehow considered one of the very best. On successive viewings their depth and clarity really begin to show them selves in comparison to some others. This ,of course, explains such an opinion

not a review but a correction request

This is not a review, just wanted you to know that the Editorial Review listed for this book "The Zen Works of Stonehouse: Poems and Talks of a Fourteenth-Century Chinese Hermit", is for a completely different book... thought you'd want to know & couldn't find any other way to tell you.

Writings of Stonehouse:learn from a truly great zen teacher

Red Pine(the translator) is an american with years of study in Taiwan. His translations(the poetry in this volume a superb re-working of his earlier version)are like a clear window through which we can see the day-to-day living of a fully enlightened zen master. This volume includes considerable additional poetry and a number of "teachings" copied down by his students. If you are interested in Zen this should be an early addition to your shelf. If I could keep only l book on zen it would be this(or even just the poetry) as it not only says everything necessary about zen but allows you to watch it being lived out.