No-Gate Gateway: The Original Wu-Men Kuan by David Hinton (PDF)

Description

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.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐The depth of insight into the ideograms brings living meaning to a western reader. Hinton’s translating skills brings the power of these Chinese texts to the english language. Strongly recommended for those with an interest in Taoism and or Ch’an.

⭐Working with koans, one tries to get to the heart of them, which includes becoming so much a part of them that one is transported back in time, face-to-face with the teachers and students of the past and a culture and language so different from ours. Hinton’s translations break through the language barrier. Just the translations of the names into what they actually mean instead of the meaningless Chinese and Japanese “sounds” that we are accustomed to is a pleasure and brings us closer to the heart and spirit of koan study and the worthies of old. This book is a must-read companion to anyone working with koans, or anyone who has done. My only complaint is that now I hunger for Hinton to translate both the Blue Cliff Record and the Book of Serenity, too! Thank you, Mr. Hinton.

⭐If you even possess a casual affinity for using koans as a trigger for non-dual immersive experience, David Hinton’s book should figure among your required reading. Like many a Zen student of the Boomer generation my lens for koans came almost exclusively though the Japanese tradition. Hintons book opens upon the public cases of Chinese Cha’an tradition fresh and accessible eyes—and heart. Highly readable for Western students of Zen.

⭐David Hinton is a treasure. All his translations and writings are beautiful, clear, and deep. They open paths to the ancient Chinese spirit that we in the West and East need to understand today.

⭐Very illuminating introduction about the relationship between Taoism and Buddhism.

⭐as much as I enjoy Hinton’s poetical approach to ‘this matter’, I found these translations to be confusing. It may work for those of a Daoist inclination, but I find them awkward and wholly dependent on serious explanation of word choice (partly addressed in the Intro).”A monk asked Master Visitation-Land: ‘A dog too has Buddha-nature, no?”Absence,’ Land replied.I still find such talk by Hinton fascinating and insightful, but in this case, perhaps a bit labored, perhaps…I can’t help but think of the great Daoist Sengzhao and his conversion to the Buddhadharma.

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