The Eight Gates of Zen: A Program of Zen Training

John Daido Loori

sept 2002 · Shambhala Publications

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This accessible introduction to the philosophy and practice of Zen Buddhism includes a program of study that encompasses practically every aspect of life. The American Zen teacher John Daido Loori shows us that Zen practice should include not only meditation, the study of Zen literature and liturgy, and moral and ethical action, but should also manifest in work, artistic, and everyday activities. The Eight Gates are:

1. Zazen, a type of meditation described as "sitting Zen"
2. Face-to-face meetings between teacher and student
3. Academic study of the sutras related to Zen training, other schools of Buddhism, Buddhist history, psychology, and philosophy
4. Zen rites and rituals and their meaning
5. The moral and ethical requirements set in the Buddhist Precepts
6. Art practice as an extension of Zen practice
7. Body practice as an extension of Zen practice
8. Work as an active function of zazen

Beautifully illustrated with Loori's own photographs, this edition also includes a new introduction and an updated reading list.

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John Daido Loori (1931–2009) was one of the West's leading Zen masters. He was the founder and spiritual leader of the Mountains and Rivers Order and abbot of Zen Mountain Monastery. His work has been most noted for its unique adaptation of traditional Asian Buddhism into an American context, particularly with regard to the arts, the environment, social action, and the use of modern media as a vehicle of spiritual training and social change. Loori was an award-winning photographer and videographer. His art and wildlife photography formed the core of a unique teaching program that integrated art and wilderness training by cultivating a deep appreciation of the relationship of Zen to our natural environment. He was a dharma heir of the influential Japanese Zen master Taizan Maezumi Roshi and he authored many books.