The Arhat Son

The Arhat Son

Just This Is It

The joy of "suchness"—the absolute and true nature inherent in all appearance—shines through the teachings attributed to Dongshan Liangjie (807–869), the legendary founder of the Caodong lineage of Chan Buddhism (the predecessor of Sōtō Zen). Taigen Dan Leighton looks at the teachings attributed to Dongshan—in his Recorded Sayings and in the numerous koans in which he is featured as a character—to reveal the subtlety and depth of the teaching on the nature of reality that Dongshan expresses. Included are an analysis of the well-known teaching poem "Jewel Mirror Samadhi" and of the understanding of particular and universal expressed in the teaching of the Five Degrees. "The teachings embedded in the stories about Dongshan provide a rich legacy that has been sustained in practice traditions," says Taigen. "Dongshan’s subtle teachings about engagement with suchness remain vital today for Zen people and are available for all those who wish to find meaning amid the challenges to modern life."

Abhidharmakosabhasyam of Vasubandhu - Vol. II

This is the most important compendium of Indian Buddhist philosophy and psychology. The four volume masterwork begins with a history of Abhidharma literature and covers a vast array of subjects from a Buddhist viewpoint. Some of these subjects are Buddhist cosmology and the process of rebirth, karma and the Buddhist ethical theory, mental defilements, causes of suffering and the path to enlightenment, the supernatural powers of a Buddha, a taxonomy of meditative states and a refutation of the existence of soul. This is the second of 4 volumes.