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This classic history of Zen embodies a scholar’s respect for historical research and a monk’s respect for Zen as a religion. With an unparalleled breadth of scope and detail covering both Rinzai and Soto traditions in Japan, the monumental figure of Dogen, Zen in Art and Culture, Zen Master Hakuin, and Modern Movements in post-war Japan, this book is essential reading for any serious student of Japanese Zen. The great merit of Dumoulin’s study is that he presents the history of Zen from the ‘inside’; his version follows that of an unbroken line of Zen Masters and monks, explaining core religious ideas which have shaped generations of Zen practitioners. In this classic history Dumoulin identifies “pure” and “authentic” Zen, combining a scholar’s respect for history with an insider’s view of one who reveres the spiritual sources which have sustained many generations of Zen practitioners. With an unparalleled breadth of scope and detail covering both Rinzai and Soto traditions in Japan, the monumental figure of Dogen, Zen in Art and Culture, Zen Master Hakuin, and Modern Movements in post-war Japan, this book is essential reading for any serious student of Japanese Zen. The luminous heart of Zen, “not founded on words and letters”, shines through these pages, and Dumoulin never fails to remind us of those core religious ideas which transcend history and shape the life of the spirit.
About the Author(s)
Heinrich Dumoulin
Born in 1905, Heinrich Dumoulin was one of the world's foremost Zen scholars. Works previously translated into English include Buddhism in the Modern World, Zen Enlightenment, Zen Buddhism: A History; Volume 1 India and China and Zen Buddhism: A History; Volume 2 Japan.Father Dumoulin is the author of Zen Buddhism: A History; Volume 1 India and China and Zen Buddhism: A History; Volume 2 Japan.
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Victor Sogen Hori
Victor Sogen Hori received his doctoral degree in philosophy from Stanford University in 1976 and that same year was ordained a Zen monk in Kyoto. After devoting the next thirteen years to training at monasteries in Japan, he returned to the academic life in 1990. He is currently professor of Japanese religions in the Faculty of Religious Studies, McGill University.Professor Hori is also the author of several books on Buddhism as well as the foreword to Heinrich Dumoulin’s Zen Buddhism: A History; Japan Volume 2.
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Reviews
- Zen Buddhism: A History Japan is the new edition of volume two of Zen scholar Dumoulin’s classic two-volume reference of the history of Zen. Specifically focusing upon the development of Zen in Japan from its inception to its expansion during the middle ages and modern Zen movements, Zen Buddhism: A History Japan has now been enhanced with notes by James W. Heisig of the Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture and a new introduction by Victor Sogen Hori of McGill University. Zen Buddhism: A History Japan is an extensive, in-depth, scholarly, superbly written and presented resource and reference, intended especially for scholars, historians, and students of Zen Buddhism due to its thorough detail.
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- Heinrich Dumoulin, the foremost exponent of the history of Zen Buddhism to the West, wrote his first history of Zen in German in 1959. Despite the flood of research on Zen Buddhism, it is clear that only the barest outlines have been revealed. It is evident that the task of writing a comprehensive history of Zen through the ages is Herculean.No major library or Student of Zen History can afford to be without these volumes, for they are a product of immense scholarship, summing up much of the mountain of Studies of Zen. Dumoulin’s volumes will provide initial guidance for many researchers in the future and will no doubt be seen as one of the pioneering classic in English in the field.
Midwest Book Review
- This scholarly tome gives a thorough account of the rise and development of Zen Buddhism in India and China. This erudite and meticulous account by Heinrich Dumoulin is not for the faint hearted! It is, however, an excellent work of scholarship, and indispensible for anyone wishing to develop their knowledge of Zen history.
Japanese Journal of Religious Studies
- ….a necessary addition to any library and will certainly replace its earlier edition as the standard work in the field.
AboutBuddhism.com
- Dumoulin’s work (Zen Buddhism: A History) chronicles the history of Zen from its origins in India, its further development and dissemination throughout China, and finally, and most extensively, to its roots and expansion in Japan.
Choice
- The publication of these books set a landmark in the study of the history of Zen Buddhism…It is the consummation of the life-long work of one of the world’s leading scholars of Zen Buddhism.
Ian Patton, The Edmonton Buddhist Priory
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Tadanori Yamashita, The Journal of Asian Studies
