Zen Under the Gun

Book excerpt: This book, from one of the pioneering and preeminent translators of Zen for the West, presents a selection of Zen lessons from four teachers in four successive generations. More than just a book on Zen philosophy, "Zen Under the Gun" spans the turbulent period in Chinese history from the last generation of the Song dynasty (overthrown by the Mongols in 1279) to the first generation of the Ming dynasty (which drove out the Mongols, and proclaimed its own reign in 1368). These four Zen masters were all eminent public teachers, and their teaching words reflect the state of China and the art of Zen in their time.