Zen Master Yunmen His Life and Essential Sayings

A modern Zen classic--reissued with new material: An introduction to the great tenth-century Chinese master, with translations of his key works.

Yunmen Wenyan (c. 864–949) was a master of the Chinese Zen (Chan) tradition and one of the most influential teachers in its history, showing up in many famous koans—in one of which he’s credited with the famous line, “Every day is a good day.” His teachings are said to permeate heaven and earth, to address immediately and totally the state and conditions of his audience, and to cut off even the slightest trace of duality. In this classic study of Master Yunmen, historian and Buddhist scholar Urs App clearly elucidates the encompassing and penetrating nature of Yunmen’s teachings, provides pioneering translations of his numerous talks and dialogues, and includes a brief history of Chinese Zen, a biography of the master, and a wealth of resource materials.

Urs App, PhD, is a Swiss scholar of Buddhism and of the history of religions and ideas, specializing in Zen. He was, for many years, professor of Buddhism at Hanazono University in Kyoto and Associate Director of the International Research Institute for Zen Buddhism. He has since devoted himself to writing books and producing documentaries while engaging in research at various academic institutions in Asia and Europe.