Kōun Yamada
Kōun Yamada became a dharma successor to the renowned Zen master Haku’un Yasutani while maintaining a prominent career in business and public health. He guided the Zen practice of many students including a large number of Roman Catholic priests, monks, and nuns.
Books, Courses & Podcasts
The Gateless Gate
NOTE: The ebook bundle for The Gateless Gate does not contain a PDF file.
In The Gateless Gate, one of modern Zen Buddhism’s uniquely influential masters offers classic commentaries on the Mumonkan, one of Zen’s greatest collections of teaching stories. This translation was compiled with the Western reader in mind, and includes Koan Yamada’s clear and penetrating comments on each case. Yamada played a seminal role in bringing Zen Buddhism to the West from Japan, going on to be the head of the Sanbo Kyodan Zen Community.
The Gateless Gate would be invaluable if only for the translation and commentary alone, yet it’s loaded with extra material and is a fantastic resource to keep close by:
- An in-depth Introduction to the History of Zen Practice
- Lineage charts
- Japanese-to-Chinese and Chinese-to-Japanese conversion charts for personal names, place names, and names of writings
- Plus front- and back-matter from ancient and modern figures: Mumon, Shuan, Kubota Ji’un, Taizan Maezumi, Hugo Enomiya-Lasalle, and Yamada Roshi’s son, Masamichi Yamada.
A wonderful inspiration for the koan practitioner, and for those with a general interest in Zen Buddhism.
Zen
Why practice Zen?
What sets it apart from religion?
What are its different practices?
Zen Master Koun Yamada takes up and answers these questions and more, using compelling stories and a systematic approach to guide readers through creating and sustaining a lifelong practice. Warm and ecumenical in tone, he uses Zen insights to promote a deeper understanding of faith. Zen: The Authentic Gate is an easy-to-follow guide to building an effortless and natural practice regardless of background, tradition, or religion.