Religious Texts

Please select the following link to read an article about Zen Buddhism and some works of Zen masters translated by Wing-Tsit Chan:

Chan, Wing-Tsit. “The Zen (Ch’an) School of Zudden Enlightenment.” A Sourcebook in Chinese Philosophy.

Read through the introduction to the translated works (Chan, pp.425-30) in order to understand the context, then read through the translated works and the notes explaining the translations (beneath the text.)

Choose a passage that you find interesting, puzzling, or even meaningful. Read through it a few times and reflect upon possibilities for meaning.

In one paragraph, cite the passage you selected, summarize the contents of your particular passage, and provide your interpretation of its meaning.

In another paragraph, reflect on these works and any comparisons or contrasts that you see to other philosophical, literary, or religious texts that you may have encountered.

In a final paragraph, describe what you experienced during this brief encounter with Zen Buddhism.

(Combined, these three paragraphs should be roughly one page in length.)