Opening the Hand of Thought: Foundations of Zen Buddhist Practice [Paperback]

For over thirty years,Opening the Hand of Thoughthas offered an introduction to Zen Buddhism and meditation unmatched in clarity and power. This is the revised edition of Kosho Uchiyama's singularly incisive classic.

This new edition contains even more useful material: new prefaces, an index, and extended endnotes, in addition to a revised glossary. As Jisho Warner writes in her preface,Opening the Hand of Thought goes directly to the heart of Zen practice... showing how Zen Buddhism can be a deep and life-sustaining activity. She goes on to say, Uchiyama looks at what a person is, what a self is, how to develop a true self not separate from all things, one that can settle in peace in the midst of life.

By turns humorous, philosophical, and personal,Opening the Hand of Thoughtis above all a great book for the Buddhist practitioner. It's a perfect follow-up for the reader who has readZen Meditation in Plain Englishand is especially useful for those who have not yet encountered a Zen teacher.Kosho Uchiyama was a preeminent Japanese Zen master, instrumental in bringing Zen to America. The author of over twenty books, includingRefining Your Life, he died in 1999.

Daitsu Tom Wright, born and raised in Wisconsin, lived in Japan for over forty years. He practiced and studied under Uchiyama Roshi from 1968 until the latter’s death and was ordained as a priest in 1974. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, he taught as a professor in the English Language and Culture Program at Ryukoku University in Kyoto. He was a teacher for the Kyoto Soto Zen Center until 1995, and then conducted zazen gatherings with Rev. Doyu Takamine in Kyoto and Tamba. Rev. Wright has worked on the translation and editing of several works on Zen, as well as writing on Zen, the Holocaust from a Buddhist perspective, and Japanese gardens (Samadhi on Zen Gardens—Dynamism and Tranquility, with Katsuhiko Mizuno, Suiko Books,lƒE