GREAT DOUBT

Learn to face and overcome the pitfalls of Zen practice—self-indulgence, suppression, speculation, asceticism—with this first complete translation of a Zen classic.

There are many ways in which we may delude ourselves in practice. Doubt, Boshan argues, can be a powerful tool that rouses us from the complacency that comes with intellectual musing, ascetic striving, emotional suppression and quiet meditation.

Great Doubt presents for the first time complete translations of Boshan's key works on working with doubt: “Exhortations for Those Who Don't Arouse Doubt” and “Exhortations for Those Who Do Arouse Doubt.”

Boshan (1575-1630) was one of the leading Chinese masters of the Ming dynasty. Boshan, or Mount Bo, is the name of the mountain where he was active; like many masters, he became known as such. He is also known as Wuyi Yuanli and Dayi.

After 10 years studying and practicing in the United States, Jeff Shore went to Japan in 1981. He first spent a year living with Mumon Yamada, Head Abbot of Myoshinji monastery in Kyoto, and got his toes wet training at the monastery of Shofukuji in Kobe. In 1982 he began practice under Zenkei Shibayama‘s successor: Keido Fukushima, then Zen master and later Head Abbot of the major Rinzai complex of Tofukuji in Kyoto. He spent the next 25 years in rigorous Zen training there, completed the training, and became Fukushima Roshi's lay successor. Jeff is also professor of Zen in the Modern World at Hanazono University in Kyoto, the sole Rinzai-affiliated university in the world, where he has taught since 1987.