Passing Through the Gateless Barrier: Koan Practice for Real Life

The classic thirteenth-century collection of Zen koans with one of the most accessible commentaries to date, from a Chinese Zen teacher.

Gateways to awakening surround us at every moment of our lives. The whole purpose of kōan (gong'an, in Chinese) practice is to keep us from missing these myriad opportunities by leading us to certain gates that have traditionally been effective for people to access that marvelous awakening. The forty-eight kōans of the Gateless Barrier (Chinese: Wumenguan; Japanese: Mumonkan) have been waking people up for well over eight hundred years. Chan teacher Guo Gu provides here a fresh translation of the classic text, along with the first English commentary by a teacher of the Chinese tradition from which it originated. He shows that the kōans in this text are not mere stories from a distant past, but are rather pointers to the places in our lives where we get stuck--and that each sticking point, when examined, can become a gateless barrier through which we can enter into profound wisdom.

GUO GU (Dr. Jimmy Yu) is one of the late Master Sheng Yen’s senior and closest disciples. He assisted Master Sheng Yen (1930-2009) in leading intensive retreats throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. Guo Gu also edited and translated a number of Master Sheng Yen’s books from Chinese to English. Guo Gu first learned meditation at the age of four from Master Guangqin (1892-1986), one of the most respected Taiwanese meditation masters. In 1982, Guo Gu began meditation practice with Master Sheng Yen, and was eventually ordained a monk. He became Sheng Yen’s first personal attendant and translator, traveling worldwide with him. In 1995, he received inka (the seal of approval) for his first Chan experience, and was given permission by Master Sheng Yen to teach Chan independently. In 2000, Guo Gu left monasticism and re-entered lay life. He received his PhD in Buddhist Studies from Princeton University and is now teaching Buddhism and East Asian religions academically as an assistant professor at Florida State University, Tallahassee. He founded the Tallahassee Chan Group (www.tallahasseechan.com) and is also the guiding teacher for the Western Dharma Teachers Training course at the Chan Meditation Center in New York and the Dharma Drum Lineage. He is the author of the eBook single The Essence of Chan.