In this episode, Matthew Juksan Sullivan and I discuss his new translation and commentary of the Blue Cliff Record, which is a collection of 100 koans (enigmatic and paradoxical encounter dialogues) that was originally compiled in Song China in 1125. We discuss how Matthew met his Korean Zen teacher and how practicing koan introspection changed his life. We delve into two cases (Case 6: Yunmen’s “Every Day Is a Good Day,” and Case 43: Dongshan’s “Heat and Cold”) and how working with these ancient cases provides practical wisdom for liberation in the here-and-now of modern society.
About the Author
Matthew Juksan Sullivan was ordained at the Nine Mountains Zen Gate Society as a Dharma Teacher in 2006 and a Zen Master in 2013. He is a dharma heir of Hwasun Yangil Sunim, who was a dharma heir of Wol Ha Sunim, a Grand Zen Master and the former Supreme Patriarch of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism.
The Garden of Flowers and Weeds: A New Translation of the Blue Cliff Record