The Gateless Barrier is generally acknowledged to be the fundamental koan collection in the literature of Zen. Gathered together by Wu-men (Mumon), a thirteenth-century master of the Lin-chi (Rinzai) school, it is composed of forty-eight koans, or cases, each accompanied by a brief comment and poem by Wu-men.
Robert Aitken, one of the premier American Zen masters, has translated Wu-men's text, supplementing the original with his own commentary -- the first such commentary by a Western master -- making the profound truths of Zen Buddhism accessible to serious contemporary students and relevant to current social concerns.
- ISBN10 0865474419
- ISBN13 9780865474413
- Publish Date 1 November 1990
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 17 June 2021
- Publish Country US
- Imprint North Point Press
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 332
- Language English