Edited by Dr T. Matthew Ciolek
[Est.: 5 Oct 1995. Last updated: 31 Mar 2013.]
The purpose of this document, which is a part of the Buddhist Studies
WWW Virtual Library and of the Zen Buddhism WWW Virtual
Library, is to provide comprehensive and factual information about
the Pi-yen-lu (J .Hekiganroku, E. The Blue Cliff Record) koan
collection as used in the Zen
training. Any additional information, corrections or
comments will be appreciated. Please send email to Dr T. Matthew Ciolek
tmciolek@ciolek.com
About the Pi-yen-lu (J. Hekiganroku, E. The Blue Cliff Record) koans
Pi-yen-lu, Biyanlu, Biyan-lu , Fu-kuo Yüan-wu Ch'an-shih Pi-yen-lu,
Cho Pi Yan Lu (C.), (J. Hekiganroku; Records of Blue Rock Temple, Blue
Cliff Record, Blue Cliff Records, Blue Rock Collection). A collection
of 100 koans originally compiled, with appreciatory verses, by
Hsüeh-tou Ch'ung-hsien (J. Setcho Juken) under a name of the
'Priest Hsüeh-tou 's Capping Verses on One Hundred Cases'.
The volume was subsequently given commentaries, pointers and notes by
Yüan-wu K'o-ch'in (J. Engo Kokugon).
Although it is a text of fundamental importance for koan study in the
Rinzai School it was also studied by Eihei Dogen, the founder
of the japanese Soto school, who on the return from Zen studies in
China brought with him to Japan a handwritten copy of the document.
The Pi-yen-lu koan collection served also as a model and a pattern for
other works such as the Ts'ung-jung-lu (Book of Equanimity). The text
was published in Japan as a part of the 'Taisho shinshu daizokyo'
(Buddhist Canon Published in the Taisho Era). (1924-1934), No. 2003,
Vol. 48.
English language fragments of the text have been published online, without any bibliographical details [it might be, possibly, a document by Yamada Koun roshi - ed.], by The Sanbo Kyodan Zen-Buddhist Religious Foundation as a 111KB PDF document, http://web.archive.org/web/20041212180129/http://homepage3.nifty.com/sanbo-zen/Hekigan-Eg.pdf .
General structure of cases within the koan collection:
Pointer by Yüan-wu K'o-ch'in (J. Engo Kokugon)
The Case
Notes by Yüan-wu K'o-ch'in
Commentary by Yüan-wu K'o-ch'in
Capping Verse by Hsüeh-tou Ch'ung-hsien (J. Setcho Juken)
Commentary by Yüan-wu K'o-ch'in on Hsüeh-tou Ch'ung-hsien's verse
Case names are taken from Cleary & Cleary (1977). Books dealing exclusively with the koans are referrred to by the year of their
publication. Commentaries embedded in materials dealing with other issues are referred to by the year and page number.
Aitken, Robert. 1996. 'A Dream within a Dream - Shoyoroku: Case 90.'
Mind Moon Circle - The Journal of the Sydney Zen Center. pp. 1-3. Spring 1996.
Aitken, Robert. 1997.
'Elder Ting Stands Motionless'. [Blue Cliff Record: Case 32] pp. 8-11.
Mind Moon Circle - The Journal of the Sydney Zen Center/Clear Mountain -
The Journal of the Zen Group of Western Australia. Autumn 1997.
Aitken, Robert. 1999. Blue Cliff Record: Case 13,
Pathless Path, Vol. I No. 6 April 1999.
[Available online from URL
http://www.delegation.org/lame/pathless/path199904.html
Aitken, Robert. 2000. 'Case 12 Blue Cliff Records - Tung-shan's Three Pounds of Flax.'
Mind Moon Circle - The Journal of the Sydney Zen Center. pp. 12-16. Autumn 2000.
Arnold, Geoffrey Shugen. 2000. Huizhao Asks About Buddha.
[Blue Cliff Record: Case 7]. Mountain Record 19.1, Fall 2000.
[Available online from URL
http://www.mro.org/zmm/talks/shugen10.htm]
Arnold, Geoffrey Shugen. 2001. ZhaozhouÕs Seven Pound Cloth Shirt.
[Blue Cliff Record: Case 45].
[Available online from URL
http://www.mro.org/zmm/talks/shugen6.htm]
Barzaghi, Subhana. 1995. The Path of Bodhisattva
[Blue Cliff Record case #89] pp. 13-16. Mind Moon Circle - The Journal of the
Sydney Zen Center. Winter 1995.
[Available online from URL
ftp://coombs.anu.edu.au/coombspapers/otherarchives/electronic-buddhist-archives/
buddhism-zen/teachings/barzaghi-subhana/subhana-teisho-95-winter.txt]
Bolleter, Ross. 1991.
'Yunmen's Bright Light' [Blue Cliff
Record case #86] pp. 6-10. Mind Moon Circle - The Journal of the
Sydney Zen Center. Summer 1991.
[Available online from URL
ftp://coombs.anu.edu.au/coombspapers/otherarchives/electronic-buddhist-archives/
buddhism-zen/teachings/bolleter-ross/bolleter-teisho-91-spring.txt]
Bolleter, Ross. 1997a.
'Today, Tortoise Mountain is enlightened!'. [Blue Cliff Record: Case 22] pp. 15-21.
Mind Moon Circle - The Journal of the Sydney Zen Center/Clear Mountain -
The Journal of the Zen Group of Western Australia. Autumn 1997.
Bolleter, Ross. 1997b.
'Sun face Buddha, Moon face Buddha'. [Blue Cliff Record: Case 3] pp. 7-9.
Mind Moon Circle - The Journal of the Sydney Zen Center/Clear Mountain -
The Journal of the Zen Group of Western Australia. Spring 1997.
Cleary, Thomas and J.C. Cleary. 1977. The
Blue Cliff Record. Boulder and London: Shambhala
Kadowaki, J. Kadichi. 1989. Zen and the Bible. Hardmondsworth: Penguin Group, Arkana.
Kapleau, Philip. 1980. Zen: Dawn in the West. London: Rider.
Low, Albert. 1991. The Iron Cow of Zen. Rutland, VT and Tokyo,
Japan: Charles Tuttle.
Loori, John Daido. 1988. Mountain Record of Zen Talks. Boulder and London: Shambhala.
Loori, John Daido. 1994. Two Arrows Meeting Mid-Air: The Zen Koan.
Boston, Rutland, Vt. and Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle Co.
Loori, John Daido. 1997. Vimalakirti's Gate of Nonduality [Blue Cliff Record: Case 84]
Mountain Record, Fall 1997.
[Available online from URL
http://www.mro.org/zmm/teisho9.htm]
Sekida, Katsuki. 1975. Zen Training - Methods and Philosophy. New York and Tokyo: Weatherhill.
Sekida, Katsuki. 1977. Two Zen Classics: Mumonkan and Hekiganroku, with Commentaries. New York: Weatherhill.
Tarrant, John. 1993a.
'Every Day's is a Good Day'.
[Blue Cliff Record: Case 6] pp. 1-9.
Mind Moon Circle - The Journal of the Sydney Zen Center. Winter 1993.
[Available online from URL
ftp://coombs.anu.edu.au/coombspapers/otherarchives/electronic-buddhist-archives/
buddhism-zen/teachings/tarrant-john/tarrant-teisho-93-april.txt]
Tarrant, John. 1993b. Golden Wind.
[Blue Cliff Record: Case 27]. An unpublished sesshin teisho of 10 Jan 1993.
[Available online from URL
ftp://coombs.anu.edu.au/coombspapers/otherarchives/electronic-buddhist-archives/
buddhism-zen/teachings/tarrant-john/tarrant-teisho-93-01-10.txt]
Tarrant, John. 1993c. Blue Cliff Record case #02.
An unpublished sesshin teisho of 7 Feb 1993.
[Available online from URL
ftp://coombs.anu.edu.au/coombspapers/otherarchives/electronic-buddhist-archives/
buddhism-zen/teachings/tarrant-john/tarrant-teisho-93-02-07.txt]
Tarrant, John. 1993d. Blue Cliff Record case #03.
An unpublished sesshin teisho of 8 Feb 1993.
[Available online from URL
ftp://coombs.anu.edu.au/coombspapers/otherarchives/electronic-buddhist-archives/
buddhism-zen/teachings/tarrant-john/tarrant-teisho-93-02-08.txt]
Tarrant, John. 1993e. Blue Cliff Record case #04.
An unpublished sesshin teisho of 9 Feb 1993.
[Available online from URL
ftp://coombs.anu.edu.au/coombspapers/otherarchives/electronic-buddhist-archives/
buddhism-zen/teachings/tarrant-john/tarrant-teisho-93-02-09.txt]
Tarrant, John. 1993f. Blue Cliff Record case #05.
An unpublished sesshin teisho of 10 Feb 1993.
[Available online from URL
ftp://coombs.anu.edu.au/coombspapers/otherarchives/electronic-buddhist-archives/
buddhism-zen/teachings/tarrant-john/tarrant-teisho-93-02-10.txt]
Tarrant, John. 1993g. Blue Cliff Record case #10.
An unpublished sesshin teisho of 2 Jul 1993.
[Available online from URL
ftp://coombs.anu.edu.au/coombspapers/otherarchives/electronic-buddhist-archives/
buddhism-zen/teachings/tarrant-john/tarrant-teisho-93-07-02.txt]
Tarrant, John. 1993h. Blue Cliff Record case #11.
An unpublished sesshin teisho of 9 Oct 1993.
[Available online from URL
ftp://coombs.anu.edu.au/coombspapers/otherarchives/electronic-buddhist-archives/
buddhism-zen/teachings/tarrant-john/tarrant-teisho-93-10-09.txt]
Tarrant, John. 1994a. Death
[Blue Cliff Record: Case 55].
An unpublished sesshin teisho of 26 Jun 1994.
[Available online from URL
ftp://coombs.anu.edu.au/coombspapers/otherarchives/electronic-buddhist-archives/
buddhism-zen/teachings/tarrant-john/tarrant-teisho-94-06-26.txt]
Tarrant, John. 1996a. 'Out of the bare plain of winter'. [Blue Cliff Record: Case 68] pp. 1-6.
Mind Moon Circle - The Journal of the Sydney Zen Center. Summer 1995-96.
Tarrant, John. 1996b. 'Egg dreams and Green Bamboo Shoots - Blue Cliff Record:
Case 16 & Shoyoroku: Case 70'.
Mind Moon Circle - The Journal of the Sydney Zen Centre. pp. 4-7. Autumn 1996.
Tarrant, John. 1997.
'The Blown Hair Sword'. [Blue Cliff Record: Case 100] pp. 1-6.
Mind Moon Circle - The Journal of the Sydney Zen Center/Clear Mountain -
The Journal of the Zen Group of Western Australia. Spring 1997.
Treace, Bonnie Myotai. 2000. TalungÕs Hard and Fast Body of Reality.
[Blue Cliff Record: Case 82]. Fire Lotus. Spring 2000
[Available online from URL
http://www.mro.org/zmm/talks/myotai7.htm]
Maintainer: Dr T. Matthew Ciolek (tmciolek@ciolek.com)
Copyright (c) 1995-present by T. Matthew Ciolek. This Web page may be linked to any
other Web pages. Contents may not be altered.
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