Reading list

The Zen of Linji and Hakuin

The Rinzai line, from the shouts of Linji to Hakuin’s kōan training.

Intermediate. 5 steps

Orientation

Tradition
Rinzai Zen
The Linji school in China and Japan, and how it differs from Sōtō.

Text
The Record of Linji
Linji, tr. Ruth Fuller Sasaki, 2009
Read the sermons first: the true person of no rank, and nothing to seek.

Text
The Zen Master Hakuin
Hakuin Ekaku, tr. Philip B. Yampolsky, 1971
Hakuin on his own struggle, on Zen sickness, and on meditation in action.
Concept
Kenshō
Seeing one’s nature, the breakthrough the kōan is meant to provoke.

Cite this entry

Chicago (bibliography): “The Zen of Linji and Hakuin.” Reading list. The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society. Last modified November 7, 2026. https://www.unitiveknowledge.org/reading-lists/the-zen-of-linji-and-hakuin.
Chicago (note): “The Zen of Linji and Hakuin,” reading list, The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society, last modified November 7, 2026, https://www.unitiveknowledge.org/reading-lists/the-zen-of-linji-and-hakuin.
MLA: “The Zen of Linji and Hakuin.” The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society, 7 Nov. 2026, www.unitiveknowledge.org/reading-lists/the-zen-of-linji-and-hakuin.
BibTeX: @misc{reading-lists-the-zen-of-linji-and-hakuin, title = {{The Zen of Linji and Hakuin}}, howpublished = {The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society}, note = {Reading list. Last modified November 7, 2026}, year = {2026}, url = {https://www.unitiveknowledge.org/reading-lists/the-zen-of-linji-and-hakuin} }