The book is a study and partial translation of Core Texts of the Sŏn Approach (Sŏnmun ch’waryo), a Korean anthology of key texts foundational to Korean Sŏn (Chan/Zen) Buddhism. This anthology provides a convenient entrée to two fundamental themes of Korean Sŏn: Sŏn vis-à-vis the doctrinal teachings (in which Sŏn is shown to be superior); and the huatou (Korean hwadu) method of practice-work popularized by the Song dynasty Chan master Dahui Zonggao (1089–1163). This method consists of “lifting to awareness” or “keeping an eye on” the huatou or phrase, usually the word wu無/No (Korean mu). No mental operation whatsoever is to be performed upon the huatou. The practitioner simply lifts the huatou to awareness constantly, twenty-four hours a day. Core Texts of the Sŏn Approach, which was published in Korea during the first decade of the twentieth century, attempts to encapsulate the entire Korean Sŏn tradition in one convenient volume (and thus functions as a sort of vade mecum). It contains eight Chan texts by Chinese authors and seven Sŏn texts by Korean authors, showing the organic relationship between the parent Chinese Chan tradition and its heir Korean Sŏn. Due to the circumstances of modern East Asian history, Korean Sŏn is much less well-known in the West than Japanese Zen. This book will give readers access to a broad sweep of texts of the Korean branch of this school of East Asian Buddhism.
