The Invisible Zen Library

Started in 2006, The Invisible Zen Library is a personal project about sharing books on Buddhism, meditation, Dharma with those who wish to connect this way and/or join the sitting meditation (zazen) practice in Cluj-Napoca.

Why invisible? Because the world of genuine spirituality is invisible compared to what we find being so visible in our books on history and in the daily breaking news. It is also a hint to a book by Béla Hamvas.

The books are in English, Hungarian, French and Romanian - you can scan the list by clicking here. Book-donations are sometimes welcome.

Location: Eastern Europe > Romania > Transylvania > Cluj Napoca

A Láthatatlan Zen Könyvtár egy 2006-ban elkezdett személyes projekt és olyan könyvek kölcsönzéséről szól, amelyek a buddhizmusról, a meditációról és a dharmáról szólnak. A projekt azoknak szól, akik a könyveken keresztül akarnak kapcsolódni, és/vagy csatlakozni kívánnak az ülőmeditáció (zazen) közös gyakorlásához Kolozsváron.

Miért láthatatlan? Mert az igaz spiritualitás világa láthatatlan mindazzal szemben amit a történelemkönyvekben és a hírekben találunk. Ugyanakkor egy utalás Hamvas Béla egyik könyvére.

A könyvek többsége magyar és angol nyelvű, de van néhány francia és román nyelven is - ide kattintva nézhetsz szét a polcon. Könyvadományokat néha szívesen fogadunk.

Helyszín: Románia > Erdély > Kolozsvár 

Biblioteca Invizibilă Zen este un proiect personal, început din 2006, pentru împrumutarea unor cărţi acelor persoane care doresc să citească despre Budism, meditaţie şi Dharma, sau doresc să se conecteze in acest fel si/sau sa participe la practicarea meditatiei sezande (zazen) in Cluj-Napoca. 

De ce invizibil? Fiindcă lumea spiritualităţii adevărate este invizibilă comparată cu ceea ce găsim a fi foarte vizibil în cărţile de istorie sau în ştiri. Mai este şi o trimitere la o carte scrisă de Béla Hamvas.

Majoritatea cărţilor este în limba engleză sau maghiară, câteva în limba română sau franceză - puteti accesa lista completa aici. Donatiile in forma de carte din cand in cand sunt binevenite.

Locatie: Romania > Transilvania > Cluj Napoca

The Invisible Zen Library

You'll find all the books at the Gandhi Spiritual Center in Cluj-Napoca, we probably won't be listing the new ones here anymore. See you & best wishes!

Jeff Shore: Zen Classics for the Modern World

Translations of Chinese Zen Poems & Prose with Contemporary Commentary (Diane Press, Philadelphia, 2011)

Dedicated to the memories of Keidō Fukushima and Jeff’s twin sister, Jean, Zen Classics for the Modern World contains three Chinese Zen texts from different traditions and eras: the delightful, poetic masterpiece, Enjoying the Way, from the 8th century Northern Zen tradition; the profound poems — and stunning illustrations — of Ten Oxherding Pictures, from the 12th century Rinzai tradition; and the hard-hitting Exhortations for Those Who Don’t Arouse the Doubt, from the early 17th century Sōtō tradition. Much of the material never translated before, the work also offers authoritative, contemporary commentary, developed in conjunction with retreats held in Europe and the United States, revealing the depth and diversity of Zen Buddhism as a living tradition. Here is the true face of Zen practice as it strips away facile generalizations and false assumptions, leading the reader to a genuine encounter with the heart of the matter.

“Jeff Shore is the first westerner to complete the Rinzai koan training in Japan under a Japanese Zen master. Fluent in both oral and written Japanese language, he speaks with both the authority of his own practice in Zen and of his long training in the Rinzai text tradition. In Zen Classics for the Modern World, he brings to bear the full force of his experience to show the way in Zen practice. In dharma talks that are both illuminating and practical, he explains the stumbling blocks, the frustration, the self-deception and the final fulfillment of Zen practice.”
— Victor Sogen Hori, Rinzai Zen monk, professor of Japanese religions, McGill Univer­sity, Montreal, Author of Zen Sand: The Book of Capping Phrases for Koan Practice

“As a Rinzai Zen master and professor of Zen in the Modern World at Hanazono University in Kyoto, no one is more qualified than Jeff Shore to comment on these Zen Classics. Much of the translated materials are presented here for the first time in English. Aimed at the modern reader, the translations are deep, direct, and clear. Jeff does not stop at a scholarly analysis of old texts. No, he brings the texts to life and confronts us with our very own questions: ‘Who am I? What am I doing here? How am I to live this life?’ Do not look for answers in books, not even this book. Let this book help you cut to the heart of the question at hand, the question of your life here and now.”
— Muho Noelke, Abbot of Antaiji Sōtō Zen Temple, Hyogo, Japan

“The texts translated are classical, the translations are scholarly and yet elegant in the best sense. The commentaries, which provide the true core of this work, are fresh and lively. The poetry translations are bilingual, and the illustrations are treasures.”
— J. P. Seaton, a leading translator of Chinese poetry, author of Cold Mountain Poems: Zen Poems of Han Shan, Shih Te, and Wang Fan-chih

Thanks, Jeff!

The Essential Rumi - translations by Coleman Barks with John Moyne

A new book in our library - this time from Robyn at Provision Transylvania! Thank you!

The ecstatic, spiritual poetry of Rumi is more popular than ever, and The Essential Rumi continues to be far and away the top-selling title of all Rumi books. 

Coleman Barks is a renowned poet and the bestselling author of The Essential Rumi, The Soul of Rumi, Rumi: The Book of Love, and The Drowned Book. He was prominently featured in both of Bill Moyers's PBS television series on poetry, The Language of Life and Fooling with Words. He taught English and poetry at the University of Georgia for thirty years, and he now focuses on writing, readings, and performances. This book is the culmination of over thirty years of Barks's work on Rumi's seminal classic.

A Community of the Spirit

There is a community of the spirit.
Join it, and feel the delight
of walking in the noisy street,
and being the noise.

Drink all your passion,
and be a disgrace.

Close both eyes
to see with the other eye.

Open your hands,
if you want to be held.

Sit down in this circle.
Quit acting like a wolf, and feel
the shepherd's love filling you.

At night, your beloved wanders.
Don't accept consolations.

Close your mouth against food.
Taste the lover's mouth in yours.

You moan, "She left me.""He left me."
Twenty more will come.

Be empty of worrying.
Think of who created thought!

Why do you stay in prison
when the door is so wide open?

Move outside the tangle of fear-thinking.
Live in silence.

Flow down and down in always
widening rings of being.

There's a strange frenzy in my head,
of birds flying,
each particle circulating on its own.
Is the one I love everywhere?

Drunks fear the police,
but the police are drunk too.

People in this town love them both
like different chess pieces.

---

"If Rumi is the most-read poet in America today, Coleman Barks is in good part responsible. His ear for the truly divine madness in Rumi's poetry is truly remarkable." -- Huston Smith, author of The World's Religions

"Perhaps the world's greatest spiritual poet--the gold of Rumipours down through Coleman's words. The words leap off thepage and dance!" -- -- Jack Kornfield, author of A Path with Heart

"Perhaps the world's greatest spiritual poet--the gold of Rumi pours down through Coleman's words. The words leap off the page and dance!" -- Jack Kornfield, author of A Path with Heart

"The Essential Rumi is a rare and precious book that will stir the hearts of Rumi devotees and win many new converts." -- Body Mind Spirit

Namaste de Sega - Un roman de aventuri spirituale în Nepal

Namaste

Un roman de aventuri spirituale în Nepal

Namaste.Un roman de aventuri spirituale în Nepal continuă povestea călătoriei lui Sega începută în Namaste. Un roman de aventuri spirituale în India.

După cele trei luni petrecute în ashramul lui Osho din Pune, Sega îşi ia zborul spre Himalaya şi aterizează la Kathmandu, fără să-şi fi propus să cucerească Everestul ori să-l întâlnească pe Yeti, ci să-şi prelungească viza pentru India, să urmeze un curs de Vipassana în izolare şi să facă o vizită la Lumbini, unde s-a născut Siddhartha Gautama, cel care a devenit Buddha. Ca să-şi încerce puterile, nu recurge la rezervări prin internet şi nici la ghiduri turistice sau persoane de contact, lăsându-se cu totul la voia întâmplării. Ceea ce îl va costa, desigur... Soarta îi scoate în cale personaje dintre cele mai stranii, precum monstrul din Lumbini, deghizat într-un sadhu, fraţii Devkota care îl momesc în excursii pe care nu şi le-a dorit niciodată, Ana, frumoasa rusoaică şi Igor, prietenul ei psihopat, sau Lama, ghidul nebun care îl duce în Shangri-La, locul ascuns în inima munţilor. De la rafting pe râul Trisuli la călărit elefanţi prin junglă, de la căluşarii din Sauraha la Sarangkot, locul de unde se vede Annapurna în toată splendoarea, din Thamel şi până la Kapilavastu, palatul prinţului Siddhartha, din Centrul Dharmashringa, unde meditează 10 zile în izolare, până în arestul politiei, unde petrece o noapte după gratii, Sega are parte de tot felul de peripeţii care îl schimbă pentru totdeauna, revelându-i sensuri din ce în ce mai adânci ale salutului Namaste şi îndepărtându-l de toate ca să-l aducă mai aproape de sine însuşi.

Namaste e un salut indian folosit şi în Nepal, însoţit de o înclinare uşoară a corpului, cu palmele împreunate în dreptul inimii.

SEGA – Octavian Segărceanu pe numele lui adevărat – s-a născut în 1971, la Braşov. Deşi scrisul îl atrage din copilărie, ajunge să publice abia după 1990 mici crochiuri în Gazeta de Transilvania. După absolvirea Facultăţii de Matematică din cadrul Universităţii din Bucureşti, se angajează copywriter în publicitate, unde rămâne vreme de şapte ani, pentru ca apoi să se reorienteze spre regia de reclame. Cinci ani mai târziu, dându-şi seama că îi scapă tocmai regia propriei vieţi, pleacă pe Muntele Athos în căutarea a ceea ce nu găseşte în el însuşi. Fiindcă o sumedenie de întrebări îi rămân în continuare fără răspuns, pe 11 iunie 2008, Sega porneşte spre India să-şi afle propriul adevăr. Vreme de un an, care ar putea fi considerat iniţiatic, paşii îl poartă de la ashramul lui Osho din Pune până în locul naşterii lui Buddha, în Nepal, din nordul tibetan al Indiei şi până în sudul ei dogoritor. Prima carte a lui Sega, Namaste. Un roman de aventuri spirituale în India (Humanitas, 2012), surprinde prima parte a fascinantei şi, deopotrivă, terifiantei sale călătorii pe tărâmurile de la capătul pământului. Namaste.Un roman de aventuri spirituale în Nepal reia firul poveştii de acolo de unde a întrupt-o autorul în volumul anterior.

sega-namaste.com

Dainin Katagiri Roshi: Returning to Silence - Zen Practice in Everyday Life

"When you really want to know who you are or what the real significance of human life, human suffering is, very naturally you come back to silence, even though you don't want to, you return to an area of no-sound. It cannot be explained, but in this silence you can realize, even if only dimly, what the real point is that you want to know. Whatever kind of question you ask or whatever you think, finally you have to return to silence. This silence is vast; you don't know what it is."

Book donated by David Schneider - Thank you!

For twenty-five hundred years Buddhism has taught that everyone is Buddha—already enlightened, lacking nothing. But still there is the question of how we can experience that truth in our lives. In this book, DaininKatagiri points to the manifestation of enlightenment right here, right now, in our everyday routine. Genuineness of practice lies in "just living" our lives wholeheartedly. The Zen practice of sitting meditation (zazen) is this not a means to an end but is the activity of enlightenment itself. That is why Katagiri Roshi says, "Don't expect enlightenment—just sit down!" 

Based on the author's talks to his American students, Returning to Silence contains the basic teachings of the Buddha, with special emphasis on the meaning of faith and on meditation. It also offers a commentary on "The Bodhisattva's Four Methods of Guidance" from Dogen Zenji's Shobogenzo, which speaks in depth about the appropriate actions of those who guide others in the practice of the Buddha Way. Throughout these pages, Katagiri Roshi energetically brings to life the message that "Buddha is your daily life." 

The book offers a basic understanding of Zen Buddhism. Special emphasis on discovering the experience of enlightenment in the midst of everyday life.

About Dainin Katagiri Roshi

Born in Osaka, Japan, in 1928, Dainin Katagiri was trained traditionally as a Zen teacher. He first came to the United States in 1963, to help with a Soto Zen Temple in Los Angeles. He later joined Shunryu Suzuki Roshi at the San Francisco Zen Center and taught there until Suzuki Roshi’s death in 1971. He was then invited to form a new Zen center in Minneapolis, which, in addition to a monastery in the countryside of Minnesota, he oversaw until his death in 1990. He left behind a legacy of recorded teachings and twelve Dharma heirs. Katagiri is the author of several books, including Returning to Silence and You Have to Say Something.

Eckhart Tolle: A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose

The Power of Now established Eckhart Tolle as one of the leading spiritual teachers writing today. Now, his long-awaited follow-up brings his inspiring and profound message to a whole new audience.

Building on the astonishing success of The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle takes us beyond our own lives to show that we now have the opportunity to birth a new, more loving world. This involves a radical inner leap of consciousness from the current identification with our ego to an entirely new way of thinking about who we are. For this to happen, the very strictures of the human mind need to undergo an evolutionary transformation.

In A New Earth, Tolle shows how this transformation can occur not only in ourselves, but in the world around us. In illuminating the nature of this shift of consciousness, Tolle describes in detail how our current ego-based state of consciousness operates. He then gently and in very practical terms leads us into this new consciousness. We will come to experience who we are truly are, which is infinitely greater than anything we currently think we are.


Eckhart Tolle is a contemporary spiritual teacher who is not aligned with any particular religion or tradition. In his writing and seminars, he conveys a simple yet profound message with the timeless and uncomplicated clarity of the ancient spiritual masters. There is a way out of suffering into peace. Tolle travels extensively, taking his teachings throughout the world. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

1. In Chapter One, Tolle discusses the reasons for reading A New Earth, and what leads people towards awakening. He writes: "For some, it may have begun through loss or suffering; for others, through coming into contact with a spiritual teacher or teaching, through reading The Power of Now or some other spiritually alive and therefore transformational book." Discuss why you decided to read this book and seek spiritual awakening. What led you to want it? Do you think you were already on the path when you began reading A New Earth? How did the book help you with your enlightenment?


2. Discuss the following passage: "If the structures of the human mind remain unchanged, we will always end up re-creating fundamentally the same world, the same evils, the same dysfunction" (p. 22). Do you agree with this statement? What changes does Tolle argue for? What can humans do as a people to make change happen? What can you do as an individual?
3. Why does Tolle tell the story of "The Lost Ring" in Chapter Two? Have you ever felt as the woman in the story feels? Why does Tolle teach the importance of disassociating ourselves with our physical possessions? Why do you think people are so quick to identify so closely with their possessions? How can we stop? Why should we stop?


4. On page 52, Tolle discusses the importance of feeling the inner body. He says we should "Make a habit of feeling the inner body as often as you can." Why is this so important to do? How is your inner body different than your outer body? What can we learn from our inner bodies?
5. In Chapter Three, Tolle delves into "Reactivity and Grievances." Discuss a grievance you've had with someone. Have you let go of it? How or why not? Why is it so important to let go of grievances? How does holding on to grievances damage your ego?


6. In what outward behaviors does your ego manifest itself? Pride? Superiority? Criticism? Examine the outward face of your ego. How can you conquer these issues and let go of them? Now consider the internal manifestations of your ego. What are you holding on to? How can you try to let go? Discuss.


7. "In Zen they say: 'Don't seek the truth. Just cease to cherish opinions'"(p. 121). What does this statement mean to you? How can you practice this in your own life? What other sayings or thoughts help you to see beyond your own mind to get beyond your ego?


8. What unconscious assumptions (ie. "Nobody respects me" or "I don't deserve love") have you had to fight against? Have you been able to conquer these assumptions? How? Are there any you are still trying to conquer? Why are some harder than others? Why is it so important to get unconscious assumptions out of our minds?


9. Discuss the parable of "Carrying the Past" on page 139. What does the story mean? How does it relate to the larger themes in this book? Are you carrying baggage from your past? How can you unload it? If you have unloaded past baggage, explain to the group how you managed it.


10. What is Tolle saying when he writes about the pain-body? How does the pain-body manifest itself in you? How can you break free from it? How is the pain-body stilting to spiritual growth and awakening?
11. How have the lessons in this book helped you to identify who you truly are? How can you expunge negativity and unhappiness to find your true self? What techniques have you tried? What has worked and what hasn't? Discuss with the group.


12. How is your true identity different than your inner purpose? How can you find your inner purpose? What in this book has helped you to uncover it? Do you feel that you have reached an awakening? What more do you have to work on? Discuss ways to help one another to reach the awakening you seek.
13. How can you help other towards enlightenment? Do you think "The New Earth" that Tolle writes about is possible to achieve? How can the human race a whole be helped by his teachings?

The Books in the Invisible Zen Library

The Books

Feel free to contact us if you wish to read one of the books.
He elolvasnád egyik könyvet itt tudsz kapcsolatba lépni velünk.
Dacă doreşti să citeşti una dintre cărţi ne poţi contacta aici.

Books in English

Shunryu Suzuki: Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind
Shunryu Suzuki: Not Always So
Shunryu Suzuki: Branching Streams Flow in the Darkness
Edward Espe Brown: Tassajara Cooking
Edward Espe Brown: Tassajara Recipe Book
Edward Espe Brown: The Complete Tassajara Cookbook
Sakyong Mipham: Turning the Mind into an Ally
Norman Fischer: Taking Our Places
Chögyam Trungpa: The Myth of Freedom
Chögyam Trungpa: The Teacup and the Skullcup
Chögyam Trungpa: True Perception
Chögyam Trungpa: Training the Mind
Diana J. Mukpo: Dragon Thunder: My Life with Chögyam Trungpa
Fabrice Midal: Chogyam Trungpa: His Life and Vision
The Pocket Pema Chödrön
Shantideva: The Way of the Bodhisattva
Longchen Yeshe Dorje: A Commentary on the Root Text of Jigme Lingpa
John Stevens: Lust for Enlightenment (Buddhism and Sex)
George Crane: Bones of the Master
Stephen Batchelor: Confession of a Buddhist Atheist
Dzigar Kongtrul: Light Comes Through - Awakening to Our Natural Intelligence
Moh Hardin: A Little Book of Love
Laura Simms: The Robe of Love – Secret Instructions for the Heart
Several issues of the Shambhala Sun and the Buddhadharma

Livres en Francais

Chögyam Trungpa: Mandala

Magyar nyelvű könyvek

Dainin Katagiri: Visszatérés a csendhez  
Kódó Szavaki: Az azonnali felébredés éneke  
Su-la-ce: Reggeli beszélgetések Lin-csi apát kolostorában
Janwillem van de Wetering: Az üres tükör
Eugen Herrigel: A zen-út
Willigis Jäger: Hullámaiban a tenger
Zen bölcsességek, történetek
Jane Hope & Borin Van Loon: A Buddha másképp
Hamvas Béla: Karnevál
Hamvas Béla: Az ősök nagy csarnoka 1-2-3.
Hamvas Béla: Tabula smaragdina, Mágia szútra
Hamvas Béla: Patmosz 1-2.
Hamvas Béla: Scientia Sacra
Pressing Lajos: Hová tűntek a csodák?
Eckhart Tolle: Új föld - ráébredni életed céljára
Eckhart Tolle: A most hatalma
Csögyam Trungpa: A szellemi materializmus meghaladása
Csögyam Trungpa: A szabadság mítosza
Csögyam Trungpa: Jóga és illúzió
Jeff Shore: Létezés én nélkül
Buddhista regék és mondák
Csöpel Láma és Kovács Imre Barna: Titkos tanítások magyar mesékben
Karátson Gábor: Tao Te King
Pema Chödrön: Amikor minden darabokra hullik
Pema Chödrön: Közelíts a félelemhez!
Láma Ole Nydahl: Ahogy a dolgok vannak
Andrew Skilton: A buddhizmus rövid története
Keith Dowman: A hat létbirodalom - Oltalomima - A hétágú ima (dzogcsen)
Urgyen és Khandro: A Tiszta Fény 
Prakash: Vízöntő-szutra 
Lángra lobbant a szikra - Emlékkönyv a buddhizmus magyarországi meghonosítóiról 

Cărţi în limba română

David Bell: Zen-isme
Cristalul și calea luminii (Sutra, Tantra și Dzogchen) de Chögyal Namkhai Norbu
Yoga visului – de Chögyal Namkhai Norbu 
Patrul Rinpoche: Cuvintele Desăvârşitului Meu Invăţător 
Bhante S. Dhammika: Întrebări potrivite, răspunsuri corecte

Bill Viola: Reasons for Knocking at an Empty House: Writings 1973-1994

Reasons for Knocking at an Empty House is a powerfully austere observation of the perceptual experience of the self in isolation, subjected to extended duration. Viola writes that this work is "an attempt to stay awake continuously for three days while confined to an upstairs room in an empty house. Recordings were made from a stationary black-and-white camera to chronicle the effects of the relentless passage of time on a solitary individual. The space becomes increasingly subjective as events slide in and out of conscious awareness and the duration becomes more and more brutal." Subtle transformations in light and sound, and the use of a wide-angle lens to create spatial ambiguities, further distort the viewer's perception of time and space, illusion and reality.

Chosen to represent the United States at the 46th Venice Biennale, Bill Viola, a New York artist living on the West Coast, is recognized internationally for his work in video and sound installations. This book brings together a selection of essays, notebook entries, drawings, and descriptions of projects that map Viola's personal course through the readings, observations, experiments, and associations that form the groundwork for his art. Each work illustrated is accompanied by a description by the artist, as well as comments on the work's origins from the artist's notebooks.For the last 25 years, Viola has used innovative multimedia technologies to explore the phenomena of sense perception as a language of the body and avenue to self-knowledge, integrating many disciplines and philosophies to reveal contemporary art's relevance to the modern world. His views have deep roots in mysticism, poetry, philosophy, Eastern art, shamanism, Chinese Taoism, Sufism, and Zen Buddhism. Viola's chief concerns today are to draw attention to the upset ecological balance of nature by focusing on the connection between our inner and outer lives, on the conception of the self as part of the whole.

"The larger struggle we are witnessing today... [is] an ecological drama where the outcome rests not only on our realization that the natural physical environment is one and the same as our bodies, but that nature itself is a form of Mind." Bill Viola

BillViola.com