Here are 1,000 years of Zen teaching, presented in a way that preserves the dynamic flavor of these talks, sayings, and records of heart-to-heart encounters. From the earliest adepts to the last of the great masters, the teachers represented here explainthe principles, purposes and practices of Zen, as well as the potential perils, pitfalls and perversions. Cleary has translated over 50 volumes of Asian and Middle Eastern sacred texts.