The truth of Chan Buddhism - better known as "Zen" - is regularly said to be beyond language, and yet Chan authors - medieval and modern - produced an enormous quantity of literature over the centuries. To make sense of this paradox, this book explores several genres of Chan literature that appeared during the Tang and Song dynasties (c 600-1300).
"As perceptive as it is erudite, and [Cole's] prose is uncommonly readable.... This gem of cogent, provocative scholarship belongs in all collections."
