<b>A new translation of</b><i><b>The Gateless Gate</b></i><b>and</b><i><b>The Blue Cliff Records</b></i><b>, two classic collections of Zen koans—or guiding ‘riddles’—used in the study of Zen Buddhism</b><br><br> The strange verbal paradoxes called koans have been used traditionally in Zen training to help students attain a direct realization of truths inexpressible in words. The two works translated in this book, <i>Mumonkan</i> (<i>The Gateless Gate</i>) and <i>Hekiganroku</i> (<i>The Blue Cliff Records</i>), both compiled during the Song dynasty in China, are the best known and most frequently studied koan collections, and are classics of Zen literature. They are still used today in a variety of practice lineages, from traditional zendos to modern Zen centers.<br> <br> In a completely new translation, together with original commentaries, the well-known Zen teacher Katsuki Sekida brings to these works the same fresh and pragmatic approach that made his <i