Song of Mind: Wisdom from the Zen Classic <i>Xin Ming</i>

"No
words can explain enlightenment," says the seventh-century Zen classic
Xin
Ming,

or "Song of Mind," yet, paradoxically, this poem is a masterpiece of
expressing the inexpressible. In his commentary on it, Chan Master Sheng Yen
takes a practical approach, opening up the language of the
Xin
Ming

to show students how to approach meditation, how to deal with problems that
arise in their spiritual practice, and how to accomplish the imperative task of
integrating this practice into every aspect of one's life. "True
understanding comes only with direct experience," according to Master
Sheng Yen. "These lectures, the Buddhist sutras, songs, poems, and
commentaries are useful only insofar as they encourage you to practice and
incorporate the Dharma [teachings] into your daily life."

The
book takes the form of a week-long retreat with Master Sheng Yen, with each
chapter in the form of an evening talk given on a particular section of the
"Song of Mind" text—giving this book a far more intimate and
accessible feel than most commentaries on Zen texts and creating a feeling of
being right there with the master as he brings the text to life.