The twelfth-century Chinese text Dahui’s Letters is one of the few classical Chinese Chan works that offers practical, concrete advice on the actual practice of meditation and on the mental attitudes necessary for awakening. As such it has provided a source of inspiration and guidance for Chan monastics and laypeople alike throughout the centuries since its publication. Consisting of sixty-two letters by the great Song-dynasty Chan master Dahui Zonggao (1089–1163), the book covers a number of subjects, ranging from Daoist philosophy to sutra translation, but focuses especially on the effective use of koans as an aid to awakening. Dahui’s Letters initiated a shift in the way meditation was practiced throughout the Buddhist nations of East Asia, and remains an influential and much-studied work to the present day. The present translation includes the original Chinese text, a historical introduction, English translations, and extensive notes.
