This book, translated by renowned and respected translator Thomas Cleary, presents a thousand years of Zen teachings for the modern reader 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 Zen Reader is a compendium of Zen at its best. Cleary's translation makes these teachings succinct and accessible, allowing the gift of Zen Buddhism to be received by anyone, anywhere.