These verses echo the teachings of Buddhism through the ages. Written by two of the founding patriarchs of the Chinese Ts'aotung sect of Chan Buddhism, upon which the Japanese Soto Zen sect is based, these classic texts have been largely unavailable to the Western reader until now. Furthermore, their meaning has baffled scholars and practitioners for centuries. In this book, Master Sheng Yen unravels the mysteries tangled in the lines of the poems, making their invaluable teachings understandable and accessible to modern readers. Both poems emphasize the Chan view that wisdom is not separate from vexation, and they speak of varying levels of awareness one must pass through to attain this enlightened realization. Master Sheng Yen expounds on these and other aspects of Chan in lucid detail.