Poetry. Asian Studies. Translations from the Chinese by James Mitchell and Yulie Lou. This book describes the development of Zen Buddhism in Tang-period China, and it presents the recorded teachings of Shitou Xiqian, Yaoshan Weiyan and Yunyan Tansheng, collected from the Chinese canon. These three Buddhist masters were instrumental in the growth of the Cao-Dong School, one of the "Five Houses" of Chan, later introduced to Japan by Master Dogen Zenji in the 13th century as Soto Zen. The translations were made during James Mitchell's tenure as visiting professor at the Foreign Affairs Graduate College of the People's Republic of China, Beijing, with the indispensable assistance of Prof. Yulie Lou, Chair of the Philosophy Department at Beijing University, after a careful examination and comparison of the Song-period histories.