“The wise carefully examine what people take lightly and indifferently. It is impossible to be a leader of a community and to assist in the process of enlightenment if your actions are not harmonized with your thoughts.”

Zen, as a philosophical system and form of systematic teaching, originates from Buddhism and was created in China during the Tang dynasty, that is, sometime between the 7th and 9th centuries AD. This philosophy has always been dualistic, as it has aimed to lead the individual to “enlightenment” not only theoretically but also practically, through every action of daily life.

The book, nearly eight hundred years old, contains this philosophy in the form of a collection of 216 small didactic stories, each of which is a brief teaching or dialogue between a renowned Zen master and a conversational partner.

The text remains valuable today because the problems encountered by a Zen teacher in organizing his teachings and selecting his collaborators are exactly the same as those faced by any contemporary leader, be they political, religious, or military officials, managers or heads of enterprises, as well as every person in general, in their daily work and personal life.

Zen can be incredibly complex yet also incredibly simple, and this collection of texts contained in the book, derived from many ancient sources, has been made in such a way that its wisdom and practical application are easily accessible to all.