£51.00

This is the most expensive it has ever been. Walk away.

£51 today · previous high £51 · all-time low £48

Oxford University Press Opening a Mountain: Koans of the Zen Masters

Amazon

Price History & Forecast

Grey patches = out of stock. Cheaper = lower on the chart. Hover for exact prices.

Last 12 days · 12 data points (no recent data)

Historical
Generating forecast…
£51.00 £47.59 £48.33 £49.08 £49.82 £50.57 £51.31 01 September 2026 03 September 2026 06 September 2026 09 September 2026 12 September 2026
View at Amazon ↗

9780195174342

Price data last checked 41 day(s) ago - refreshing...

NEW HERE?

Amazon shows you one price. We show you all of them.

Tosheroon watches Amazon prices so you don't have to. Every product on Amazon has a price history — we make it visible. Set the price you'd actually pay, and we'll email you the second it gets there. No app, no account, one email.

WHAT'S ON THIS PAGE

↑ Price chart
when this has been cheap or pricey
↑ Forecast
where the price is heading next
↓ Statistics
all-time high & low, recent range
↑ Price alert
name your number, we'll email you

Price Distribution

Price distribution over 12 days • 2 price levels

Days at Price
Current Price
7 days 5 days · current 0 2 4 5 7 £48 £51 Days at Price

Price Analysis

Most common price: £48 (7 days, 58.3%)

Price range: £48 - £51

Price levels: 2 different prices over 12 days

Description
With the growing popularity of Zen Buddhism in the West, virtually everyone knows, or thinks they know, what a koan is: a brief and baffling question or statement that cannot be solved by the logical mind and which, after sustained concentration, can lead to sudden enlightenment. But the truth about koans is both simpler--and more complicated--than this. In Opening a Mountain, Steven Heine shows that koans, and the questions we associate with them--such as "What is the sound of one hand clapping?"--are embedded in larger narratives and belong to an ancient Buddhist tradition of "encounter dialogues." These dialogues feature dramatic and often inscrutable contests between masters and disciples, or between masters and an array of natural and supernatural forces: rouge priests, "wild foxes," hermits, wizards, shapeshifters, magical animals, and dangerous women. To establish a new monastery, "to open a mountain," the Zen master had to tame these wild forces in regions most remote from civilization. In these extraordinary encounters, fingers and arms are cut off, pitchers are kicked over, masters appear in and interpret each other's dreams, and seemingly absurd statements are shown to reveal the deepest insights. Heine restores these koans to their original traditions, allowing readers to see both the complex elements of Chinese culture and religion that they reflect and the role they played in Zen's transformation of local superstitions into its own teachings. Offering a fresh approach to one of the most crucial elements of Zen Buddhism, Opening a Mountain is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the full story behind koans and the mysterious worlds they come from.

Product Specifications
Brand
Oxford University Press
Model
9780195174342
Format
paperback
ASIN
0195174348
Category
Books > Subjects > Religion & Spirituality > Buddhism > Philosophy
Domain
Amazon UK
Release Date
18 March 2004
Listed Since
10 December 2006

Barcode

No barcode data available

Similar Products You Might Like

Zen Masters
96% match

Zen Masters

Oxford University Press

£41.99 02 Oct 2026
Zen Classics: Formative Texts in the History of Zen Buddhism
95% match

Zen Classics: Formative Texts in the History of Zen Buddhism

Oxford University Press

£66.91 03 Oct 2026
Core Texts of the Sŏn Approach: A Compendium of Korean Sŏn (Chan) Buddhism
95% match

Core Texts of the Sŏn Approach: A Compendium of Korean Sŏn (Chan) Buddhism

Oxford University Press

£92.18 11 Sep 2026
Handbook of Zen, Mindfulness, and Behavioral Health
95% match

Handbook of Zen, Mindfulness, and Behavioral Health

Springer

£187.97 25 Aug 2026
The Cat and The Moon - 33 Zen Stories for Peace and Calm
95% match

The Cat and The Moon - 33 Zen Stories for Peace and Calm

£11.65 21 Oct 2026
Wisdom within Words: An Annotated Translation of Dōgen's Chinese-Style Poetry
95% match

Wisdom within Words: An Annotated Translation of Dōgen's Chinese-Style Poetry

Oxford University Press

£92.81 23 Sep 2026
The Record of Linji - New Translation with Japanese Zen Commentaries
95% match

The Record of Linji - New Translation with Japanese Zen Commentaries

Oxford University Press

£61.21 23 Oct 2026
A First Zen Reader: 3 (Routledge Library Editions: Zen Buddhism)
95% match

A First Zen Reader: 3 (Routledge Library Editions: Zen Buddhism)

Routledge

£140.00 22 Aug 2026
Oxford University Press - Recorded Sayings of Zhongfeng Mingben
95% match

Oxford University Press - Recorded Sayings of Zhongfeng Mingben

Oxford University Press

£77.56 11 Sep 2026
The Philosophy of Zen Buddhism
95% match

The Philosophy of Zen Buddhism

Polity

£41.25 21 Sep 2026
From Chinese Chan to Japanese Zen: A Remarkable Century of Transmission and Transformation
95% match

From Chinese Chan to Japanese Zen: A Remarkable Century of Transmission and Transformation

Oxford University Press

£43.42 09 Sep 2026
Women and Buddhist Philosophy: Engaging Zen Master Kim Iryŏp (Studies of the International Center for Korean Studies, Korea University)
95% match

Women and Buddhist Philosophy: Engaging Zen Master Kim Iryŏp (Studies of the International Center for Korean Studies, Korea University)

University of Hawaii Press

£61.19 30 Sep 2026
Oxford University Press - The Chan Whip Anthology Book
95% match

Oxford University Press - The Chan Whip Anthology Book

Oxford University Press

£44.51 23 Oct 2026
The Zen Arts: An Anthropological Study of the Culture of Aesthetic Form in Japan (Royal Asiatic Society Books)
95% match

The Zen Arts: An Anthropological Study of the Culture of Aesthetic Form in Japan (Royal Asiatic Society Books)

Routledge

£151.26 18 Sep 2026
The Social Organization of Zen Practice: Constructing Transcultural Reality
94% match

The Social Organization of Zen Practice: Constructing Transcultural Reality

Cambridge University Press

£57.00 10 Sep 2026
Quirin Press Zen Dust - Rinzai Zen Koan History Book
94% match

Quirin Press Zen Dust - Rinzai Zen Koan History Book

Quirin Press

£74.95 26 Aug 2026
Ritual and Representation in Chinese Buddhism: Visualizing Enlightenment at Baodingshan from the 12th to 21st Centuries
94% match

Ritual and Representation in Chinese Buddhism: Visualizing Enlightenment at Baodingshan from the 12th to 21st Centuries

Cambria Press

£106.71 10 Sep 2026
Icons and Iconoclasm in Japanese Buddhism: Kukai And Dogen On The Art Of Enlightenment
94% match

Icons and Iconoclasm in Japanese Buddhism: Kukai And Dogen On The Art Of Enlightenment

Oxford University Press

£43.69 26 Sep 2026
Selected Works of D.T. Suzuki, Volume I: Zen: 1
94% match

Selected Works of D.T. Suzuki, Volume I: Zen: 1

University of California Press

£37.32 29 Aug 2026
Unbounded Wholeness: Dzogchen, Bon, and the Logic of the Nonconceptual
94% match

Unbounded Wholeness: Dzogchen, Bon, and the Logic of the Nonconceptual

Oxford University Press

£48.49 26 Sep 2026
Zen in Brazil: The Quest for Cosmopolitan Modernity (Topics in Contemporary Buddhism): 12
94% match

Zen in Brazil: The Quest for Cosmopolitan Modernity (Topics in Contemporary Buddhism): 12

University of Hawaii Press

£41.50 09 Sep 2026
PSYCHOLOGY OF MINDFULNESS (Psychology of Emotions, Motivations and Action)
94% match

PSYCHOLOGY OF MINDFULNESS (Psychology of Emotions, Motivations and Action)

£130.08 01 Oct 2026
Record of the Transmission of Illumination: Two-Volume Set
94% match

Record of the Transmission of Illumination: Two-Volume Set

University of Hawaii Press

£51.81 03 Sep 2026