Alexander Holstein 
Pointing at the Moon 
100 Zen Koans from Chinese Masters

This collection of Zen koans with extensive commentary will be of great interests to followers of Zen Buddhism.


People around the world value the mind-cleansing, spiritually uplifting benefit to be gained through the practice of Cha’an (Zen) Buddhism. Central to Zen is the enigmatic koan (
kung-an), a kind of riddle used by masters to shock their students into greater awareness. In this timeless collection from Chinese masters, translations of 100 of these question-and-answer riddles are presented. Each koan is followed by the author’s commentary, which provides fascinating insight into the background and deeper meanings of the koans.


Pointing at the Moon contains zen koeans from the following four treatises of the Zen tradition:

• A Selection From the Five Books of the Zen Masters’ Sayings


• The Light of the Zen Sayings Recorded in the Year if Developing Virtue


• The Zen Sayings Recorded During the Moonlit Meditation


• An Anthology if Zen Sayings

Enhanced by the 85 beautifully sketched Chinese brush paintings,
Pointing at the Moon is a text certain to stimulate and challenge anyone interested in learning more about Zen and its tradition of spiritual enlightenment.