| Foreword to the Wisdom Edition | xi |
| Preface to the Wisdom Edition | xv |
| Preface to the Wisdom Edition | xvi |
| Author's Preface to the First Edition | xvii |
| Note on Chinese and Japanese Terms | xxi |
| Shuan's Preface | 1 |
| Dedication to the Throne | 5 |
| Mumon's Preface | 7 |
Case 1 | Joshu's Dog | 11 |
Case 2 | Hyakujo and the Fox | 17 |
Case 3 | Gutei's One Finger | 23 |
Case 4 | The Barbarian Has No Beard | 27 |
Case 5 | Kyogen's Man Up a Tree | 31 |
Case 6 | Buddha Holds Up a Flower | 35 |
Case 7 | Joshu's "Wash Your Bowls" | 40 |
Case 8 | Keichu Makes Carts | 44 |
Case 9 | Daitsu Chisho | 49 |
Case 10 | Seizei the Poor | 53 |
Case 11 | Joshu Examines the Hermits | 58 |
Case 12 | Zuigan Calls Himself "Master" | 62 |
Case 13 | Tokusan Carries His Bowls | 66 |
Case 14 | Nansen Kills the Cat | 70 |
Case 15 | Tozan's Sixty Blows | 74 |
Case 16 | The Sound of the Bell and the Seven-Panel Robe | 79 |
Case 17 | The National Teacher's Three Calls | 84 |
Case 18 | Tozan's Masagin | 89 |
Case 19 | Ordinary Mind Is the Way | 93 |
Case 20 | A Man of Great Strength | 98 |
Case 21 | Unmon's Kanshiketsu | 102 |
Case 22 | Kashyapa's Flagpole | 106 |
Case 23 | Think Neither Good Nor Evil | 111 |
Case 24 | Leaving Speech and Silence Behind | 118 |
Case 25 | The Sermon of the Third Seat | 123 |
Case 26 | Two Monks Roll Up the Blinds | 129 |
Case 27 | Not Mind, Not Buddha | 134 |
Case 28 | Ryutan's Name Echoed Long | 137 |
Case 29 | Not the Wind, Not the Flag | 143 |
Case 30 | Mind Is Buddha | 148 |
Case 31 | Joshu Sees Through an Old Woman | 153 |
Case 32 | A Non-Buddhist Questions Buddha | 157 |
Case 33 | No Mind, No Buddha | 161 |
Case 34 | Knowing Is Not the Way | 165 |
Case 35 | Seijo's Soul Is Separated | 169 |
Case 36 | Meeting a Man Who Has Accomplished the Way | 174 |
Case 37 | The Oak Tree in the Garden | 177 |
Case 38 | A Cow Passes Through a Window | 181 |
Case 39 | Unmon and a Mistake in Speech | 185 |
Case 40 | Kicking Over the Water Jug | 189 |
Case 41 | Bodhidharma Puts the Mind to Rest | 194 |
Case 42 | A Woman Comes Out of Samadhi | 199 |
Case 43 | Shuzan's Shippei | 204 |
Case 44 | Basho's Shujo | 208 |
Case 45 | Who Is That One? | 212 |
Case 46 | Stepping Forward From the Top of a Pole | 216 |
Case 47 | Tosotsu's Three Barriers | 220 |
Case 48 | Kempo's One Way | 225 |
| Mumon's Postscript | 231 |
| Mumon's Zen Warnings | 233 |
| Oryu's Three Barriers | 235 |
| Muryo Soju's Verses on Oryu's Three Barriers | 237 |
| Mokyo's Epilogue | 243 |
| Amban's Forty-ninth Case | 245 |
Appendix 1 | Introduction to the History of Zen Practice | 247 |
Appendix 2 | Writings and Zen Records Mentioned in the Introduction to the History of Zen Practice | 265 |
Appendix 3 | Personal Names, Place Names, and Writings (Japanese-Chinese) | 269 |
Appendix 4 | Personal Names, Place Names, and Writings (Chinese-Japanese) | 275 |
Appendix 5 | Lineage Charts | 281 |
Appendix 6 | Foreword to the Previous Edition | 293 |
Appendix 7 | Preface to the Previous Edition | 299 |