Synopses & Reviews
The essence of Zen is contained here. First compiled in 16th and 17th century Japan, the sayings range from profound to mystifying to comical. A Zen Forest is, according to poet Gary Snyder, andldquo;the meeting place of the highest and the most humble: the great poets and the andlsquo;old womenandrsquo;s sayings.andrsquo;andrdquo; Translator Soiku Shigematsu, abbot of Shogennji Zen Temple in Shimizu, Japan, has rendered the pieces into poetic English that illuminates some aspect of Zen, from satori to the meaning of enlightened activity. The words will open windows to the Zen world, while reminding us that andldquo;however wonderful an expression may be, it will be a stake that binds you unless you keep yourself free from it.andrdquo;
Synopsis
Pithy phrases handed down through a distinguished line of Chinese and Japanese Zen masters.
Synopsis
Poetry. Asian Studies. Translated from the Japanese by Soiku Shigematsu. This volume collects the pithy phrases handed down through a distinguished line of Chines and Japanese Zen masters that comprise the essence of Zen. First compiled in the 16th and 17th century Japan, the sayings range from the profound to the mystifying to the comical. A ZEN FOREST, according to the Gary Snyder, the author of the preface, is the meeting place of the highest and the most humble: the great poets and the `old women's sayings'."
About the Author
Soiku Shigematsu is the abbot of Shogenji Zen Temple in Shimizu, Japan. Gary Snyder is one of the original beat poets. His work includes Moutains and Rivers Without End and The Gary Snyder Reader.