Download or read book Zen Pioneer written by Isabel Stirling and published by Catapult. This book was released on 2007-08-28 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ruth Fuller Sasaki, who died in 1967, was a pivotal figure in the emergence and development of Zen Buddhism in the United States. She is the only Westerner — and woman — to be made a priest of a Daitoku–ji temple and was mentor to Burton Watson, Philip Yampolsky, and Gary Snyder, and mother–in–law of Alan Watts. This is the first biography of her remarkable life. Few devoted their lives to Zen Buddhism as Ruth Fuller did. As a senior student of Sokei — an Sasaki in New York — Ruth helped him develop the infrastructure of what would eventually become The First Zen Institute in New York City. She married Sasaki in 1944, and it was her mission to maintain the Institute and later, to establish The First Zen Institute of America in Japan. Her legacy remains today in the Zen facilities she helped build in New York and abroad and in the many texts she saw through translation, published from the 1950s to the 1970s. For the first time in book form, three of her writings are included here — Zen: A Religion, Zen: A Method for Religious Awakening, and Rinzai Zen Study for Foreigners in Japan.
Download or read book Zen Pioneer written by Isabel Stirling and published by Counterpoint Press. This book was released on 2006 with total page 295 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A portrait of the twentieth-century American woman who has been credited with bringing Zen Buddhism to the western world discusses her relationships with such individuals as Burton Watson, Gary Snyder, and Alan Watts; studies under master Nanshinken; and contributions to the development of the First Zen Institute in New York City.
Download or read book Kenichi Zenimura Japanese American Baseball Pioneer written by Bill Staples, Jr. and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2011-08-12 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While the story of the Negro Leagues has been well documented, few baseball fans know about the Japanese American Nisei Leagues, or of their most influential figure, Kenichi Zenimura (1900–1968). A talented player who excelled at all nine positions, Zenimura was also a respected manager and would become the Japanese American community’s baseball ambassador. He worked tirelessly to promote the game at home and abroad, leading goodwill trips to Asia, helping to negotiate tours of Japan by Negro League All-Stars and Babe Ruth, and establishing a 32-team league behind the barbed wire of Arizona’s Gila River Internment Camp during World War II. This first biography of the “Father of Japanese-American Baseball” delivers a thorough and fascinating account of Zenimura’s life.
Download or read book Zen Odyssey written by Janica Anderson and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2018-01-19 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explore two lives—and a relationship—that profoundly shaped American Zen. Ruth Fuller Sasaki and Sokei-an Shigetsu Sasaki: two pioneers of Zen in the West. Ruth was an American with a privileged life, even during the height of the Great Depression, before she went to Japan and met D. T. Suzuki. Sokei-an was one of the first Zen priests to come to America; he brought the gift of the Dharma to the United States but in 1942 was put in an internment camp. One made his way to the West and the other would find her way to the East, but together they created the First Zen Institute of America and helped birth a new generation of Zen practitioners: among them, Alan Watts, Gary Snyder, and Burton Watson. They were married less than a year before Sokei-an died, but Ruth would go on to helm trailblazing translations in his honor and to become the first foreigner to be the priest of a Rinzai Zen temple in Japan. With lyrical prose, authors Steven Schwartz and Janica Anderson bring Ruth and Sokei-an to life. Two dozen intimate photographs photos show us two people who aren’t mere historical figures, but flesh and blood people, walking their paths.
Download or read book Historic Engagements with Occidental Cultures Religions Powers written by A. Richards and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-10-16 with total page 315 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores centuries of power relations and imperial and civilizing rhetorics, overarching themes highlighted in these infrequently heard accounts by eastern travelers to the West. Considered in depth are evolutions in mental frameworks and practices that led to the emergence of anticolonial consciousness and strategies of protest.
Download or read book Keep Me in Your Heart a While written by Dosho Port and published by ReadHowYouWant.com. This book was released on 2010-10 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the great pioneers of Zen in America, Dainin Katagiri had a teaching style that was at once powerful, gentle, and sometimes even casual. For his student, Dosho Mike Port, some of Katagiri's most profound teachings came in the simple moments of everyday interactions. Keep Me in Your Heart a While is built around a series of these vivid, truth-revealing incidents that evoke the feel of ancient Zen koans. Each chapter starts with an encounter with Katagiri and unfolds from there, touching on subjects such as the nature and the purpose of Zen, the dynamic and working of realization, and the evolving relationship between teacher and student. In sharing what it was like to train with one of the first generation of American Zen teachers, Dosho Mike Port preserves and revitalizes this incredible path, making it available to the next generation of seekers.
Download or read book How to Reach Japan by Subway written by Meghan Warner Mettler and published by U of Nebraska Press. This book was released on 2018-06 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Japan’s official surrender to the United States in 1945 brought to an end one of the most bitter and brutal military conflicts of the twentieth century. U.S. government officials then faced the task of transforming Japan from enemy to ally, not only in top-level diplomatic relations but also in the minds of the American public. Only ten years after World War II, this transformation became a success as middle-class American consumers across the country were embracing Japanese architecture, films, hobbies, philosophy, and religion. Cultural institutions on both sides of the Pacific along with American tastemakers promoted a new image of Japan in keeping with State Department goals. Focusing on traditions instead of modern realities, Americans came to view Japan as a nation that was sophisticated and beautiful yet locked harmlessly in a timeless “Oriental” past. What ultimately led many Americans to embrace Japanese culture was a desire to appear affluent and properly “tasteful” in the status-conscious suburbs of the 1950s. In How to Reach Japan by Subway, Meghan Warner Mettler studies the shibui phenomenon, in which middle-class American consumers embraced Japanese culture while still exoticizing this new aesthetic. By examining shibui through the popularity of samurai movies, ikebana flower arrangement, bonsai cultivation, home and garden design, and Zen Buddhism, Mettler provides a new context and perspective for understanding how Americans encountered a foreign nation in their everyday lives.
Download or read book Zen Ritual written by Steven Heine and published by OUP USA. This book was released on 2008 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Written by prominent scholars, this text covers rituals from the early Chan period to modern Japan and key developments that occurred in the Linji/Rinzai and Caodon/Soto schools. It describes how rituals mould the lives of its practitioners in accordance with the ideal of Zen awakening.
Download or read book Esoteric Zen written by Stephan Kigensan Licha and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2023-06-26 with total page 357 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When a Zen teacher tells you to point at your mind, which part of your body do you point at? According to the Japanese master Chikotsu Daie (1229–1312), you should point at the fistful of meat that is your heart. Esoteric Zen demonstrates that far from an outlier, Daie's understanding reflects the medieval Buddhist mainstream, in which tantric teachings and Zen were closely entwined movements that often developed within the same circles of thinkers and texts. ,br/> Drawing on newly discovered manuscript materials, it shows how medieval practitioners constructed a unique form of Zen by drawing on tantric doctrinal discourses.
Download or read book Zen Questions written by Taigen Dan Leighton and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2011-11-22 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Whether speaking of student or master, Zen hinges on the question. Zen practice does not necessarily focus on the answers, but on finding a space in which we may sustain uncertainty and remain present and upright in the middle of investigations. Zen Questions begins by exploring "The World of Zazen,"--the foundational practice of the Zen school--presenting it as an attitude of sustained inquiry that offers us an entryway into true repose and joy. From there, Leighton draws deeply on his own experience as a Zen scholar and teacher to invite us into the creativity of Zen awareness and practice. He explores the poetic mind of Dogen with the poetry of Rumi, Mary Oliver, Gary Snyder, and even "the American Dharma Bard" Bob Dylan. What's more, Leighton uncovers surprising resonances between the writings of America's Founding Fathers--including Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin--and the liberating ideals at the heart of Zen.
Download or read book Sources of Japanese Tradition written by Ryūsaku Tsunoda and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 1964 with total page 542 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Volume 1 addresses the development, through the eighteenth century, of Shinto, Buddhism, and Confucianism.
Download or read book What Is Zen written by Norman Fischer and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 2016-02-09 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This unique introduction to Zen teaching and practice takes the remarkably accessible form of question-and-answer—making it a most useful reference for looking things up. But whether you're a neophyte or a seasoned practitioner, you'll want to read the whole thing. The questioner (Susan Moon) and the answerer (Norman Fischer) are old friends, each with a unique gift for articulation, and their friendly conversation covers not only the basics but a range of issues unique to Zen in America in the twenty-first century, including: • What is zazen and how do you do it? • Where did Zen start and where did it come from? • Will I have an enlightenment experience? • What is the law of karma in a nutshell? • What do Zen Buddhists say about rebirth? • How do you recognize a good, solid Zen teacher?
Download or read book Eloquent Zen written by Kenneth Kraft and published by University of Hawaii Press. This book was released on 1997-01-01 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Zen master Daito (1282-1337) played a leading role in the transmission of Zen (Ch'an) from China to Japan. He founded Daitokuji, a major monastery that has been influential for centuries, and he provided interpretations of Chinese texts. Daito's traditional biography is full of vivid episodes, including his years among the beggars of Kyoto and ending with his dramatic death in the meditation posture. Despite his importance, however, Daito has remained virtually unknown in the West. With the publication of Eloquent Zen Kenneth Kraft offers the first comprehensive account of the life and teachings of one of the greatest of Japan's Zen masters. Dr. Kraft begins with the foundations of medieval Japanese Zen. He shows that Daito's predecessors were concerned with clarifying the essentials of Zen as it began to take root in Japan. During this formative phase, the Zen pioneers embraced varied conceptions of enlightenment and divergent notions of authenticity. Kraft places Daito's contributions within this context, offering new insights about early Japanese Zen and about Zen itself. Throughout this study, Kraft looks closely at the complex role of language in Zen--a tradition supposedly distrustful of words. Daito wrote haiku-like poetry, participated in brilliant dialogues, and delivered powerful sermons. His virtuosity in articulating the way of Zen, "beyond words, beyond silence, " is nowhere more apparent than in his use of the capping phrase, an interpretive and commentarial device unique to Zen. Analyzing Daito's use of this device, Kraft elucidates the significance of the literary and aesthetic dimensions of the Zen tradition. Eloquent Zen includes valuable translations of Daito's poetryand other writings. Illustrations include three classic portraits of Daito and rare examples of his calligraphy. This lucid and engaging study will interest scholars and nonspecialists interested in Zen, Japanese culture, and Asian philosophy, poetry, and related fields.
Download or read book The Theory and Practice of Zen Buddhism written by Charles S. Prebish and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-02-15 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book brings together an impressive group of scholars to critically engage with a wide-ranging and broad perspective on the historical and contemporary phenomenon of Zen. The structure of the work is organized to reflect the root and branches of Zen, with the root referring to important episodes in Chan/Zen history within the Asian context, and the branches referring to more recent development in the West. In collating what has transpired in the last several decades of Chan/Zen scholarship, the collection recognizes and honors the scholarly accomplishments and influences of Steven Heine, arguably the most important Zen scholar in the past three decades. As it looks back at the intellectual horizons that this towering figure in Zen/Chan studies has pioneered and developed, it seeks to build on the grounds that were broken and subsequently established by Heine, thereby engendering new works within this enormously important religio-cultural scholarly tradition. This curated Festschrift is a tribute, both retrospective and prospective, acknowledging the foundational work that Heine has forged, and generates research that is both complementary and highly original. This academic ritual of assembling a liber amicorum is based on the presumption that sterling scholarship should be honored by conscientious scholarship. In the festive spirit of a Festschrift, this anthology consists of the resounding voices of Heine and his colleagues. It is an indispensable collection for students and scholars interested in Japanese religion and Chinese culture, and for those researching Zen Buddhist history and philosophy.
Download or read book Zen in the Vernacular written by Peter Coyote and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2024-03-19 with total page 433 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: • Shows how Zen offers a creative problem-solving mechanism and moral guide ideal for the stresses and problems of daily life • Shares the author’s secular, vernacular interpretations of the Four Noble Truths, the Three Treasures, the Eightfold Path, and other fundamental Buddhist ideas During the nearly 3,000 years since the Buddha lived, his teachings have spread widely around the globe. In each culture where Buddhism was introduced, the Buddha’s teachings have been pruned and modified to harmonize with local customs, laws, and cultures. We can refer to these modifications as “gift wrapping,” translating the gifts of Buddha’s teachings in ways sensible to particular cultures in particular times. This gift-wrapping explains why Indian, Tibetan, Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, and Indonesian Buddhism have significant differences. In this engaging guide to Zen Buddhism, award-winning actor, narrator, and Zen Buddhist priest Peter Coyote helps us peer beneath the Japanese gift-wrapping of Zen teachings to reveal the fundamental teachings of the Buddha and show how they can be applied to contemporary daily life. The author explains that the majority of Western Buddhists are secular and many don’t meditate, wear robes, shave their heads, or believe in reincarnation. He reminds us that the mental/physical states achieved by Buddhist practice are universal human states, ones we may already be familiar with but perhaps never considered as possessing spiritual dimensions. Exploring Buddha’s core teachings, the author shares his own secular and accessible interpretations of the Four Noble Truths, the Three Treasures, and the Eightfold Path within the context of his lineage and the teachings of his teacher and the teachers before him. He looks at Buddha’s teachings on our singular reality that appears as a multiplicity of things and on the “self” that perceives reality, translating powerful spiritual experience into the vernacular of modern life. Revealing the practical usefulness of Buddhist philosophy and practice, Zen in the Vernacular shows how Zen offers a creative problem-solving mechanism and moral guide ideal for the stresses and problems of everyday life.
Download or read book Lay Zen in Contemporary Japan written by Erez Joskovich and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2023-12-29 with total page 203 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the emergence and growth of Zen as a non-monastic spiritual practice in modern Japan. Focusing on several prominent lay Zen associations, most notably Ningen Zen, it explores different aspects of lay Zen as a lived religion, such as organization, ideology, and ritual. Through a combined approach utilizing Buddhist text, historical sources, and ethnographic fieldwork, it explains how laypeople have appropriated religious authority and tailored Zen teachings to fit their needs and the zeitgeist. Featuring the findings of three years of fieldwork, interviews, and archival research, the book comprehensively describes various Zen practices and explores their contemporary meaning and functions. It undermines the distinction between traditional or established Buddhism and the so-called New Religions, emphasizing instead the dynamic relations between tradition and interpretation. Written in accessible language and offering insightful analysis, this book brings to light the essential role of lay Zen associations in modernizing Zen within Japan and beyond. It will be of interest to scholars and students of religious studies, particularly those studying Buddhism, Japanese society, and culture.
Download or read book Like a Dream Like a Fantasy written by Nyogen Senzaki and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2005-08-31 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Just as D.T. Suzuki introduced the West to Zen philosophy, Nyogen Senzaki introduced the West to Zen practice. One of the first Zen masters to emigrate from Japan to the United States, Senzaki became the first great Buddhist teacher to fully immerse himself in the everyday life of the West, and his teachings and practice-centers influences a generation of Western Zen practitioners. "Like a Dream, Like a Fantasy" offers an intimate, in-depth look at one of Zen's earliest American teachers. The book features over 40 separate pieces, including essential talks, essays, and poetry. These works not only offer instruction in Zen, but also reveal Senzaki as a man and provide a rare look into the pioneer days of Zen in America. A striking collection that resonates both as a chronicle and a companion, "Like a Dream, Like a Fantasy" is a powerful and informative title that sparkles with numerous treasures.
