Zen Sanctuary of Purple Robes

A fascinating look at a Zen convent throughout its history.

Zen Sanctuary of Purple Robes examines the affairs of Rinzai Zen's Tokeiji Convent, founded in 1285 by nun Kakusan Shido after the death of her husband, Hojo Tokimune. It traces the convent's history through seven centuries, including the early nuns' Zen practice; Abbess Yodo's imperial lineage with nuns in purple robes; Hideyori's seven-year-old daughter-later to become the convent's twentieth abbess, Tenshu-spared by Tokugawa Ieyasu at the Battle for Osaka Castle; Tokeiji as "divorce temple" during the mid-Edo period and a favorite topic of senryu satirical verse; the convent's gradual decline as a functioning nunnery but its continued survival during the early Meiji persecution of Buddhism; and its current prosperity. The work includes translations, charts, illustrations, bibliographies, and indices. Beyond such historical details, the authors emphasize the convent's "inclusivist" Rinzai Zen practice in tandem with the nearby Engakuji Temple. The rationale for this "inclusivism" is the continuing acceptance of the doctrine of "Skillful Means" (hoben) as expressed in the Lotus Sutra-a notion repudiated or radically reinterpreted by most of the Kamakura reformers. In support of this contention, the authors include a complete translation of the Mirror for Women by Kakusan's contemporary, Muju Ichien.