
Letting Go
The Story of Zen Master Tosui
Menzan Zuiho(Author)
University of Hawai'i Press
Published on 30. May 2001
Book
Paperback/Softback
184 pages
978-0-8248-2440-2 (ISBN)
Description
Of the many eccentric figures in Japanese Zen, the Soto Zen master Tosui Unkei is surely among the most colourful and extreme. Variously compared to Ryokan and Francis of Assisi, Tosui has been called ""the original hippie."" After many grueling years of Zen study and the sanction of a distinguished teacher, Tosui abandoned the religious establishment and became a drifter. The arresting details of Tosui's life were recorded in the ""Tribute"" (""Tosui osho densan""), a lively and colloquial account written by the celebrated scholar and Soto Zen master Menzan Zuiho. Menzan concentrates on Tosui's years as a beggar and labourer, recounting episodes from an unorthodox life while at the same time opening a new window on 17th-century Japan. The ""Tribute""is translated here for the first time, accompanied by woodblock prints commissioned for the original 1768 edition. Peter Haskel's introduction places Tosui in the context of the Japanese Zen of his period - a time when the identities of early modern Zen schools were still being formed and a period of spiritual crisis for many distinguished monks who believed that the authentic Zen transmission had long ceased to exist. A biographical addendum offers a detailed overview of Tosui's life in light of surviving premodern sources.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Honolulu, HI
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Illustrations
20 illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 228 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 12 mm
Weight
254 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8248-2440-2 (9780824824402)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification