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 ...
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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.
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Add this copy of Letting Go: the Story of Zen Master Tosui to cart. $45.00, good condition, Sold by Metakomet Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Concord, MA, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Univ of Hawaii Press.
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Good. No Jacket. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. No jacket. Printing/binding flaw between front endpaper and half-title page with small area of extra glue seepage and abrasion to papers. Otherwise, like new, clean, sound, unread copy. 166 pgs. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall.
Add this copy of Letting Go: the Story of Zen Master Tosui (Topics in to cart. $95.84, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Univ of Hawaii Pr.