The Laughing Buddha of Tofukuji: The Life of Zen Master Keido Fukushima

by Ishwar C. Harris

Overview

Whether you have known Keido Fukushima for decades or are encountering him for the first time through the pages of this intimate portrait, we all have the pleasure of meeting him as if he were an old and dear friend. Samples of his calligraphy provide further glimpses into the heart and mind of a leading Zen master of the modern world. Roshi Fukushima, as the Japanese Zen master is called, is generally sparing with personal details of his life. Even old friends of his, however, will be surprised by some of the revelations Professor Ishwar Harris has managed to uncover and share with us in this volume. Through these intimate details the reader can feel the pulse of a Zen master as a flesh-and-blood human being. We can see into the heart of a man who happens to be a Zen master. This approach provides an extraordinary occasion to come into touch with Zen Buddhism through one modern master’s life, love, and laughter. The Zen Buddhist tradition, as Professor Harris mentions, is said to begin with the selfless smile of Buddha’s disciple Mahakasyapa. Zen springs to life when we share the joy of this "open secret." See if you don’t find yourself breaking into a broad smile and beaming with delight every now and then as you read through this account.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781935493495
Publisher:	World Wisdom
Publication date:	09/21/2004
Series:	Spiritual Masters: East and West
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Ishwar Harris is a professor of religion specializing in Eastern Religions, an expert on India’s culture and civilization, an author of books and articles, and a musician. Prof. Harris has devoted his career to studying Eastern religions, particularly Zen Buddhism. He currently teaches at the College of Wooster in Ohio.

Jeff Shore is Professor of International Zen at Hanazono University, Kyoto, Japan, where he has taught for over a decade and a half. He received his MA in Comparative Philosophy from the University of Hawaii in 1978, focusing on Ch’an (Zen) Buddhism, and thereafter performed postgraduate work in the Department of Religion at Temple University, before he moved to Japan in 1981

Editorial Reviews

Zen mind. Many Westerners have a vague concept of what it means. Relatively few, however, will have the opportunity to meet an authentic Zen master in order to experience such a living exemplar of Zen Buddhist life. In this concise and accessible volume, Harris (Ghandians in Contemporary India) presents a rare look into the life and teachings of Roshi Keido Fukushima, Rinzai Zen master of Hofukuji monastery and accomplished Chinese calligrapher. Biographical details of his life form an effective background for a living demonstration and elaboration of Zen ideals: nonattachment, the precepts of mu (the state of non-ego), and focusing attention in the present. Ultimately, the book specifically aims to demystify and "personify" the concepts of Zen for Western audiences (indeed, one of the Master's primary aims) and achieves this objective admirably. The book ends with an appendix of brief tributes and impressions from colleagues. Recommended for public libraries, specifically as an addition to Eastern religion collections.-Dina Komuves, Collingswood, NJ Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

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