Wild Ways

(Paperback)

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Ikkyu, who lived from 13941481, was known as one of Japans most irreverent and iconoclastic Zen masters. He spent much of his life as a vagrant monk, wandering here and there, and mingling with people both high- and low-born. On occasion, Ikkyu played Robin Hood, taking money given by the rich and spending it on the homeless. Interspersing his travels with retreats deep in the mountains, he eventually became head abbot at the most important Zen temple in Japan. Much of his verse rants against the pervasive hypocrisy of the Buddhist establishment and the corruption of the imperial court, but his writing is at its finest when centering around what he loved most: the unfettered Zen life and the joys of sexual intimacy.

Author Bio

Rengetsu (Lotus Moon) was born in Kyoto, Japan in 1791 the illigitimate daughter of a samurai and a young geisha. By age 33 she had lost two husbands and two infant children and she renounced the world and became a Buddhist Nun. To support herself she became a potter, poet and artist. Her work in these arts is still revered in Japan. Rengetsu (Lotus Moon) was born in Kyoto, Japan in 1791 the illigitimate daughter of a samurai and a young geisha. By age 33 she had lost two husbands and two infant children and she renounced the world and became a Buddhist Nun. To support herself she became a potter, poet and artist. Her work in these arts is still revered in Japan.