Since 1980 when Keido Fukushima became the Zen master of Tofukuji monastery in Kyoto, Japan, he has trained over 100 Zen monks, lectured to many students in the United States, produced countless works on Zen calligraphy, made disciples in Japan and America, written books on Zen, and helped to restore the Rinzai tradition in China. He sees himself as a bridge-builder between East and West. In this paperback, Ishwar C. Harris, Synod Professor of Religious Studies at the College of Wooster, has created an admirable tribute to Roshi Fukushima with chapters on The Making of the Zen Master, The Message of the Zen Master, and The Humor of the Zen Master.
One of the most daunting things about Roshi Keido Fukushima is his equanimity. "According to Zen, the average person lives with dualistic understanding created through the rational mind. The mind attaches to the 'right' and 'wrong' only to perpetuate more suffering. A Zen person transcends dualism, knows detachment, controls the ego, and exercises compassion." Many of the teachings of this Zen Master are about strategies to get rid of ego: two of the best are zazen (sitting meditation) and begging. The contaminate mind is filled with ego, attachments, and distractions while the peaceful mind is unperturbed.
Roshi Keido once made a calligraphy that says "Hey! Throw it all away." That is a constant reminder to not become too attached to anything — even the pursuit of nirvana. Another one of this Zen Master's best teachings is the slogan "Watch, taste and bite." In this metaphor, Zen is a slice of sweet pie and all that is necessary is to bite into it and enjoy. Not a bad way to read this paperback.
