{"title":"Muso Soseki","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"sun-at-midnight-book-muso-soseki-9780865473829","title":"Sun at Midnight","description":"For this first translation into English of the work of Muso Soseki, the thirteenth-century Zen roshi and father of what we now think of as the rock garden, W.S. Merwin and Soiku Shigematsu have selected 130 poems and 6 sermons and dialogues. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSpare, elegant, and subtle, the rock garden is as recognizably Japanese as haiku, the epitome of Japanese cultural refinement. Behind both these traditions lies the imperative of Zen Buddhism. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSoseki was a great Zen teacher and poet who taught over 13,000 students. During his lifetime he founded fourteen temples, each one with a garden. His gardens, as well as his poems, effortlessly balanced convention and control with spry spontaneity. Soseki's resources as a gardener, his way of life, and his dedicated labor are beyond translation, but the heart of his teaching, his insight, and his imagination can be seen with clarity through these sublime, inspiring poems.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49962381639953,"sku":"CIN086547382XG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/086547382X.jpg?v=1751171413"},{"product_id":"dialogues-in-a-dream-book-muso-soseki-9781614292531","title":"Dialogues in a Dream","description":"Drawing on his encyclopedic knowledge, one of the most famous masters in the history of Zen leads us on a grand tour of Buddhist theology in all its timeless relevance. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMuso Soseki, the renowned fourteenth century Zen master, is today most known for developing the art of traditional Japanese Zen gardening. Even more impressive is his creation of the institutional structure for all Japanese Buddhist temples, which still in use today. \u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eDialogues in a Dream\u003c\/i\u003e is one of the many projects Soseki took on in this final period of his life. Written in the guise of a conversation between Soseki and the shogun, the work covers the breadth of Buddhist philosophy and practice, and includes insightful discussions of prayer, mediation, and the place of study in religious life. His penetrating analysis deepens our appreciation of even the simplest Buddhist practices. \u003cbr\u003e Acclaimed scholar Thomas Yuho Kirchner painstakingly translates this classic text into English.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50004112081169,"sku":"GOR008008206","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":50384750379281,"sku":"CIN1614292531A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50395422425361,"sku":"CIN1614292531G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50395426357521,"sku":"CIN1614292531VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1614292531.jpg?v=1750927365"},{"product_id":"sun-at-midnight-book-muso-soseki-9781556594397","title":"Sun at Midnight","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"An undisputed master.\"--\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eLong out of print, this reissue is the first translation into English of the work of Muso Soseki, the thirteenth-century Zen roshi and founder of the rock garden. A gorgeous introduction by co-translator W.S. Merwin sets the stage for 130 poems and six letters to the Emperor that combine delicacy and lightness with penetrating plainness. Essential for poets, gardeners, and students of Zen.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eToki-no-Ge (Satori Poem)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eYear after year\u003cbr\u003e I dug in the earth\u003cbr\u003e looking for the blue of heaven\u003cbr\u003e only to feel\u003cbr\u003e the pile of dirt\u003cbr\u003e choking me\u003cbr\u003e until once in the dead of night\u003cbr\u003e I tripped on a broken brick\u003cbr\u003e and kicked it into the air\u003cbr\u003e and saw that without a thought\u003cbr\u003e I had smashed the bones\u003cbr\u003e of the empty sky\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBorn ten years after Dante Alighieric, \u003cb\u003eMuso Soseki\u003c\/b\u003e was the most famous Zen monk of his time, and is considered the father of the rock garden. Muso spent much of his early life practicing Zen in remote temples and hermitages. In spite of this isolation, his reputation grew, and he served as an advisor and teacher to several emperors, as well as to more than thirteen thousand students.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eW.S. Merwin\u003c\/b\u003e is one of the world's foremost translators of poetry.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCo-translator \u003cb\u003eSoiku Shigematsu\u003c\/b\u003e is a Zen scholar, poet, and translator who serves as the abbot of Shogen-ji Temple in Shimizu, Japan.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50007466311953,"sku":"GOR005240519","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51539268894993,"sku":"NIN9781556594397","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":53118007214353,"sku":"CIN1556594399VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1556594399.jpg?v=1751341666"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/collections\/author-books-by-muso-soseki.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}