Endless Vow: The Zen Path of Soen Nakagawa

by Soen Nakagawa, Eido Tai Shimano (Introduction), Kazuaki Tanahashi (Editor, Translator)

Endless Vow is the first English-language collection of the literary works of Soen Nakagawa Roshi. An intimate, in-depth portrait of the master of Eido Tai Shimano, his Dharma heir, introduces the poems, letters, journal entries, and other writings of Soen Roshi, which are illustrated with his calligraphies. In a postscript, some of his best-known American students—including Peter Matthiessen and Ruth McCandless—reminisce about this legendary figure of American Buddhist history.

Genres: Zen, Buddhism, Poetry

192 pages, Paperback

First published June 11, 1996

Reviews

[Dia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love this book -- it can be read in a day, and there is absolutely no reason for it to be any longer. It's an arrangement of some of the haiku that Soen Nakagawa wrote throughout his life, along with diary excerpts. I love how he explains that it was reading Shopenhauer as a depressed college student that was the catalyst for committing his life to the buddhadharma. I love that the Japanese emperor declared poetic themes for each year ("green," "mother," "islands"), and SN comments, "We should respond to this with our original voice, through...haiku or other works we are engaged in." I love his insistence on universality, his openness to what was new to him, and his protection of what was genuine about tradition. One can see how passionate a meditator can become about the world and its people. The introduction by SN's dharma heir Eido Shimano Roshi, who still teaches in upstate NY, is profound in itself. ES Roshi shows how fully human SN was, and how he continually saw and created beauty, which SN defined as that which is unrepeatable -- like the afternoon you will spend reading this book!

[Karlton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little book achieves three things very well. First, it is a fine collection of writings and haiku by Soen Nakagawa; next, the writings (along with a fine introduction and epilogue) are arranged so that it's an excellent biography of tbe Zen Master; and finally, it's a good primer for Zen Buddhism. It's been a while since I've read a book on Zen, and this one left me hungry for more.

[Lori Shinkō Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful, creative, and touching soul. His approach is eccentric and helps us recognize the absurdity in normalizing culture.

Savor it, read little bits each day, like a reading meditation. It asks little of us, yet gives so much and needs careful consideration. Namu Dai Bosa.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite Zen master.

[Chumahan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alcoholism even nails Buddhist monks.