Accidental Zen

A selection of weekly newspaper columns written by Enryo Nagata, a Zen priest, retired English professor, and author, translated by Eric Selland. This series of short vignettes tell Enryo's story and the story of his temple in Toyama, Japan on the Japan Sea. We get a look at daily problems of the average Japanese living in a provincial city and Enryo's advice in dealing with life in modern Japan. Though this is not a guide to practicing Zen, we find that in Enryo' s own wanderings,...
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A selection of weekly newspaper columns written by Enryo Nagata, a Zen priest, retired English professor, and author, translated by Eric Selland. This series of short vignettes tell Enryo's story and the story of his temple in Toyama, Japan on the Japan Sea. We get a look at daily problems of the average Japanese living in a provincial city and Enryo's advice in dealing with life in modern Japan. Though this is not a guide to practicing Zen, we find that in Enryo' s own wanderings, first in his attempts to escape the tradition of inheriting his father's position, his travels in America, and later work as a professor, workshop leader, and author, he eventually arrives at the wisdom of Zen, simply by living and engaging totally with life. This book will be of interest to those who have lived in Japan or who are interested in what it is like living in Japan outside Tokyo and outside the various stereotypes we have of Japan, as well as Zen and what that might mean in contemporary life.