The eccentric Bankei (1622-1693) has long been an underground hero in the world of Zen.
This volume presents his teachings-as refreshing and iconoclastic today as they were three hundred years ago-in a fluent translation by Peter Haskel, accompanied by a vivid account of Bankei\'s life and times, illustrations, and extensive notes for the scholar..
At a time when Zen was becoming overly formalized in Japan, he stressed its relevance to everyday life, insisting on the importance of naturalness and spontaneity.
The eccentric Bankei (1622-1693) has long been an underground hero in the world of Zen