Further Details

Title: Essays in Idleness
Condition: New
Subtitle: The Tsurezuregusa of Kenkō
Author: Donald Keene
Translator: Donald Keene
Contributor: Donald Keene (Translated by)
Format: Paperback
ISBN-10: 0231112556
EAN: 9780231112550
ISBN: 9780231112550
Edition: With a New Preface
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Genre: Philosophy & Spirituality
Release Date: 05/06/1998
Description: Despite the turbulent times in which he lived, the Buddhist priest Kenko met the world with a measured eye. As Emperor Go-Daigo fended off a challenge from the usurping Hojo family, and Japan stood at the brink of a dark political era, Kenko held fast to his Buddhist beliefs and took refuge in the pleasures of solitude. Written between 1330 and 1332, Essays in Idleness reflects the congenial priest's thoughts on a variety of subjects. His brief writings, some no more than a few sentences long and ranging in focus from politics and ethics to nature and mythology, mark the crystallization of a distinct Japanese principle: that beauty is to be celebrated, though it will ultimately perish. Through his appreciation of the world around him and his keen understanding of historical events, Kenko conveys the essence of Buddhist philosophy and its subtle teachings for all readers. Insisting on the uncertainty of this world, Kenk? asks that we waste no time in following the way of Buddha. In this fresh edition, Donald Keene's critically acclaimed translation is joined by a new preface, in which Keene himself looks back at the ripples created by Kenk?'s musings, especially for modern readers.
Language: English
Country/Region of Manufacture: US
Item Height: 221mm
Item Length: 127mm
Book Series: Translations from the Asian Classics
Release Year: 1998

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