Download or read book Zen Fool Ryokan written by Misao Kodama and published by Tuttle Publishing. This book was released on 1999-02-15 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection of Zen poetry by 19th century Japanese Buddhist monk and hermit Ryokan is a masterful exploration of life and nature. Ryokan's zen poems are celebration of the joys and sadness of everyday life. His spare, direct style is remarkable for its immediacy and intimacy. This bilingual collection contains more than 150 of his finest poems in Japanese and Chinese, including his famous lyrical correspondence with the nun Teishin, who befriended him in his later years. It also includes a biographical essay on Ryokan, and useful notes on the poems themselves.