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Book Description
This story looks at one man's very personal struggle to engage his Shin Buddhist faith to make sense of his experiences with the dead and dying. Shinmon Aoki is forced by extreme financial circumstances into a job in one of the most despised professions in Japanese society, that of the nokanfu, one who washes and prepares dead bodies for burial. Shunned by family and friends and burdened by his own initial revulsion for his work, Aoki throws himself into the job with a fervor that attracts the attention of the townsfolk and earns him the title of Coffinman. In this spiritual autobiography, Aoki chronicles his progression from repulsion to a gradual realization of the tranquility that accompanies death. He assists the uninitiated in gaining an understanding of the basic principles of Shin Buddhism and its concepts of death and dying. Also included are definitions of key terms and phrases and a bibliography.

About the Author
Shinmon Aoki is the author of two poetry collections and a selection of essays in Japanese. He lives in Toyama, Japan.

First Sentence:
Woke up this morning to the sight of Mt. Tateyama covered with snow. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
face radiant with light, jinen honi, beautiful death Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Inconceivable Light, Kenji Miyazawa, Jodo Shinshu, Amida Buddha, The Larger Sutra of Infinite Life, Pure Land, Buddha of Light, Intermediate State, Jun Takami, Big Bang, Yukio Mishima, Path of Self-Perfection New!
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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