Lotus Moon: The Poetry of Rengetsu (Companions for the Journey) [Paperback]

Rengetsu (Author)

Book Description

Series: Companions for the Journey | Publication Date: April 1, 2005

“One pleasure of discovering the lives and teachings of the rare women we find in the history of Buddhism is seeing how they take up the tragedies in their lives and transform them. Because their stories are less accessible—-finding someone like Rengetsu is a great gift. To sit with the poems of Rengetsu is to allow a teacher into the depth of one’s mind.”—Bonnie Myotai Treace, spiritual director of the Zen Center of New York

At 33, Otagaki Nobu renounced a world that had visited great tragedy upon her (after losing two husbands and two infant children) and was ordained a Buddhist nun, taking the name Rengetsu (Lotus Moon). Lotus Moon is a selection of her finest poetry presented in John Stevens’ elegant translations and includes illustrations of her artwork and pottery.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Japanese --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Rengetsu (Lotus Moon) was born in Kyoto, Japan in 1791 the illigitimate daughter of a samurai and a young geisha. By age 33 she had lost two husbands and two infant children and she renounced the world and became a Buddhist Nun. To support herself she became a potter, poet and artist. Her work in these arts is still revered in Japan. Rengetsu (Lotus Moon) was born in Kyoto, Japan in 1791 the illigitimate daughter of a samurai and a young geisha. By age 33 she had lost two husbands and two infant children and she renounced the world and became a Buddhist Nun. To support herself she became a potter, poet and artist. Her work in these arts is still revered in Japan.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: White Pine Press (April 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1893996360
• ISBN-13: 978-1893996366
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #458,248 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Translations, February 1, 2002

By 

Hortensia Anderson "Hortensia Anderson" (nyc, ny, usa) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Lotus Moon: The Poetry of the Buddhist Nun Rengetsu (Inklings S) (Paperback)

Another reviewer called the translations of these waka "pure" and John Stevens truly collaborates with the Buddhist nun poet, Rengetsu ("lotus moon") in this collection. Each poem has crystalline clarity and shines like a full moon. One that stays in my head and my heart is:

Looking out over the bay,
I see clouds of cold rain
Summoning winter,
And hear the wind in the pines
Whisper its name.

Ah!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The real thing, November 14, 2005

By 

Ginshu (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lotus Moon: The Poetry of the Buddhist Nun Rengetsu (Inklings S) (Paperback)

This is it the, the real thing. Start with the afterword by Zen master, Myotai Treace,it provides a special insight into the poems,the practice and the nature of reality.You might begin with "Heart" on page 97 to enter into the depths which beckon.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lotus Blossoming in Stormy Waters, November 21, 2006

By 

Crazy Fox (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Lotus Moon: The Poetry of Rengetsu (Companions for the Journey) (Paperback)

Whatever you do, don't rush through this book. The waka poems (or tanka, as they're called today) in this collection by the Buddhist nun Rengetsu are wonderful, filled with a strong spirituality alloyed with a refined sensitivity...along with brief shimmers of gentle wit. But these qualities are extremely subtle and subdued, and I nearly missed them. Read each poem with care and let it sink in slowly, and the poem will gradually unfold in your mind's eye. This is Buddhist literature at its best, not only fostering a meditative attitude through its content but requiring it through its form.

John Stevens' introduction at the beginning is concise and to the point, explaining Rengetsu's poetics and introducing us to a marvelously self-determined religious woman who made it through an incredibly tough life full of sadness and hardship and supported herself though her artistic pursuits in ceramics and calligraphy. Much can be gleaned in these few pages on the vibrancy of the Buddhist tradition in late Tokugawa Japan (vs. theories that it was moribund and decadent) and of its empowering potential for women (vs. recent overarching charges that Buddhism is misogynistic and sexist), not that such issues are overly emphasized here per se. More to the point is the interaction of Buddhist ideals and aesthetics, of which the whole book is an invaluable showcase. I still can't decide whether it appealed more to the side of me fascinated with Buddhism or the side of me moved deeply by Japanese literature, but why quibble? The total effect transcends such limiting discriminations.