The Essence of Zen: Dharma Talks Given in Europe and America
Sekkei Harada is the present abbot of Hosshin-ji, a Zen temple in Fukui prefecture, near the Japan Sea coast of central Japan. He was born in 1926 in Okazaki, near Nagoya, and was ordained at Hosshin-ji in 1951. In 1953 he went to Hamamatsu to practice under Zen Master Gien Inoue, and achieved his inkashomei (certification of realization) in 1957. In 1974 he was installed as head priest and abbot of Hosshin-ji and was formally recognized by the Soto Zen sect as a Teaching Master (shike) in 1976. Since 1982 Harada has traveled abroad frequently, teaching in such countries as Germany, the United States, and India. Since June 2002 Harada has served as the General Director of the Soto Zen headquarters in Europe. He is based in Milan. He is the author of Za Zen, of which this is a translation, Sandokai fusetsu (A Commentary on the Sandokai; 1996), and Jiga no honshitsu (The Essence of the True Self; 1997).Daigaku Rumme was born in 1950 in Mason City, Iowa, U.S.A. In 1976, he entered Hosshin-ji as a layman and was ordained by Harada Roshi in 1978. Since then, he has been living and practicing at Hosshin-ji. On several occasions he has accompanied Harada on his visits to Europe, India, and the United States, acting as his interpreter.