Hojoki: Visions of a Torn World (Rock Spring Collection of Japanese Literature)
"Poet, reporter, social philosopher, monk, Kamo-no-Chomei is one of the great noble and solitary figures in all of Japanese literature, his incomparable Hojoki as relevant today as it was eight hundred years ago. Thanks to Yasuhiko Moriguchi and David Jenkins for this luminous translation and for their brilliant introduction to the ancient masterpiece."   -Sam Hamill --Review"Presents us with insight anew into the depth, compassion, and wisdom of this exquisite classic." -New Asia Review ---New Asia ReviewKamo-no-Chomei was tormented by the instability of the material world. All  about him, things were falling apart. There was violence and natural catastrophe. The citizens  of old Kyoto were in despair. As so Chomei, a Buddhist monk in 13th century Japan, left the city. He built a small hut for himself in the forested mountains. There he led a  pastoral,contemplative, Buddhistic life. Still, there were doubts about whether this was the proper Way. This modern-verse  translation has a message as timely and profound as anything written about the Los Angeles  riots, the Kobe earthquake, or the horrors of modern war. Hojoki will raise questions,  inspire discussion, and move readers with its passionate descriptions of the human condition. Hojoki  is one of the wonderfully timeless books about the human experience, the meaning of life,  and the proper conduct thereof.  --Midwest Book Review