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by Tangen Harada (Author), Belenda Attaway Yamakawa (Translator), Kogen Czarnik (Editor)
From narrowly surviving World War II through enduring the profound rigors of traditional Zen training, Tangen Harada's fascinating life story and teachings present a classic picture of the Buddhist journey from suffering to realization.
On August 15, 1945, at the age of twenty, Tangen Harada stood on an airfield and prepared to board the airplane on which he would undertake a suicide mission for his country. Only the voice of Emperor Hirohito on the radio--never before heard by the Japanese public--announcing Japan's surrender saved his life. After returning from a Soviet POW camp in 1946, overcome with questions about the meaning of human life and suffering, Harada sought out the counsel of a Zen master. He thus embarked on the path of awakening and liberation to which he would commit the rest of his life, eventually teaching thousands of people from around the world. Throw Yourself into the House of Buddha includes Tangen Roshi's life story in his own words, as well as twenty-four teachings conveying the heart of his Zen understanding. Each chapter, paired with a beautiful calligraphy by the master, conveys his direct, uncompromising, yet encouraging message about the possibility of Zen realization. "Wake up," writes Harada, "and you can say for yourself, 'The sun is my eye, the wind my breath, all of space my heart, the mountain and ocean my body. The sun shining brightly, vividly, is the eye of my life. The vastness of the sky is my heart.' Who is the master of this boundless heart? No one else but you. This is your reality. Heaven and earth--same root, all things--one body."Author Biography
Tangen Harada began intensive monastic Zen practice under the guidance of the famous Sogaku Harada Roshi in 1947. Following a series of realization experiences, he received Dharma transmission at age twenty-seven and became abbot of Bukkoku-ji temple, where he taught for close to sixty years. Maintaining a strict and traditional spirit of practice, he accepted all manner of students--monastic and lay, and of all nationalities, genders, and ages. Tangen Roshi was one of the most revered contemporary Zen masters of the Soto School, and he influenced the many Zen students and teachers around the world who practiced under his guidance until his death in 2018.
