A history of Zen Buddhism coming to North America, also surveying many of the shifts and challenges to Zen as it attempts to find a home in the West. The author traces Zen's history in Asia, looking at some of Zen's most seminal figures - the Sixth ancestor Hui Neng, Dogen Zenji, the founder of the Soto Zen school, Hakuin Ekakui, the great reformer of the Rinzai koan way, and many other formative personalities, and then outlines the state of Zen in North America today.
"A thorough roadmap of the terrain of American Zen - who did what, where, when, and why - that entertains as it informs. I came away from it having learned, in a most relaxed way, a lot about Zen." Sylvia Boorstein.
"James Ford has an unparalleled knowledge of the people, the big trends, and the interesting details of Zen's coming to the West." John Tarrant.
"This might well be subtitled Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Zen But Were Afraid to Ask. Zen Master Who doesn't presume to demystify the mysterious, only to clarify the obscure. Ford provides at once a splendid primer and a useful reference for advanced students. A wonderful, unpretentious book." Forrest Church.
"At last, a book that helps those beginning Zen practice figure out who's who and how they became a who. You'll feel like an insider." Sumi Loundon.
