This study focuses on the Japanese Zen master Tetsugen Doko, the best-known exponent of Obaku Zen. Obaku Zen arose during the seventeenth century and became the third major Zen sect in Japan. Obaku monks encouraged lay people to deepen their knowledge of and commitment to Buddhism. Tetsugen is credited with producing the first complete wood block edition of the Chinese Buddhist scriptures in Japan. Legend has it that Tetsugen had to raise the money for the project three times - twice his great compassion led him to give the money away he had raised to the starving victims of natural disasters. This book deals with his life, work and teachings and comprises translations of his major texts, documents, and poetry.
"Well researched and clearly written, Iron Eyes provides a thorough and insightful examination of Tetsugen Doko. The author is the only expert specialist in the subfield of the Obaku school, and she makes a significant contribution to the burgeoning fields of Tukugawa intellectual history, religious thought, and Buddhist studies." Steven Heine.
