No mere "child's poet," Issa is an aware and committed artist who celebrates, in a lifetime of haiku, the "Other Power" of Amida Buddha: a power that transforms the individual and universe or, more exactly, the individual/universe in their inseparableness. Pure Land Haiku: The Art of Priest Issa is the first book-length English-language treatment of this remarkable Japanese poet in relation to his joyful, "priestly" mission.
The first edition of this book, published by Buddhist Books International in 2004 (ISBN 0-914910-53-1), is out of print. The Revised Second Edition (ISBN 978-0-9859003-9-7) is available as an e-book for Kindle and Nook. Note that the book includes Japanese texts, which only the newer Kindles can display. Japanese texts on Nook will appear as question marks.
back