Moon by the Window: The Calligraphy and Zen Insights of Shodo Harada

Aptly titled, Moon by the Window, is a treasure of a book. It opens the windows of the mind to the insight of Zen wisdom and the application of that wisdom to life itself. The moon is the Dharma, and the window, framed by our life, is our way to see it. Reading each commentary and gazing at the representative calligraphy, one is presented with the direct experience of a tranquil mind, and a sense of inner peace. Looking within transforms one's vision of looking without. Shodo Harada Roshi is a great living Zen master, and this volume is a testament to his depth and his conviction. To spend quiet time with this book is to spend time with the man himself. He leads the reader to to grapple with the enigmatic, to see with fresh eyes, and to appreciate the ordinary. To read this book is to open to this very life, just simply as it is, and to understand it as the greatest treasure of all.

Beautiful book with calligraphy and translations of poems. Very clean layout with Calligraphy of the title on the left side of page and the title, author, and translation on the right. Most poems are half a page and quick enough to read here and there or to turn several pages at a time.Highly recommend as a gift!

Only Perfect

This book is lovely. An outstanding collection of Shodo Harada's calligraphy, coupled with a pared down commentary on each work, this book is beautiful to hold and look at, and could serve as a daily resource and inspiration. I'm biased, though, because I already know and love his work.

This is a great book for anyone interested in Zen. Harada sensei's descriptions of the calligraphy phrases open new ways of feeling their meanings, and it is a wonderful book to dip into or read from cover to cover.

item as described

The calligraphy is classic dry-brush Japanese buddhist style. Along with the excellent calligraphy examples, Shodo's writing about the examples is illuminating.

I took a bit of a punt when buying this book as, frankly, I don't have any understanding of Japanese calligraphy. However, I do have an interest in Zen and Buddhism.I am so pleased that I bought this. The author discusses lines from Zen stories and koans, many of which you are likely to be familiar with. Even if you aren't, Shodo Harada has a depth of insight that is wonderful to read.It is beautifully produced and - yes - I love looking at the author's calligraphy, even if I don't have a clue about it.The book is beautifully produced. Buy it for yourself if you have any interest in Zen. Buy it for a loved one or friend of you are looking for a present that is a bit different but which will they will love."Not one single thing" about the Platform Sutra by the same author makes a brilliant companion, although it is plainer and less pretty by comparison.

I've watched Shodo Harada Roshi do, or is it be, his calligraphy on YouTube. He does them effortlessly in about 30 seconds each.But this book is much more than the calligraphy. It is wonderfully insightful. Zen Masters and especially those of the Rinzai lineage usually like to make their students stew over koans. And those students are grateful that they had to work hard to solve those koans.Shodo Harada Roshi is different in that he knows most of us Zen students aren't the patiently waiting at the temple gate type until the Master has seen our keenness to enter Zen practitioners.I won't say Shodo Harada solves koans for us. But he takes them a little bit further, so that they aren't completely meaningless to us. This book gives us the feel of what it is like to be in, or at least close to, that kensho state of mind. It is still a conceptual understanding. But the leap to an intuitive understanding is over a stream and not a Mississippi wide river.This is the kind of book where I look at the calligraphy and feel it's flowingness. Then I read the story behind the calligraphy on the next page. This puts me into that wonderful state of mind that I take with me for the rest of the day.I am so grateful that I have discovered the writings and videos of Shodo Harada Roshi.

per gli appassionati di shodo è indispensabile