Throw Yourself into the House of Buddha by Tangen Harada Roshi

“This is a precious book. First you encounter the astounding story of how Tangen Harada Roshi twice narrowly escaped death, his subsequent vow to dedicate his life to ‘the Great Matter of life and death,’ and his ferocious Zen training under Master Daiun Harada Roshi. The second half of the book contains twenty-four pithy but eloquent Dharma talks on subjects such as Samadhi, Investigation, Repentance, and Vow. Many of the talks contain charming anecdotes—like his encounter with a cockroach on his lunch bun— that he uses to illuminate a Dharma theme but that also illuminate the all-pervading quality of Harada Roshi’s realization. I suspect that each reader will carry away a few of Roshi’s incisive sayings. Mine is: ‘The step that you take is never lost; just carry on.’ ” —Jan Chozen Bays, author of Mindful Medicine and Mindful Eating