Jakusho Kwong-roshi is a successor in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki-roshi. He has been teaching Zen in the United States and Europe for more than thirty years. He is the founder and abbot of the Sonoma Mountain Zen Center outside of Santa Rosa, California. In 1995 he was given the title of Dendo Kyoshi, Zen Teacher, by the Soto School in Japan. He is one of nine Western Zen teachers to receive this acknowledgment. "Zen," he says, "is the aliveness we bring to each moment."

No Beginning, No End

Zen master Jakusho Kwong-roshi shows us how to treasure the ordinary activities of our daily live through an understanding of simple Buddhist practices and ideas. The author's spontaneous, poetic, and pragmatic teachings-so reminiscent of his spiritual predecessor Shunryu Suzuki (Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind)-transport us on an exciting journey into the very heart of Zen and its meaningful traditions. Because Kwong-roshi can transmit the most intimate thing in the most accessible way, we learn how to ignite our own vitality, wisdom, and compassion and awaken a feeling of intimacy with the world. It is like having a conversation with our deepest and wisest self.

Foreword by Thich Nhat Hanh (Miracle of Mindfulness):

"To have a loving teacher who supports the Sangha in this important work of transformation is a rare and wonderful gift. In the spirit of a true student, Jakusho Kwong shows his love and respect for his teachers and the appreciation he has for the teachings he has received from them. And in the spirit of a genuine teacher, Jakusho Kwong wholeheartedly shares these gifts with his Sangha and all of us."- Thich Nhat Hanh

An excerpt from the book:

"Each time I sit before you I want to convey the most important thing. I want people to experience this greatness, this vastness, what may be called this mysterious universe that, without doubt, is within each one of us. It’s pretty hard to describe, but when we use phrases like "cultivate your own spirit," the word "spirit" includes the whole universe, and this is what I want to share with the hope that people may experience it for themselves."

BY JAKUSHO KWONG ROSHI