Purifying Zen: Watsuji Tetsurō's Shamon Dōgen [Dogen the Adept] is an outstanding work that will undoubtedly make its mark in the fields of modern Zen studies and Japanese intellectual history. Steve Bein's smooth translation faithfully conveys the clarity and strength of Watsuji Tetsurō's prose, and his superb commentaries greatly enrich our appreciation of the critical role that Zen Buddhism played in the formation of interwar Japanese thought.
The importance of this work for English-language readers cannot be overstated. Not only does it bring forth a foundational text from the works of Dōgen Kigen (1200–53), the monk widely regarded as one of Japan's greatest philosophers, but it also provides a wealth of insight into the thought of Watsuji himself. In one volume, we grow closer to two great Japanese thinkers, about both of whom it can be said that we know somewhat less than we think we do, and a great...
