James Ishmael Ford is a senior guiding teacher of Boundless Way Zen. James has been a student of Zen Buddhism for over forty years. He is also a senior Unitarian Universalist minister serving at the First Unitarian Church of Providence and a member of both the American Zen Teachers Association and the Soto Zen Buddhist Association. He lives outside Providence.
"In his forty-year study of the tradition, Zen teacher and
Unitarian Universalist minister James Ishmael Ford has digested the
'whos and whats' of Zen, presenting a personable and readable
introduction to its major players and teachings, both in the East
and West. Zen Master WHO? is a friendly orientation to Zen for the
new student of Buddhism, and the book's final section, in which
Ford considers the future of Zen in the West, will prompt
discussion among its older students."-- "Shambhala Sun"
"Zen Master Who? is a comprehensive survey of the Asian masters who
first brought Zen to America and of their American students who
have been empowered to carry on their legacy. It tells the story of
American Zen clearly - and honestly. By telling the story of real
people, with real problems and real accomplishments, Ford makes us
ponder just what it is we expec from practice, from teachers and
from ourselves. This is a great book."--Barry Magid, author of
Ordinary Mind
"Apart from Rick Fields' classic How the Swans Came to the Lake,
reportage on the history of Zen in the West has tended to center on
one or at most two traditions, e.g., Japanese Soto and Rinzai
schools. James Ishmael Ford has instead taken a broad perspective,
covering not only the Japanese and Chinese pioneers and influences
but also extending his coverage to Korean, Vietnamese, and the
syncretic Harada/Yasutani lineages. I found his clear account of
the Korean Kwan Um school's Dharma transmission model to be
especially interesting. Informal in tone and extensive in coverage,
Zen Master Who? should prove both informative and absorbing reading
for a new generation of Zen students and teachers alike."--John
Daishin Buksbazen, author of Zen Meditation in Plain English
"At last, a book that helps those beginning Zen practice figure out
who's who and how they became a Who. Zen Master Who? is a greatly
useful guide, bringing together the legendary, the historical, and
the contemporary in one compact, engaging read. You'll feel like an
insider after reading this book."--Sumi Loundon, editor of Blue
Jean Buddha and The Buddha's Apprentices
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