HOLDING THE LOTUS TO THE ROCK, edited by Michael Hotz

Edited by Michael Hotz
Holding the Lotus to the Rock
The Autobiography of Sokei-an, America's First Zen Master

"When I came to Seattle, a policeman asked me who I was. I said, 'A mendicant.' I was almost arrested. 'A professional beggar?' 'Yes, I am.' My friend said to the policeman, 'He is a monk. Mendicant means monk in his country.' The policeman looked at me. 'Is he a real monk or not?'" —Sokei-an Sasaki

Sokei-an Sasaki arrived in America in 1906 and was the original Dharma bum — a tried and-true Zen master, the first one to permanently make the United States his home. However, Sokei-an was not your typical sit-down-and-meditate monk. He was equal parts poet, scholar, sculptor, and journalist. Holding the Lotus to the Rock is a window into Zen Buddhism and the forging of a truly distinctive, easy-flowing voice full of self-deprecating humor and charm. From the failed Zen commune and strawberry farm in California to dynamiting tree stumps in Oregon, Sokei-an wandered the American West in a restless search for the American character and the meaning of Zen. Settling in Greenwich Village in 1915, he became part of the emerging bohemian scene and began writing about America. Envisioning the life of a Japanese immigrant during the racially divisive period of early twentieth-century America, one might assume that Sokei-an would have been embittered with the difficulties of bringing Zen to America.… Holding the Lotus to the Rock proves otherwise. Sokei-an was a truly funny and animated man, with a penchant for referring to Alice in Wonderland while teaching his students.

Holding the Lotus to the Rock takes the reader into the mind of an unorthodox Zen master. The book pieces together Sokei-an's life in a chronological autobiography, drawing from a variety of sources, including Sokei-an's poetry, short stories, letters, writings on Buddhism, and reminiscences. With an intimate voice, Sokei-an recounts his story, starting with his childhood as the son of a Shinto priest who served the sea god, up to his run-ins with the FBI and subsequent internment on Ellis Island during World War II. Holding the Lotus to the Rock is a window into a unique piece of American history — the genesis of Zen Buddhism in the West.

Editor Michael Hotz has been president of The First Zen Institute for six years, and associated with it since 1965. He lives in New York City.

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