Biography: general Books

Trade Review"Lucien Miller, a married Catholic deacon and professor of Chinese studies, documents his experience of the person and teachings of Shigeto Vincent Oshida, a Japanese Zen teacher and Catholic priest. Miller translates in poignant detail the life and work of this no longer hidden spiritual master. Jesus in the Hands of Buddha presents boundary-crossing insights and practices at the core of cross-cultural spiritual living. He profoundly offers an experience of accessible guidance and consolation for world readers of all faiths living on the ropes."Jonathan Montaldo, author of Bridges to Contemplative Living with Thomas Merton"Oshida’s life and legacy is an experience of the spiritual senses knowing the mystical voice. Biblical in sources and Buddhist in form, reading this book took me as a reader to the great pause of silence."Sister Meg Funk, OSB, Our Lady of Grace Monastery, Beech Grove, Indiana"In this beautifully kaleidoscopic book, Lucien Miller reports on the life and legacy of Shigeto Oshida, OP, the Japanese Dominican friar whose vocation was to enact a Japanese and Buddhist way of being Catholic. Given that this book's luminous style reflects the very style of its subject-matter, any of its readers will be doubly rewarded indeed."Robert Magliola, PhD, Carmelite lay tertiary; affiliate, Istituto Vangelo and Zen, Milano, Italy; retired professor at Assumption University of Thailand and National Taiwan University"Shigeto Oshida's quest was to reveal the Christ indigenous to Japanese culture. Lucien Miller's generous account shows us how he did this by rooting himself in the eternal rhythms of mountainous, rural rice-farming Japan, practicing zazen, offering Mass in a simple thatched roof hut, and opening himself to whatever the moment might bring."David Hackett, professor emeritus of Religion, University of Florida"Shigeto Vincent Oshida was a saint, a mystic, a Christian visionary, and a model of an authentic appropriation of Buddhist and Christian truths that collectively lead to a new vision of discipleship. Lucien Miller takes us deeply into the life and heart of Fr. Oshida whose existence was utterly simple and yet filled with paradoxes. He was a hermit in community, a solitary among others. He desired nothing other than to disappear into the silence and bear witness to the 'Unborn Sphere,' all the while in complete service to the poor and those seeking his spiritual guidance. Miller’s book inspires and challenges us to see a new model of the Christian life no longer dominated by a 'Western' model, but one immersed in the spirit of Asia."Peter Feldmeier, professor of Catholic Studies, University of Toledo, Ohio "Combining poetry, personal memories, and recollections of a retreat, Lucien Miller presents a vivid and moving evocation of the late Japanese Dominican friar, Shigeto Vincent Oshida. Embodying values of both the Zen and the Catholic traditions in his spiritual journey, Oshida offered an inspiring and prayerful witness of simplicity, poverty, solitude, and concern for a world of suffering. This moving and loving portrait is highly recommended for all spiritual seekers."Leo D. Lefebure, past president of the Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies, and chair of theology, Georgetown University"This is an intriguing book. It is part memoir, part biography, part theological reflection, and part narrative."Catholic Books Review"Jesus in the Hands of Buddha is for any reader whose contemplative heart races in the mystical mundanity of simplicity and service."Contemplify"Jesus in the Hands of Buddha tells the story of Vincent Oshida, whose great sincerity, sense of humor and profound concern for the poor shine through in these pages and add an original angle on the wider phenomenon of the East-West/Buddhist-Christian encounter."Cistercian Studies QuarterlyTable of ContentsCONTENTS PRELUDE Jesus in the Hands of Buddha Sculpture ix FOREWORD by Timothy Radcliffe, OP xi INTRODUCTION xxi CHAPTER ONE A Buddhist Who Encountered Christ 1 CHAPTER TWO Hermit and Pilgrim 25 CHAPTER THREE Poet and Mystic 51 CHAPTER FOUR Sesshin Part One 69 CHAPTER FIVE Sesshin Part Two 121 EPILOGUE September Meeting, Last Days, Gleanings 163 POSTLUDE The Greatest Accomplishment 177 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 179 VITA 181 BIBLIOGRAPHY 189

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Book SynopsisThe Englishwoman Gertrude Bell lived an extraordinary life. She rode with bandits, braved desert shamals and was captured by Bedouins. This volume of three of her notebooks preserves Bell's elegant, vibrant prose and presents Bell as a brilliant tactician fearlessly confronting her vulnerabilities.

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