Letter from the translatorZen and Peace is more like poetry. It is not an eight steps to achieve awakening type of “how-to book.”Inoue Roshi writes with freedom of spirit like poet as he aims to cut through the fundamental contradiction of human nature. He reminds usthat reality constructed through your ego is different from reality as-is right this moment. Zen practice is focused on freeing you from this fundamental contradiction of human nature.
Focusing on the Heart Sutra, this work serves as a guide to achieving liberation and practicing the Buddha Way. The author, a reclusive monk, emphasizes the importance of daily effort in following the sutra's teachings. It presents the Ultimate Path in a clear manner, encouraging readers to embrace the True Dharma and Great Compassion of Buddha. The promise of eventual results from dedicated practice underscores the transformative potential of this spiritual journey.
The purpose of a reclusive monk such as myself audaciously presenting a volume like this is to transmit the True Dharma and the Great Compassion of Buddha. In doing this, I wish to highlight the fact that the Heart Sutra is an outstanding guidebook for the path to liberation and for the practice of the Buddha Way. This sutra describes the Ultimate Path in a most straightforward manner. I would like you to know that by exerting yourself daily in the way it describes the time will come without a doubt when the results of your effort will manifest. Master Kido Inoue To fully understand the meaning of the Heart Sutra, one cannot simply follow, or have faith in what it is says, without detailed analysis. The Heart Sutra cannot be fully grasped with pure intellect alone. Practicing the True Way requires you to throw away all things and to forget the ego. When the words are approached with both the mind and the heart, its full understanding will naturally be revealed through practice. Because of this, the guidance of a real Dharma Master (or Roshi) such as Master Kido Inoue is required. Here, he shares his teachings in a straightforward and honest fashion.
Exploring the nature of the human mind, the book emphasizes its inherent freedom from the dualities of right and wrong or self and others. It presents the concept of an awakened mind, which recognizes the interconnectedness of all beings as part of a unified whole. Through personal experience and the teachings of the Buddha, readers are guided toward achieving profound peace and understanding of their true nature.