Table Of ContentPHILLIPS ACADEMY
-Publishers Weekly
3 1867 00712 1689
NOVICE TO
MASTER
in the
Extent of
My Own
Stupidity
I Soko Morinaga
Translated by Belenda Attaway Yamakawa
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Gift of Anonymous
Dono~
everybody loves
novice to master!
"A real gem."-Peter Alsop, Tricycle
^ Editor's Choice. “The story of a man's devotion to getting it—
whatever it may be. It is a codex on the worth of such a pursuit.”
— The Review of Arts, Literature, Philosophy and the Humanities
"A moving story. Morinaga’s direct wisdom
bubbles through the pages. Brilliant."
—Tbm Chetwynd, author of Zen and the Kingdom of Heaven
''Morinaga must be the Cal Ripken of Zendom. It’s a touching
story of phenomenal growth, wisdom, and although he never
owns up to it, enlightenment. A wondrous tale."
—NAPRA ReView
“Unpretentious, poignant and insightful.
Artfully written and translated."
—Sumi Loundon, editor of Blue Jean Buddha
"Soko Morinaga has taken me places that maps can only hint of. This
is one of the rarest books, among but a handful of such truly
wondrous books—words on the order of Issa and Thoreau—the kind
that changes your mind and your eyes for the rest of your days."
— Bill Shields, author of The Southeast Asian Book of the Dead
"Should be particularly valuable to those who have not been
previously acquainted with Japanese Zen."
—Rapport
"A touching portrait of struggle and
growth, evidence that the path to liberation is not a
solitary one. We should all be so fortunate as to learn from
the examples of idiocy in our own lives.”
— Paul W. Morris, editor of KillingTheBuddha.com
"I was touched by Morinaga’s stories of his own life. He speaks of his
own experiences of loss and depression, and of working with others
who are suffering and afraid. I feel him reaching out in
compassion to me, the reader, concerning my own fear of dying, my
fear of living. His modest and cheerful voice encourages me.”
—Susan Moon, editor of Turning Wheel and author of
The Life and Letters of Tbfu Roshi
"Popular books on Zen Buddhism often dish out insights
like McDonald’s serves up burgers. This humorous,
autobiographical book is Zen for people who know you
can't get caviar at McDonald’s.’’
—Psychology Today
Librarian's Choice. "A truly inspiring book for
those looking for spiritual meaning in life.”
—National Library Board of Singapore
"Inspiring, challenging and ultimately humbling.”
—Martine Batchelor, author of Meditation For Life
"With a fine sense of humor and commendable patience,
Morinaga endures the rigors of training in a Zen monastery:
sleepiness, a constant empty stomach, silence in the dining hall,
and the strictness of the master. This combination
memoir-and-wisdom-resource provides a lively
and enlightening overview of Zen, and wonderful
anecdotes on living in the present moment."
—Spirituality and Health
"Anyone who reads this charming memoir can only wish
they had the opportunity to meet this modest yet wise man.
Written with gentle good humor that takes aim at his
own failings without finding errors in others, the book serves up
the most subtle form of enlightenment."
—New York Resident
novice to master
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2019 with funding from
Kahle/Austin Foundation
https://archive.org/details/novicetomasteronOOOOmori
novice to master
AN ONGOING
LESSON
IN THE EXTENT
OF MY OWN
STUPIDITY
Soko Morinaga
TRANSLATED FROM THE JAPANESE
BY BELENDA ATTAWAY YAMAKAWA
1
Wisdom Publications • Boston
Wisdom Publications
199 Elm Street
Somerville, MA 02144 USA
www.wisdompubs.org
® 2004 Belenda Attaway Yamakawa
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including photography,
recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system
or technologies now known or later developed, without the
permission in writing from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Morinaga, Soko, 1925-
Novice to master : an ongoing lesson in the extent of my own
stupidity / Soko Morinaga ; translated from the Japanese by Belenda
Attaway Yamakawa—1st pbk. ed.
p. cm.
ISBN 0-86171-393-1 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Spiritual life-Zen Buddhism. 2. Zen Buddhism-Doctrines. I. Title.
BQ9288.M67 2004
294.3'444~dc22
2004000200
08 07 06 05 04
5 4 3 2 1
Cover by Laura Shaw Design
Interior design: Gopa & Tbd2
Wisdom Publications’ books are printed on acid-free
paper and meet the guidelines for the permanence and
durability set by the Council of Library Resources.
Printed in Canada
table of contents
Acknowledgments 9
Preface 11
i: novice
Part
The Prospect of My Own Death 15
Nothing Is Certain 19
The Encounter at Misery’s End 25
There Is No Trash 27
Consumed with Cleaning 33
Confucius Gives Jan Yu a Scolding 37
Working It Out for Myself 41
“I Can’t Do It" 43
Between Tfeacher and Student 49
That's Between Him and Me 53
Three Types of Students 57
“For the Disposal of Your Corpse” 61
The Meaning of Courage 65
What Am I Doing Here? 71
Living Out Belief in Infinite Power 75
ii: training
Part
A Heart That Does Not Move 81
Getting to Know My Own Idiocy 85
Routine in the Monastery 89
No End to Practice 105
iii: master
Part
What's It All About? Ill
God Is Right Here 117
Is Death Something We Cannot Know? 121
We Are Like Water 125
The Death of My Grandfather 129
Inexhaustible Dharma 133
Tb Die While Alive 139
Give Yourself to Death 145
Buddha Life 151
About the Author 155
About the Translator 155
