One pleasure of discovering the lives and teachings of the rare women we find in the history of Buddhism is seeing how they take up the tragedies in their lives and transform them. Because their stories are less accessible -finding someone like Rengetsu is a great gift. To sit with the poems of Rengetsu is to allow a teacher into the depth of one s mind. Bonnie Myotai Treace, spiritual director of the Zen Center of New York
At 33, Otagaki Nobu renounced a world that had visited great tragedy upon her (after losing two husbands and two infant children) and was ordained a Buddhist nun, taking the name Rengetsu (Lotus Moon). Lotus Moon is a selection of her finest poetry presented in John Stevens elegant translations and includes illustrations of her artwork and pottery.