The Wisdom of Ikkyū Sōjun

Wild Zen, Sacred Eros, and the Poetry of No-Self

Sapientia mundi

Anyone looking for the English edition of Evgeny Steiner's scholarly biography of Ikkyū Sōjun (see Ikkyū) will be disappointed to find that it is no longer available. As an alternative, Sapientia Mundi Press has published an English book about this "mad" monk, on whose work much of Japanese culture is based. Within a month, this publisher published more than 20 titles on "Wisdom of the World." The book on Ikkyū is dated July 12, 2025.
Curiously, neither the authors nor a publisher are listed. One commentator suspects that all of these books were created using artificial intelligence.
The book on Ikkyū contains a wealth of information and accurately presents Ikkyū's essential ideas. Overall, it's more of a eulogy. It's much easier to read than Steiner's scholarly biography and goes into considerably less detail. However, as a first reading to get to know Ikkyu, the book is a good starting point for anyone who can't read Russian or German.

Content

Chapter headings

Laughing at Emptiness
Born in Shadows: The Bastard Prince Monk
Training under Fire
Awakening by the Lake
Breaking the Buddha's Rules
The Mad Monk as a Zen Archetype
The Zen of Eros
No-Mind in a World of Desire
Poetry as Dharma
Antinomian Zen: Beyond Rules Beyond Ranks
The Power of Irreverence
The Beauty of the Ordinary
Meditation in the Marketplace
Compassion Without Pretense
The Role of Women in Zen
Ikkyū and the Arts of Japan
His Love for Mori: Zen and Old Age
Death as a Joke and a Teaching
The Wisdom of Disobedience
Ikkyū in Modem Culture
The Sacred Profane
Glossary of Key Terms