Burn Down the Zendo

(Sherman Oaks, CA: Ninja Press, 2004. One of 110 copies printed. [13] leaves. Campbell writes, "Each text page, from the opening fly to the last poem, is inhabited by an ens or empty circle. The ens , an image common to Zen Buddhist art, can mean many things: everything, nothing, unity, the moon or even a rice cake. In this text, the ens grows in size on each subsequent page, giving the reader the impression of passing through the center of the ens to the other side. The kanji reads ‘sanzendo,' and while not idiomatic Japanese, can be read to mean: the Zen meditation hall itself; sitting in meditation in the hall; and/or the periodic question-and-answer session that takes place between Zen student and teacher. The book structure is modeled after ledger books or ch -men, in common use throughout Japan particularly during the Edo period (1603-1868). They were sewn at one short end and kept handy by hanging the book on the wall from its sewn end. The structure for Burn Down the Zendo repeats this historical model and is meant to be hung on the wall as well.. Very fine copy. heets folded along top edge to create double leaves, stitched into Egyptian tow flax covers. Hand-lettered kanji on each cover by David Brock. Very fine copy.