A Zen Life in Nature examines the design style and aesthetic of the medieval Japanese Zen monk Musô Soseki (1275-1351), who built gardens as places to meditate and to escape his busy public life. The book begins with a discussion of Soseki’s rural upbringing and the spiritual background to it, his quest for enlightenment as a Zen monk, and his role as mediator in the turbulent times that surrounded the Kemmu Restoration and the establishment of the Ashikaga shogunate. Other chapters look in detail at the spiritual and cultural influences that are crucial to understanding Soseki’s artistic and design sense and the development of his garden building. Finally, the book provides a detailed look at the beautiful Upper Garden at Saihôji, built by Soseki in 1339. A Zen Life in Nature should appeal to a broad audience, including students of medieval Japanese history and religion, those interested in Zen Buddhism and Zen gardens, and people with a general interest in garden design.

Keir Davidson, a landscape gardener for many years, has published three previous books on the planning and construction of gardens and on Zen gardening: Simple Garden Construction (1980, with Daniel Roberts), Zen Gardening (1982 [published in the U.S. as The Art of Zen Gardens, 1983]), and Garden Planning and Construction (1983, with Daniel Roberts).