Diary of the White Bush Clover

Diary of the White Bush Clover is the remarkable story of a Japanese woman's peace pilgrimage, walking alone three hundred miles from Kyoto to Tokyo, praying for those who died in the war. It is an inspiring story of devotion, compassion and spiritual awakening, told simply by a woman with a selfless purpose. Diary of the White Bush Clover is a walking meditation into the power of kindness and the potency of immanent danger. Th e teachings of the Buddha evoke the power of grace that refl ects a constancy of surprise. Th e reader is asked to partake in the daily discipline of pilgrimage that mirrors the repetitive character of mind. Th e purpose of meditation from this perspective is not only to stop attention from wandering but to enter a place where the clarity of pure awareness peeks through the instability of confusion. Th rough the power of Goto Hiroko's commitment, prescient landmarks impress the inner traveler with a steady eye that defi es obstacles and melts despair. Th is spiritual journey is not undertaken on the seat of a cushion but with the increase of resolve that coincides with the gradual wearing down of one pair of sneakers. Both the delicacy and ferocity of nature are represented, holding the reader's concentration so that fears are gently tamed. -Janet Sussman, author of Th e Reality of Time Goto Hiroko's memoir, Diary of the White Bush Clover, reads like the best Japanese poetry. Her story is larger than she is, revealing the soul of the Japanese people, a nation wounded by a terrible war. As she tells us what she saw and felt while walking from Kyoto to Tokyo, her writing is so transparent that you enter the pages and walk with her. In the tradition of the haiku, she uses images of nature to reveal depth, emotion and vision - moments of beauty savored and celebrated, heaven and earth, despite having traveled through diffi cult times. She tosses gifts of spiritual awakening to her readers, like the Zen saying, "If you scoop water you hold the moon in your hands." -Diane Frank, author of Blackberries in the Dreamhouse Th is diary is a peace poem. Written in spare, lyrical simplicity, each chapter bestows gifts of wisdom and beauty to the reader. Th e haiku and calligraphy add layers of enchantment to this humble account of a great act of compassion. As I followed Goto Hiroko's journey I felt the world becoming a more peaceful place. -Linda Egenes, author of Visits with the Amish: Impressions of the Plain Life Th is diary and the elegant poems that punctuate this pilgrimage are subtle, beautiful and meaningful as breath. One cannot do better on one's journey than to be "a servant of life." -Rustin Larson, author of Waiting for Evening to Come At some point, those touched by war try to make sense of it, though there is no true sense to be made. Even so, a work and a pilgrimage such as this, in its careful cadences, brings peace, honor and loving attention back into the world. Reading the transliteration, translation and the narration of the poetry walks you step by step through a healing, silent fi eld. -Paul Stokstad, author of Butterfl y Tattoo