Sky Flowers On the Day Before: My Life Guided by Zen Buddhism

In his book, Sky Flowers On the Day Before, Kazumitsu Wako Kato tells the story of his life that began by being born into a Sōtō Zen Temple in pre-World War II Japan. Upon his father’s death at the age of 11, he took the vows as a novice monk, joza. With the dedication of mentors who had a profound impact in guiding Kato in performing daily monastic rituals, temple member visits, special services, and the completion of his formal monastic training at the Kyu-kokuji and Nittai-ji temples, Kato reached the rank of oshō at the age of 20. Through his heartfelt memories of his mentors and their experiences together, one learns about the monastic training that individuals undertook to become a Sōtō Zen priest in Japan at that time as well as the hierarchy and customs that were followed. For readers who are practicing Buddhists or have an interest in Sōtō Zen Buddhism, the teachings his mentors transmitted to him that influenced Kato as a young adult coming of age in the midst and aftermath of World War II in Japan are of particular interest.
In mid-summer of 1949 as Kato was helping to air out items that were stored for safety during the war, he discovered an edition of Eihei Dōgen’s Shōbōgenzō. His mother explained to him that it was the Eihei-ji Head Temple edition, which was considered to be the most authoritative text of the Shōbōgenzō. Upon discovering the frail document that had to be handled with care or the pages would disintegrate, the young Kato became engrossed in the Shōbōgenzō, with his mother pursuading him to take breaks to exercise his legs. His intrigue and resonance with the Shōbōgenzō resulted in Kato being guided by Dōgen’s verses throughout the rest of his life, including times of turbulence as well as serenity; at times reciting Dōgen’s lines and verses to himself silently, and at other times out loud.
In 1952, Kato came to the United States to serve as an assistant priest at Sōkō-ji Temple in San Francisco. Through his storytelling one gets insight into the Zen Boom movement that was taking place at that time, and his tenure when he served as assistant priest to Sōtō Zen Buddhist Priest Shunryu Suzuki, the founder of the San Francisco Zen Center, who later became the first abbot of the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center.
Each chapter of Sky Flowers on the Day Before begins with a verse by Dōgen, written side-by-side in Japanese and English, with translations by Dr. Kato. Intermittent verses of Han-shan, also translated by Dr. Kato, are woven into Kato’s colorful, often humorous, fascinating life story.