Mumon Gensen

Mumon Gensen (Japanese: 無文元選, March 22, 1323 - May 7, 1390) was a Japanese Zen priest, believed as an illegitimate son of Emperor Go-Daigo. In 1340, the next year of Go-Daigo death, Gensen became a priest at Kennin-ji, Kyoto, a major  Rinzai-zen affiliated temple. He went to China ruled by Yuan dynasty to study Zen much further, and after his return to Japan, founded Hōkō-ji in Tōtōmi Province, now Shizuoka Prefecture.

Quotes

 * Life is an ever-rolling wheel And every day is the right one. He who recites poems at his death Adds frost to snow.
 * Japanese Death Poems. Compiled by Yoel Hoffmann. ISBN 978-0-8048-3179-6


 * Life is like a cloud of mist Emerging from a mountain cave, And death A floating moon In its celestial course. If you think too much About the meaning they may have, You'll be bound forever Like an ass to a stake.
 * Japanese Death Poems. Compiled by Yoel Hoffmann. ISBN 978-0-8048-3179-6