How can we envision our finitude as a starting point for reflection, rather than as a prison to be escaped? This collection asks that question with renewed force through a dialogue with Christian theology, Japanese waka poetry, Mahayana Buddhism, and the philosophy of Martin Heidegger. This accessible text brings multiple theoretical and artistic voices together in a way that's rarely seen, including concepts from both past thinkers and the author's own poetry.

Inside this work you'll find an essay on the adventure of finitude, drawing on both Heidegger and Dogen to sketch the dynamic form of finitude and its inextricable relationship with death. Then the text presents the reader with an in-depth essay exploring the life and poetry of the 11th century poet-monk Saigyo. As one of the great waka masters, Saigyo's work confronts us with the rising and passing away of phenomena as he struggles to find his home amidst the change. Finally, this collection includes a number of original waka poems, as well as selected interpretations of some of the poems which help to demonstrate the contemporary power of the waka form for wrestling with questions of finitude and change.