The first-ever Canadian-born Zen master is a Catholic nun! This is her story. Sister Elaine MacInnes shares her journey into Zen Buddhism and the way it enriches her understanding and experience of Christianity. A young Canadian destined for a career in literature or music, her religious calling led her to join Our Lady's Missionaries. Intent on learning more about other religious traditions, MacInnes travelled to Japan where she encountered a completely different spiritual path. After decades of rigorous, disciplined study, MacInnes became the first ever Canadian-born roshi, joining an elite group of world-recognized Zen Masters. In Zen Contemplation, MacInnes shares a lifetime of learning about Buddhist practice and perspective and how these continue to enrich and inform her understanding and experience of Christianity.Elaine MacInnes is a member of Our Lady's Missionaries, an order of Roman Catholic nuns founded in Canada in 1949. She is one of the few teachers to be accredited by the Sanbo Kyodan, in Kamakura, Japan, one of the foremost centres for the study of Zen.Elaine MacInnes offers those who are incarcerated a path to hope and peace. A Catholic missionary, she founded and ran a conser-vatory-style cultural centre near Osaka, Japan. As she introduced western music to the region, she was introduced to Zen. Later becoming one of the world's few Zen Masters, she taught meditation to prisoners in the Philippines and Great Britain, helping to improve their concentration, sociability and self-esteem. Her approach flourished, with thousands of inmates benefiting from her persistence and compassion. She has returned to Canada and is now initiating similar programs here. Order of Canada citation, February 2001200 pages, paperback, 4 1/2" X 7 3/4", Illustrated with b/w Zen calligraphy