Patrick Hawk (1942-2012), Catholic priest and Zen master. His life is inspiring both in its challenges and its gifts. He was the sort of person easily overlooked at a gathering, yet he had a vital influence on the lives of many people. Pat spent his youth and early adulthood in the hothouse Catholic seminary environment during the critical period surrounding Vatican II. He was part of the cross-fertilization of Zen and Christianity that began with Yamada Koun teaching Zen to European clerics in Japan. He participated in developments in Zen Buddhism as it spread to Europe and the Americas, and he worked closely with several giants of this movement including Willigis Jäger in Europe and Robert Aitken in America. The Hawk biography provides an insider view of these currents. Pat was ordinary in his struggles and ambitions, a fact that makes his dark moods, dry humor, compassion and bright insight particularly instructive. Besides its considerable historical interest, the Hawk biography will be of value to anyone who tangles with their own demons and seeks to live an authentic and fulfilled life.