Description: "Set according to the four seasons of the liturgical calendar at Dharma Rain Zen Center in Portland, Oregon, this book lays out a wealth of Zen teachings culled from decades of talks by Kyogen Carlson. Important themes in the book include the simultaneous centrality and ineffability of zazen; moments of kensho or sudden awakening; issues surrounding spiritual authority; the role of community life in personal practice; and the importance, in interfaith dialogue, or reaching across political lines as opposed to simply religious lines"--
Review Quotes: "Kyogen gives it to us straight: Zen demands intense discipline, unwavering commitment, and deep faith, not only in the practice itself and in revered idealized figures like Dogen and the Buddha, but in an all-too-human teacher encountered in the midst of everyday life. This is Zen for grown-ups."--Barry Magid, author of Nothing Is Hidden: The Psychology of Zen Koans
"This book is the Recorded Sayings of Kyogen Carlson, Daiosho. He and his wife, Gyokuko Carlson Roshi, disciples of Jiyu-Kennett, founded Dharma Rain Zen Center in Portland, Oregon, one of the largest Zen centers in the United States. Like the classic Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, this book is for the person who is a beginner on the path of Zen as well as the person who has been practicing for decades. Such a wonderful book. Please savor this rich feast of Kyogen Carlson's deep and accessible Dharma."--Shinshu Roberts, author of Being-Time: A Practitioner's Guide to Dōgen's Shōbōgenzō Uji