Nature Zen

A mobile monastery to stick in your pack whenever you go out on the trail, this book by veteran hikers and Buddhist monks Phap Luu and Phap Xa offers mindfulness practices to explore as you walk to generate inner and outer peace. Grounded in the rich traditions of Zen practice, this book invites you to experience the fundamental connection between humans and the natural world.

“When you wake up and you see that the Earth is not just the environment, the Earth is us, you touch the nature of interbeing. And at that moment you can have real communication with the Earth… We have to wake up together. And if we wake up together, then we have a chance. Our way of living...

32 ZEN STORIES WITH REFLECTIONS FOR BEGINNERS Animals have always been silent teachers. Long before scriptures were written and philosophies recorded, people looked to the natural world for guidance. In the quiet gestures and instinctive movements of animals, they found lessons that no human language could fully express. Zen calls us back to this ancient way of seeing. It reminds us that wisdom is not found only in teachings or texts, but also in the wordless companions who share this earth with us. Animals do not speak, yet they live with a clarity we often forget. They do not hurry toward...

PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST NAMED A NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORKER AND VOGUE The first biography of Peter Matthiessen, the novelist, naturalist, and Zen roshi, whose trailblazing work championed Native American rights and helped...

Dive into tranquility with "Nature Sounds," an audiobook designed to soothe your mind and invigorate your soul with the pure, powerful sounds of nature. From the rejuvenating ambiance of forest whispers to the meditative flow of a Zen waterfall, each track is meticulously crafted to aid in relaxation, deep sleep, meditation, and focus.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance has descriptive copy which is not yet available from the Publisher...

What happens when a burnt-out tech professional ditches the comforts of modern life and hikes 2,650 miles across the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada? A head-on collision of midlife crisis and wilderness reality, where he’s never felt more alive. Somewhere between blisters, bear poop, and resupply, it clicks. Those cryptic ideas of Zen and Taoism he skimmed almost two decades ago—about ‘simplicity’ and ‘attachment, ’ the kind most of us flag as hippie nonsense, actually started making a whole lot of sense.

What if the answer you are looking for is not hidden behind a door—but behind the way you keep looking? For centuries, The Gateless Gate has stood as one of Zen’s most famous, difficult, and fascinating texts. Its forty-eight koans have puzzled monks, awakened seekers, irritated scholars, and humbled readers who thought they could solve Zen the way they might solve a riddle. A monk asks whether a dog has Buddha-nature. A master answers with one word: Mu. A teacher raises a finger. A gate appears with no gate to pass through. Again and again, the mind reaches for a clear answer—and ...

This inspiring meditation on the intersection of science, nature, and spirit shows readers how to deepen their connection to the natural world. In Rooted, cutting-edge science supports a truth that poets, artists, mystics, and earth-based cultures across the world have proclaimed over millennia...

Conflict is going to be part of your life--as long as you have relationships, hold down a job, or have dry cleaning to be picked up. Bracing yourself against it won't make it go away, but if you approach it consciously, you can navigate it in a way that not only honors everyone involved but...

Most spiritual paths tell you to climb. This one tells you to look. For over a thousand years, The Platform Sutra has quietly overturned everything people assume about enlightenment. It does not promise gradual progress, spiritual status, or years of slow purification. Instead, it delivers a bold and unsettling claim: what you are seeking is already within you—waiting to be seen. At the center of this teaching stands Huineng, an unlikely master who rose from obscurity to redefine Zen itself. He was not a scholar. Not a monk of high rank. Yet his insight would challenge an entire tradition...

The Placeless Abode weaves together five dharma talks delivered by Yoshin David Radin at the Rinzai-ji Zen Center of Los Angeles—his teacher Joshu Sasaki Roshi’s home temple. Structured like the sesshin, or Zen retreat, from which the material arose, each day’s talk is followed by other writings that reflect and deepen the themes addressed.

A warm stone path. Bare feet. Rosemary on your fingertips. There is nowhere to be but here. It is the last days of August in the hills of southern Tuscany. The sun is low and golden, the air perfectly still, and behind a stone farmhouse, a small herb garden is waiting — basil heavy with leaf, tomatoes warm on the vine, sage soft as felt beneath your hand. You pick what you need, slowly, without hurry. You carry it inside. You slice tomatoes onto a wooden board, pour olive oil from a dark glass bottle, tear bread with your hands, and eat alone at a table by the window while the sky turns ...

What if the world you experience is not simply “out there”—but shaped, colored, and constructed by the mind that sees it? For centuries, The Lankavatara Sutra has challenged serious seekers to look beyond appearances and examine the mysterious relationship between consciousness, perception, illusion, and awakening. Revered in Mahayana Buddhism and long associated with the early spirit of Zen, this profound scripture asks one of the most important spiritual questions of all: What if liberation begins when the mind finally sees what it has been doing all along? The Lankavatara Sutra for...

This may be one of the most disturbing photography books you will ever read. It will challenge your notions about photography as it artfully points to a unity between subject, photographer, equipment and technique. Professor Michael Eldridge, former Head of Post Graduate Studies in Photography at 'The Arts University' states in the Foreword: "Stephen Bray writes here a travelogue about his voyage and search for meaning and inspiration. He also explores the relationship between photography and awareness within the context for formal Buddhist philosophy, for the benefit of those wishing to ...

"Spending a year in the gardens with Erik Keller is illuminating and inspiring. A Therapist's Garden is the balm we need in troubling times." -Florence Williams, author of The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative The Zen of mixing mud with seniors; crafting surprising salads out of weeds; and a hidden rabbit bringing joy to girls in a juvenile detention center. These are a few of the nearly 100 stories that Erik Keller takes readers on through a journey of how interacting with plants and nature can help heal mental, emotional, and physical trauma. Through ...

A mysterious monk crossed from India into China—and changed the spiritual history of Asia. Bodhidharma challenged emperors, rejected empty displays of religious merit, sat facing a wall for nine years, and taught that awakening must be discovered directly within the mind. Centuries later, his fierce image, uncompromising message, and legendary connection to Shaolin continue to fascinate seekers around the world. Bodhidharma for Beginners offers a clear, engaging introduction to the man, the myths, and the teachings behind the birth of Chan Buddhism and the later Zen tradition. Inside, you...

Embark on a magical journey with Lila, an ordinary gardener drawn into the hidden wonders of the Zen Orchard. Guided by ancient maps and her grandmother’s wisdom, Lila unearths mystical seeds, solves living puzzles, and faces her deepest fears beneath moonlit bamboo groves. From the Whispering Soil to the Night of Blooming Shadows, each chapter reveals a new trial of earth, moon, and spirit—culminating in the awakening of the Garden’s True Heart. Perfect for young readers and dreamers of all ages, this ten-chapter adventure celebrates courage, compassion, and the transformative power ...

Awakening to our nondual nature doesn’t require years of effort, exiting everyday life, or traversing a complex path. It is available here and now. Since having a profound realization in 2004, the author has immersed himself in Zen, Dzogchen, Mahamudra, Christian Mysticism, Taoism, and Advaita Vedanta. The key insight that was learned is that when we seek nondual awareness through sheer force, that becomes the obstruction to its realization. This book offers a simple yet crucial shift—a way to turn the energy of seeking into direct recognition. We’ll discover that the ultimate ground ...

When a giant panda named Stillwater moves into Michael, Addy, and Karl's neighborhood, he tells them the most amazing stories! To Addy, he tells a tale of a poor man who gives gifts to a robber. To Michael, he tells of a farmer who learns not to judge luck. And to Karl, he tells the tale of a monk who continues to carry the weight of a burden long past.