For over fifteen centuries, Zen has offered not a set of beliefs to adopt but a handful of simple, repeatable practices: sit quietly, breathe, pay attention, do your work with care. This book gathers seventy-seven of them - every one drawn from genuine Zen tradition or the teachings of recognized masters such as Dogen, Hakuin, Shunryu Suzuki, and Thich Nhat Hanh.
Organized into nine thematic parts, the practices move from the seated foundation of zazen and the breath, out into mindful daily action, the art of simplicity, the training of the mind, conscious speech and silence, ethical living, the meditative Zen arts, the care of the body, and finally reflection, nature, and our connection to all things.
You don't need a monastery, a shaved head, or a plane ticket to Japan. You need only choose one practice, return to it daily, and let it work on you - then add another. Balance, contentment, and a quieter, more durable kind of success aren't seized through striving; they settle in, like silt in still water, once you stop stirring.
Read slowly. Begin anywhere. The path opens beneath your feet the moment you start walking it.