Category Books

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Zen Living »

Authors: Ph.D., Gary R McClain Gary R., Eve Adamson
ISBN-13: 9781592572434, ISBN-10: 159257243X
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Date Published: October 2004
Edition: (Non-applicable)

Author Biography: Ph.D., Gary R McClain Gary R.

Book Synopsis

An updated and revised guide to enlightening up!

Presenting innovative ideas on incorporating Zen thinking and action into even the most Western lifestyle, this book focuses on living Zen in a post-9/11 world. It also offers updated information on meditation and its many benefits and new exercises for families to promote Zen living at home, as well as new exercises to help readers combat their dissatisfaction with life and unfulfilled desires.

Revised to focus on living Zen in an increasingly complex and panicked world
New anecdotes that translate Zen philosophy into the here and now

Author Biography: Gary McClain, Ph.D., is a psychologist and business professional dedicated to bringing the benefits of Zen to the West. He has lead human growth and values clarification workshops. The director of research at Sachs Communication Group, Inc., he is the co-author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Breaking Bad Habits.

Eve Adamson is a holistic health and wellness writer and student of Zen. She teaches writing at Kirkwood Community College in Iowa City and has co-authored several Complete Idiot's Guides including The Complete Idiot's Guide to Yoga Illustrated, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Meditation, and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Yoga with Kids.

Part 1	Dharma 101	1
1	Spring Cleaning for Your Life	3
	Why Zen?	4
	What Is Zen?	5
	What Westerners Can Learn from an Ancient Eastern Religion	10
	Zen Living in an Uncertain World	12
2	A Brief History of Zen Buddhism	15
	A Man Named Siddhartha	16
	Counting Coup	19
	From India to China to Japan	23
	From Master to Master	26
3	Zen in America	29
	Why We Love Zen	30
	Desperately Seeking Enlightenment	34
Part 2	The Future Is the Past Is Now: Being Zen	43
4	What Is Truth, and How Can I Get Some?	45
	Dharma Is as Dharma Does ... or Doesn't	46
	I Can't Get No Satisfaction	47
	Douse Your Dukkha with Dharma	50
	Waking Up Again ... and Again	54
	You Gotta Have Faith	59
5	Getting an Attitude: A Zen Approach	61
	But I'm in Charge Here (Aren't I?)	62
	Imagine Your Life Is a Boat	68
6	When Bad Things Happen	73
	When Tidal Waves Hit	74
	Zen Exercise: Relax, Breathe, Prioritize	79
	Keep Sitting	80
7	What's the Point .. Nirvana?	83
	You Say Satori, and I Say Nirvana	84
	Zen Perks	88
	Zen's Goal-Less Goals	93
Part 3	1-2-3 Zazen: Zen Techniques for Zen Living	97
8	You've Already Started Living Zen	99
	The Secret Is ... There Is No Secret	100
	Isn't There an Instruction Manual?	101
	Entering the Meditation Zone	109
9	Learning to Meditate	113
	Meditation FAQ	114
	Lotus Pose? Are You Kidding?	119
10	Breath, and Other Paths to Mindfulness	125
	Start With Breath	125
	Finding the Meditation That Works for You	129
11	A Koan Is a Koan Is a Koan ...	133
	Words to Live By	134
	But Koans Are Silly ... Aren't They?	137
	The Sound of One Hand Clapping	140
12	Eating, Moving, Breathing: Maintaining a Zen Lifestyle	145
	Zen and the Art of Meditation Maintenance	146
	The Brown Rice Myth	149
	The Zen Workout	152
	Stop! (In the Name of Zen)	157
Part 4	Personal Zen	159
13	The One Who Stares Back at You	161
	The Real You vs. the Potential You	162
	Once More with Feeling	166
	Think About It	168
	The Thinking, Feeling Zennist	171
14	Zen and Your Relationships	173
	Zen and the Art of Love	174
15	Zen and the Family	185
	Leave It to Zen	186
	When You're the Parent	188
16	Desire, Fear, Worry: Tackling Your Personal Dukkha	199
	Consumed by Desire	200
	Things That Go Bump in the Night	204
	Worry: The Real Ball and Chain	207
	Zen Exercise: Name Your Dukkha	210
Part 5	Zen in the Workplace	215
17	Buddha in Your Cubicle	217
	Get Out of the Box	218
	Don't Fence Me In!	220
	No-Mind Your Own Business	222
	Meditating at Your Desk	229
	The Daily Work of Letting Go	230
18	Relationships on the Job	231
	How Working Relationships Work	232
	What Working Environment Works for You?	232
	The Sharks You Think You're Swimming with Are Only in Your Head	235
	The Zen Approach to Having a Boss	238
	The Zen Approach to Being the Boss	240
	If You Work Alone	242
19	Managing Stress on the Job	243
	What's Your Kryptonite?	244
	Zap Your Stress with Zen	248
	A Zen Approach to Time Management	250
20	Manage Your Career by Not Managing Your Career	255
	Let Go? I'll Fall Off the Ladder!	256
	You've Already Made It!	263
Part 6	Home Is Where the Zen Is	267
21	A Zendo to Call Your Own	269
	Home Is Where the Zen Is	270
	Transforming Your Space	270
	Conscious Living	276
	Is Zen Good Feng Shui?	276
22	Zen-Powered Creativity	279
	The Zen Drawing Diary	280
	Zen and the Pen	281
	Musical Zen	285
	A Zen Lesson in Art Appreciation	287
23	Loving Kindness: What the World Needs Now	289
	The Zen Path Leads to Love	290
	Loving Kindness: Ring Any Bells?	292
	Zen and the Art of ... International Politics?	294
	The Healing Power of Loving Kindness	297
	Zen to Unify the Planet	298
24	Everyday Zen	301
	The Universe Within	305
	The Present Embrace	307
	Appendixes
A	Further Reading	309
B	Glossary	315
C	Ten Bulls	321
	Index	327

Subjects

« Previous Book Illustrated Encyclopedia of Buddhist Wisdom: A Complete Introduction to the Principles and Practices of Buddhism

Next Book » Introduction to Tantra: The Transformation of Desire

Category Books

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Zen Living »

Author Biography: Ph.D., Gary R McClain Gary R.

Book Synopsis

Table of Contents

Subjects