Living the Zen Arts

Book excerpt: Break away from the rush of getting and spending, and enter the ancient Zen practice of doing ordinary things in extraordinary ways. Breathtaking photos illustrate the beautiful mystery of Zen, while meditation instructions show how to sit and breathe so you can think with koans--spiritual paradoxes that create new ways to understand yourself and others. Then explore these energy sources: the way of the samurai as expressed in Aikido, Judo, Kendo, and Kyodo; language power with calligraphy and haiku; sacred spaces of rock gardens and flower arranging; and tea ceremonies that free your senses to awaken your spirit.