Eat Sleep Sit
My Year at Japan's Most Rigorous Zen Temple
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4.8 • 4 Ratings
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
At the age of thirty, Kaoru Nonomura left his family, his girlfriend, and his job as a designer in Tokyo to undertake a year of ascetic training at Eiheiji, one of the most rigorous Zen training temples in Japan. This book is Nonomura's recollection of his experiences. He skillfully describes every aspect of training, including how to meditate, how to eat, how to wash, even how to use the toilet, in a way that is easy to understand no matter how familiar a reader is with Zen Buddhism. This first-person account also describes Nonomura's struggles in the face of beatings, hunger, exhaustion, fear, and loneliness, the comfort he draws from his friendships with the other trainees, and his quiet determination to give his life spiritual meaning.
After writing Eat Sleep Sit, Kaoru Nonomura returned to his normal life as a designer, but his book has maintained its popularity in Japan, selling more than 100,000 copies since its first printing in 1996. Beautifully written, and offering fascinating insight into a culture of hardships that few people could endure, this is a deeply personal story that will appeal to all those with an interest in Zen Buddhism, as well as to anyone seeking spiritual growth.
Customer Reviews
Wonderful book about the day to day life of a monk in training
I received this book as a gift, albeit I requested it. I read it over time. In fact close to a year.
I found the rigorous training described in the book fascinating as well as surprising. My vision of Zen was a peaceful practice.
Numerous passages may be interpreted as violence between senior monks and trainees, however it should be noted that violence is an act where the intention is to do harm. The seemingly violent acts between monks is in fact a method of teaching that dates back to the origins of what has become Zen.
Since the publication of this book, Eiheji has modernized, I have heard, and has decreased this monk to monk discipline.
But let’s not focus on this aspect of the book. The details of daily rituals and monastic life are fascinating. It takes tremendous self discipline to follow the path as Dogen handed down to generations of monks.
This author and monks that preceded him and entered into Eiheji afterwards command my deepest respect for their commitment to a spiritual life.
But let’s not fo