The Path of Aliveness
A Contemporary Zen Approach to Awakening Body and Mind
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- $16.99
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
Find a sense of nourishment and embodied aliveness in every aspect of your life with this fresh and accessible guide to Zen practice.
Buddhism aims for the development of a flexible mind and skillful responsiveness—whether toward problems in one’s personal life or broader issues like the ecological crisis. But in a culture now saturated with cliches about mindfulness and unrealistic fantasies about happiness, what does it truly mean to walk this path? The key practice is that of embodied aliveness.
In The Path of Aliveness, Zen and Taoist Qigong teacher Christian Dillo offers a path of meaningful transformation tailored to our times. Through potent conceptual work and practical examples, he shows how to carefully examine the interrelationship between our senses, body energy, thoughts, and emotions so that we can transform our lives in the direction of less suffering and more freedom, wisdom, and compassion. This secular reconstruction respectfully plumbs Buddhist tradition—including classic teachings such as the foundations of mindfulness meditation, the four noble truths, and the practice of loving kindness—while encouraging practitioners to rely on their own embodied experience for maintaining an alive and engaged presence no matter the circumstances.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Dillo, a teacher at the Boulder Zen Center, debuts with an excellent introduction to a modern practice of Zen Buddhism. "I understand aliveness as a special kind of presence, as a radical openness to all forms of experiencing," Dillo writes, centering his exploration around the concept and offering guidance on how to achieve it. The author posits the path to aliveness lies in Zentatsu Roshi's four tenets of Zen: transformation, freedom, wisdom, and compassion. To "transform" one's "participation in experience," for example, Dillo recommends becoming attuned to one's attention, sensation, intention, and cognition. One way to practice compassion is through such rituals as chanting religious texts, which fosters "mutual embodiment" through coordinated collective action. The author also covers key components of Buddhism, including the four noble truths, the four foundations of mindfulness, and the proper posture for meditation. Dillo emphasizes the principles of Buddhism over specific pointers for practice, and as a consequence some readers might wish for more detailed instruction, but others will appreciate Dillo's DIY approach: "A buddha mind cannot be found by following other people's ideas of what a buddha is." This is an informative primer, instructive for the newcomer and thought-provoking for the longtime practitioner.
