Ezra Bayda teaches at Zen Center San Diego. He is also the author of Being Zen, At Home in the Muddy Water, Saying Yes to Life (Even the Hard Parts), and Zen Heart. For more information, visit www.zencentersandiego.org.
"Bayda writes with exceptional clarity and simplicity about the
awakened life. He has a gift for describing 'ordinary mind,' or the
customary thoughts, feelings, and experiences of everyday life. His
style is as plainspoken as Pema Chödrön's. He deserves membership
in the ranks of respected meditation teacher-authors." —Publishers
Weekly
"With clarity and compassion, Bayda applies Zen Buddhist principles
to everyday life. He explains how all experiences, both pleasant
and unpleasant, help us to discover our 'path' to wisdom and an
open heart. Presented here are realistic suggestions to help us
survive the journey." —Library Journal
"Ezra Bayda wisely translates the Eastern spiritual belief into an
extremely useful handbook for practice. Being Zen is humble and
direct, which reminds me most of Shunryu Suzuki's Zen Mind,
Beginner's Mind. It is what its title states—not an explanation of
Buddhism or Zen, but an essential guide to its daily practice.
Bayda's is a gentle, sharing voice that evenly embraces humor and
sincerity, bringing reason and heart-sense to our most irrational
behaviors." —Parabola
"A skillful wedding of mindfulness and Zen—straightforward, simple,
and wise." —Jack Kornfield, author of A Path with Heart and After
the Ecstasy, the Laundry
"Bayda writes with exceptional clarity and simplicity about the
awakened life. He has a gift for describing 'ordinary mind,' or the
customary thoughts, feelings, and experiences of everyday life. His
style is as plainspoken as Pema Choedroen's. He deserves membership
in the ranks of respected meditation teacher-authors."
-Publishers Weekly
"With clarity and compassion, Bayda applies Zen Buddhist
principles to everyday life. He explains how all experiences, both
pleasant and unpleasant, help us to discover our 'path' to wisdom
and an open heart. Presented here are realistic suggestions to help
us survive the journey." -Library Journal
"Ezra Bayda wisely translates the Eastern spiritual belief
into an extremely useful handbook for practice. Being Zen is
humble and direct, which reminds me most of Shunryu Suzuki's Zen
Mind, Beginner's Mind. It is what its title states-not an
explanation of Buddhism or Zen, but an essential guide to its daily
practice. Bayda's is a gentle, sharing voice that evenly embraces
humor and sincerity, bringing reason and heart-sense to our most
irrational behaviors." -Parabola
"A skillful wedding of mindfulness and Zen-straightforward, simple,
and wise." -Jack Kornfield, author of A Path with Heart and
After the Ecstasy, the Laundry
Novice author and veteran meditator Bayda writes with exceptional clarity and simplicity about the awakened life. Bayda is a recognized teacher in the Ordinary Mind Zen School founded by Charlotte Joko Beck (who provides the foreword), and he has a gift for describing that "ordinary mind," or the customary thoughts, feelings and experiences of everyday life. His style is as plainspoken as Tibetan teacher Pema Chdrn's; it's not surprising that she acknowledges his work in her latest book. Bayda's grounding in life as it's lived makes his teaching and writing unpretentious and inviting, as if ready to apply. Indeed, one of the book's strengths is the techniques and exercises that the meditation teacher describes. None of them is startlingly new, but his explanations are precise, discriminating among similar practices and noting how results change over time as the meditator grows more experienced with tools for inner inquiry. Meditation, after all, takes as much time as any other habit to acquire. The book breaks no new ground a big expectation, true, after 2,500 years of Buddhist teaching and practice and it's on the small side for its price point. But Bayda offers clear instruction, as a teacher pointing the way toward Ultimate Clarity should. He deserves membership in the ranks of respected meditation teacher-authors. (Mar.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
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