Kokoro Japanese Wisdom for a Life Well Lived

by Kempton, Beth

• ISBN13: 9781635869286
• ISBN10: 1635869285
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2024-10-01
• Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC

Summary

This book invites you to cultivate stillness and contentment in an ever-changing, uncertain world, inspired by ancient and contemporary Japanese wisdom.

Drawing on a thousand years of Japanese literature, culture, and philosophical ideas to explore the true nature of time and what it means to be human, Kokoro–which mysteriously translates as "heart-mind"–is a meditation on living well. 

Join Japanologist Beth Kempton on this life-changing pilgrimage far beyond the tourist trail, to uncover the soul of the country, its people, and its deeply buried wisdom. 

Distilling insight from a rich variety of sources, from centuries-old poetry and ancient Zen texts to martial arts teaching and contemporary philosophy, alongside the real-life stories of modern day pioneers, Kokoro offers an inspiring take on what it truly means to be happy,so that you can live each day with wonder and ease. 

Author Biography

Beth Kempton is a Japanologist and a bestselling self-help author and writer mentor, whose books have been translated into more than 25 languages. She has had a twenty-year love affair with Japan, and has made it her work to uncover life lessons and philosophical ideas buried in Japanese culture, words, and ritual. Beth has two degrees in Japanese and has a rare understanding of Japanese cultural and linguistic nuances. She is also a qualified yoga teacher and Reiki Master, trained in the Japanese tradition in Tokyo. She is also founder of Do What You Love, a company which produces and delivers inspiring online courses for living well, with over 100,000 alumni and a community of 250,000 people worldwide.
 

 

Table of Contents

CONTENTS
 
A Note from the Author
Foreword by Professor Yoshinori Hiroi, University of Kyoto
Prologue
 
羽黒山
PART ONE: HAGUROSAN
Encountering the present on Black Wing Mountain
 
Chapter 1  MIDLIFE: The scroll unravels
Chapter 2  TIME: A voice like thunder
Chapter 3  HEART-MINDFULNESS: Just arranging flowers
Chapter 4  STILLNESS: Where silence speaks
 
月山
PART TWO: GASSAN
In the shadow of death on Moon Mountain
 
Chapter 5  MORTALITY: Here. Not here.
Chapter 6  FALLING: Letting go. Being carried.
Chapter 7  MOTION: Travelling light  
Chapter 8  AGEING: Layers of life
 
湯殿山
PART THREE: YUDONOSAN
Rebirth on Sacred Spring Mountain
 
Chapter 9  INTEGRATION: Becoming who we are
Chapter 10  NON-CONFORMITY: Hailing a simpler life
Chapter 11  NOURISHMENT: Goodness in, goodness out
Chapter 12  INTENTIONALITY: We get to have this day
 
Epilogue
Journaling Questions
Acknowledgements
Bibliography
Tips for slow travel in Japan
Useful resources