Zen Encounters With Loneliness

by Keenan, Terrance

• ISBN13: 9781614291862
• ISBN10: 1614291861
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2014-11-04
• Publisher: Wisdom Pubns

Summary

Embark on a poignant and sometimes comic journey through Zen, poetry, and the transformative, personal practice of writing.

In Zen Encounters with Loneliness Terrance Keenan weaves together poetry, memoir, and raw insight to give voice to the lonely “nobody” in everyone. From his memories of early childhood to his struggles with addiction, writer’s block, and human relationship, Keenan delivers a heart-rending portrayal of the human hunger for selfhood and connection. Through his beautifully crafted literary reflections, he finds that Zen does not comfort our dream of being somebody, rather, it reveals connection only when we face who we really are—nobody. Zen Encounters intimately calls us to recognize that the well of emptiness is also a well of potential—to grow, learn, and overcome adversity.

Author Biography

Terrance Keenan was formerly a special collections librarian and head monk at the Zen Center of Syracuse. His poetry, essays, and reviews have appeared in national journals, including The Georgia Review, Epoch, White Pine, and River, as well as in numerous anthologies. Keenan was trained as a Rinzai Zen Buddhist priest under Roko Sherry Chayat and Eido T. Shimano Roshi. He lives in County Cork, Ireland.