Zen Heart

by BAYDA, EZRA

• ISBN13: 9781590305430
• ISBN10: 1590305434
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-07-08
• Publisher: Shambhala

Summary

There's a secret to spiritual practice, and it's surprisingly simple: learn to be present with attention. Do that, and the whole world becomes your teacher, you wake up to the sacredness of every aspect of existence, and compassion for others arises without even thinking about it. It's indeed just that simple, says Zen teacher Ezra Bayda, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's easyespecially when being present brings us up against the painful parts of life. Bayda provides a wealth of practical advice for making difficult experiences a valued part of the path and for making mindulness a daily habit. He breaks practice down into three phases:The Me Phase, in which we uncover our most basic and tightly-clung-to beliefs about ourselves, observe our emotions, and become intimate with our fearsBeing Awareness, in which we cultivate a larger sense of what life is, transforming our limited experience into a more spacious sense of beingBeing Kindness, in which we learn to connect with the love that is our true nature, and learn to live from that place of kindness and compassion To learn more about the author, Ezra Bayda, go to www.zencentersandiego.org.

Author Biography

Ezra Bayda teaches at the San Diego Zen Center in San Diego, California. He is the author of several books, including, Being Zen and At Home in the Muddy Water.

Table of Contents

What Is Our Life About?	p. 1
Introduction: Three Phases of Spiritual Practice	p. 3
The Me Phase of Practice
Detours from Reality	p. 21
Inner Hindrances	p. 29
Strategies of Control	p. 43
The Pillars of Practice	p. 53
Three Breaths Practice	p. 67
The Foundations of Being Awareness
Qualities of Awakening	p. 75
The Three Most Essential Questions	p. 91
The Art of Awareness	p. 101
Three Point Awareness Meditation	p. 111
Helpful Daily Life Practices	p. 117
Cultivating Being Kindness
Student-Teacher Relationship	p. 127
Transforming Anger	p. 139
The Things We Fear Most	p. 153
Relationships and Love	p. 163
Three Heart Meditations	p. 179
The Essential Reminders	p. 193
Basic Meditation Instructions	p. 195
The Three Vows	p. 197
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