Description
Book SynopsisAs spiritual paths, Zen and Christianity can learn from one another. In this book, Anglican priest and Zen teacher Christopher Collingwood sets out how Zen can return Christians to their roots with renewed energy, and allow others to consider Christianity in a new and more favourable light.
For the many Christians searching for a greater depth of spirituality, Zen offers a way to achieve openness. Drawing on Zen experience and the teachings of Jesus as depicted in the gospels, Zen Wisdom for Christians enables Christians to explore avenues of thought and experience that are fresh and creative. Using examples of Zen koans and Zen readings of Christian texts, the author provides a radical reorientation of life - away from one based on self-centredness and the notion of a separate, isolated self, to a way that is inclusive and at one with all.
Zen Wisdom for Christians proves that the practice of Zen can lead Christians towards deeper spirituality and enhance religious experience through mutual appreciation, in a way that is truly eye-opening and life-changing.
Trade ReviewThis refreshing, eye-opening book, presenting sundry examples illustrating how Zen practice can enrich Christian life and understanding, is an invitation for earnest spiritual seekers to undertake an inward journey that leads to one's true home. -- Ruben L.F. Habito, Guiding Teacher, Maria Kannon Zen Center, Dallas, Texas
Zen Wisdom for Christians is a timely and penetrating book that left me wanting more. Unlike many books attempting inter-religious dialogue, the strength of Collingwood's book arises from the integrity of prolonged praxis of both Christianity and Zen, realising their complementarity, and living and resolving any tensions that may arise. He neither blurs the boundaries nor slides over the paradoxes - in fact he shows how essential paradoxes are to each discipline. A must read for Christians and Buddhists alike. -- Maggie Ross, Anglican Solitary and author of Silence: A User’s Guide, Vols. 1 and 2
Zen Wisdom for Christians is a lucid, accessible reflection on the transforming power of encounter with Zen Buddhism. The reader is invited to participate in the silence of Zen meditation, to reflect on seemingly paradoxical Zen koans and to re-read biblical passages in the light of Zen insights. 'Zen is supremely about letting go and allowing our true self to manifest itself quite naturally', the author writes. It is about taking responsibility for our lives, dying to our narrow, egotistical selves, and coming home to a place where love and compassion bring us into unity with all that is. Throughout, the author speaks from his own experience of deep meditation practice. He is a worthy guide to a tradition that can enrich Christian experience. -- Elizabeth J. Harris, Birmingham University, President of the European Network for Buddhist-Christian Studies
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments. Introduction.
I. Raising the Bodhi Mind. 1. A Sense of Exile. 2. Finding the Way Home.
II. Clarifying the Great Matter. 3. Taking Responsibility. 4. The Great Death.
III. Living Your Own Life. 5. At Home with Oneself. 6. At Home in the World. Bibliography.
