Ben Howard

Entering Zen Ben Howard

Part memoir, part almanac, and part primer on meditation, this collection of seventy-five essays is addressed to anyone who might wish to take up the practice of meditation, or deepen an existing practice, or explore the nuances and complexities of the Zen tradition. Grounded in the seasonal rhythms of Western New York and the realities of everyday life, these lucid, graceful essays entertain subjects as diverse as wood-cutting, ice dams, fountain pens, green tea, a dear friend's passing, and a child's acquisition of language. Taking these subjects as points of entry, each essay examines a specific aspect of Zen practice, while also probing the general themes of Zen teachings: suffering, mindfulness, impermanence, interdependence, and the "Great Matter of life and death."  The author is a longtime lay practitioner of Zen and Vipassana meditation. His book includes extensive notes and an illuminating foreword by Shinge Roko Sherry Chayat Roshi, Abbot of Dai Bosatsu Zendo and the Zen Center of Syracuse.