Zen Heart: Simple Advice for Living with Mindfulness and Compassion

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 easy—especially 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 fears

   •  Being Awareness, in which we cultivate a larger sense of what life is, transforming our limited experience into a more spacious sense of being

   •  Being 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 <a href="http://www.zencentersandiego.org/" target="_blank" title="www.zencentersandiego.org">www.zencentersandiego.org</a>.

"This is a lovely book for advanced students of Buddhism. It won't do much for beginners, however, because it's simply too interior. Those who haven't had exposure to the strange quarries that the mind in meditation may chase may well find Zen teacher Bayda opaque. He has deep insights into the nature of mind that demonstrate his experienced understanding and diligent practice of Zen Buddhism. The book is certainly well organized; the author, like so many American Buddhists who emphasize meditation practice, has a keenly analytical mind. But it takes patience to follow his somewhat bare exposition. More stories and examples would help, although he does draw on his own life to illustrate difficulties. A more specific title would also signal more of the author's unique insights. The promise of greater joy, equanimity, clarity and compassion is worth sitting around for, however much patience it requires to read Bayda's book. That requirement is not a drawback; patience is a virtue in any religion, and a good flashlight for the Zen path. (July)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Ezra Bayda's gift for taking Zen teaching and relating it to every aspect of life has made his books popular even with people who aren't Buddhists. It's not that he's nontraditional--he's very firmly planted in the Zen tradition--it's just that the teaching is so clear and useful that it transcends religious boundaries. Here Ezra continues in the mode of his books like Being Zen to show how spiritual practice works in everyday life. He breaks spiritual practice down into three basic stages:

The Me-phase: Uncovering our most basic and tightly held beliefs about ourselves, observing our emotional reactions and patterns of behavior, and becoming intimate with our fears.

Being-Awareness: Cultivating a larger sense of what life is, going beyond the basic awareness of the sensory world to transform the narrow experience into a more spacious sense of being.

Being-Kindness: Connecting with the love and kindness that are our true nature, and beginning to live from that joyful and compassionate place.

The phases enrich each other to create a practice that works no matter what the complexities of your circumstances.

Ezra Bayda teaches at the Zen Center San Diego. He is the author of several books, including, Being Zen and At Home in the Muddy Water. For more information visit www.zencentersandiego.org.