Synopses & Reviews
Drawing inspiration from such diverse sources as Khalil Gibran, Virginia Woolf, and Frank Sinatra, as well as the Bible and the great Zen masters of old, this book offers a path to rich and lasting happiness achieved through what Huston Smith calls "goal-attaining patience." In Joyously Through the Days, Les Kaye explores life's every day complexities and instructs us in the Zen way through our human foibles. Through awareness, patience, and generosity, Kaye argues, we can respond with creative calm to the uncertain conditions of modern life.
Review
A wise and lucid book that explores awareness, patience, and generosity, three essential qualities of goodness so needed in our world today. This treasured book, written by a dedicated teacher of Buddhism, is a source of inspiration and guidance that the reader returns to again and again.”Joan Halifax, author of
Being with Dying"A wise, humane, and level-headed approach to spirituality, wonderful counterweight to the more magical and doctrinaire accounts of Zen and Buddhism that are still all too common, even in a time when most practitioners are looking for down to earth benefits from their practice." Norman Fischer, author of Sailing Home: Using the Wisdom of Homer's Odyssey to Navigate Life's Perils and Pitfalls.
"An uplifting work combining grounded good sense with soaring poetic beauty, it is a Zen book that transcends Zen books."Grace Schireson, author of Zen Women
"Inspiring. With the voice of a caring old friend, Les Kaye shows how the essence of a spiritual life practice is paying careful attention." Frank Jude Boccio
"Les Kaye is a master at finding spiritual lessons in the bits and pieces of our ordinary experience. He invites us to join him in the simple practice of becoming aware of what is actually going on, both inside our heads and in the world around us. Joyously Through the Days is a gentle little guide to such practice and a worthy companion to the author's earlier Zen at Work." Carl Bielefeldt, author of Dogen's Manuals of Zen Meditation
"Whatever ones spiritual inclination, Joyously Through The Days could serve as a valuable guide to a deeper awareness of personal beliefs and habits that shape how we respond to the world around us. If youve ever wondered about the practice of meditation, Kayes book would be a great place to start." Los Altos Town Crier
Review
"A wise and lucid book that explores awareness, patience, and generosity, three essential qualities of goodness so needed in our world today. This treasured book, written by a dedicated teacher of Buddhism, is a source of inspiration and guidance that the reader returns to again and again."
Review
"A wise, humane, and level-headed approach to spirituality, wonderful counterweight to the more magical and doctrinaire accounts of Zen and Buddhism that are still all too common, even in a time when most practitioners are looking for down to earth benefits from their practice."
Review
"An uplifting work combining grounded good sense with soaring poetic beauty, it is a Zen book that transcends Zen books."
Review
"Inspiring. With the voice of a caring old friend, Les Kaye shows how the essence of a spiritual life practice is paying careful attention."
Review
"Les Kaye is a master at finding spiritual lessons in the bits and pieces of our ordinary experience. He invites us to join him in the simple practice of becoming aware of what is actually going on, both inside our heads and in the world around us. Joyously Through the Days is a gentle little guide to such practice and a worthy companion to the author's earlier Zen at Work."
Review
"Whatever one's spiritual inclination, Joyously Through The Days could serve as a valuable guide to a deeper awareness of personal beliefs and habits that shape how we respond to the world around us. If you've ever wondered about the practice of meditation, Kaye's book would be a great place to start."
Synopsis
A wise and practical book. Inspiring and pulse-quickening. Les Kaye points out skillfully many of our human foiblesso familiar that they often seem to come too close for comfort. At one point I found myself exclaiming, almost out loud, How does he know me so well?” Huston Smith
Joyously Through the Days brilliantly points to our inherent spirituality, the problems we create when we lose touch with it, and how we can regain it. Les Kaye shows us how spiritual practice enhances awareness, patience, and generosity, and enables us to respond creatively to the complexities, distractions, and uncertainties of our lives. This crisp and universal book is based on reflections of forty years experiencing and observing the relevance of Les own spiritual practice to the everyday world of family and work and all kinds of relationships, clearly showing how the spiritual and the ordinary converge continuallynot merely once in a while. Drawing inspiration from sources as diverse as Saul Bellow, Herman Melville, and the great Zen teachers of old Joyously Through the Days offers a path to a rich and lasting happiness through what Huston Smith calls, goal-attaining patience.”
About the Author
Les Kaye received dharma transmission, authority to teach, from Hoitsu Suzuki, son and successor to Shunryu Suzuki. He as appointed teacher at Kannon Do Zen Center in Mountain View, California. He and his wife Mary have two adult children and a grandson and live in Los Altos, California.