For many of us, the return of Zen conjures up images of rock gardens and gently flowing waterfalls. We think of mindfulness and meditation, immersion in a state of being where meaning is found through simplicity. Zen lore has been absorbed by Western practitioners and pop culture alike, yet there is a specific area of this ancient tradition that hasn't been fully explored in the West. Now, in The Zen of Creativity, American Zen master...
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Action & Adventure Animals Children's Children's Books Dogs Humor Literature & Fiction Nature Pets WeatherI have just finished this book, but I know I will read it again and again. Highly recommended for all artists and, in particular, those of us who struggle with the "why" of creative work. No definite answers here, instead a very generous discussion and exploration of the journey.
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This book is filled with excellent points that, especially with any Buddhist or Zen background, truly hit home. It gets at issues and the substance surrounding both creativity and the practice of Zen from multiple angles including the artless arts of Zazen, the author's own story, the stories of others, religious examples, and normal explanations. If one doesn't cause some sort of understanding in you the next will, not...
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This is a wonderful book. My older daughter gave me a copy for Christmas and I have been reading it with rapt attention (a good Buddhist word!) John Daido Loori, who was at one time a physical chemist and is now a Zen priest, shares with us his innermost thoughts on what creativity means to a practitioner of Zen, as well as to himself as a photographer and artist. Indeed, it means a lot! The attention given to seemingly...
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I'm amazed. The Zen of Creativity is a wonderful story about the journey of reknowned Zen Master John Daido Loori into creativity. Told in Mr. Loori's inimicable and engaging voice, it relates touching and often humorous stories from his life. It also offers quite practical exercises to enrich one's creative experience. In short, a must-read for anyone actively pursuing a creative life or simply interested in the subject...
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This book is a change of pace of artistic method. Precise and evocative, it's more like a cool drink of water on a quiet country afternoon, than the usual, breathless books on creativity that push you to produce, produce, produce. Here the focus is not on squeezing your mind for ideas, but on the quiet observation of oneself and life, and the exact origin of those mysteries we call inspiration, block, connection, as well...
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