Naked in the Zendo: Stories of Uptight Zen, Wild-Ass Zen, and Enlightenment Wherever You Are [Paperback]

A collection of charming and funny stories on how to turn the awareness we find on the meditation cushion into wisdom for every day.

We need to remove our ego's clothing to truly see ourselves and the world as they are. Grace Schireson's stories about her Zen journey--from child to grandmother--share deep insight about how we can find awareness, feel it in our bodies, and experience it wherever we are. Grace's path is at times ordinary--with stories of youthful naiveite ( Will Zen Get You High? ), parenting ( You Exist; Therefore, I Am Embarrassed ), and pets ( The Honorable Roshi Bully Cat )--and groundbreaking--with stories of her studies with Suzuki Roshi ( What's Love Got to Do with It? ), Keido Fukushima Roshi ( Don't Bow ), and more. Each story, whether humorous or poignant, highlights the power of awareness to transform our lives and the remarkable work of this pioneering woman in American Zen.“Forthrightness, strength, humor, and wisdom are threads that weave this marvelous book into a powerful tapestry of insight, inspiration, and teaching.”—from the foreword by Joan Halifax, author of Standing at the Edge
 
“Feisty and strong-minded, Grace Schireson has been a force in American Zen for a long time. In Naked in the Zendo she tells her story with verve, humor, and deep wisdom. You will enjoy her many real-life teaching stories, as well as the bracing experience of meeting an honest-to-god, life-as-it-is Zen teacher, who happens also to be a daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, psychotherapist, and feminist activist. This is a book for our Zen moment. For sure.”—Norman Fischer, founder and teacher of the Everyday Zen Foundation, author of The World Could Be Otherwise

“Grace Schireson is a force of nature and a master of wild-ass Zen. She has lS�