The One Open Door: Adventures of a Zen Buddhist Monk - Paperback

The One Open Door follows the adventures of the author as he seeks to free himself from the sorrow and unhappiness we all endure as humans on this earth. He begins as a confused and desperate young man. As the story unfolds he discovers spiritual practice, he learns to look inward, and then, to his surprise and delight, he begins to see how suffering is caused. He spends some time struggling on his own to find his way, and as he does he begins to have real glimpses of happiness and self-love. Then the big moment comes when he meets the person who will become his teacher. She inspires him to give his life to spiritual practice; for a full year he vacillates between ecstasy and horror until, finally, in a moment of blind courage and inspiration, he casts himself upon the mercy of the monastery she founded and asks for help. Eighteen years of silent Zen training follow. Over time, as he stumbles through every sort of scrape and pitfall imaginable, his commitment deepens, he acquires the tools of awareness practice, he grows up, and eventually he finds the love and acceptance he is searching for. The story is full both of the teachings the author received and the profound, often strange, sometimes hilarious ways he received them. There is a way to end suffering. The One Open Door describes this way through the experience of one person. The book was written at the monastery with the hope that it might assist others to discover the practice of compassionate awareness that the author learned and that the Buddha taught so long ago.