Healing Breath: Zen for Christians and Buddhists in a Wounded World

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 176 pages
• Published by: Wisdom Publications
• Edition: 1st Edition September 22, 2006
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 086171508X
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0861715084
• Book Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Weighs: 8.8 ounces

From Publishers Weekly
This book by a former Jesuit priest and Christian Zen master opens by presenting Zen Buddhist practice as a means to heal a "wounded" world. An introductory chapter with footnotes ranging from Heidegger to the World Watch Institute details myriad ways the world requirements fixing. None of that is particularly fresh. What is fresh, however, is Habito's interpretation of Christian orthodox beliefs through a Zen lens: for example, Jesus' mystical body may be fruitfully compared to "this very body" of the Buddha. Given this parallel, both enlightenment and what Christians term "the reign of God" are already at hand. From a Buddhist point of view, there is nothing to attain; for a Christian, beholding God can happen right now rather than only in the afterlife. For both, the interconnectedness of all beings becomes apparent, and a statement like "God is love" can express a moment of enlightenment. These kinds of comparisons enrich and unlock the challenging and sometimes mysterious language of Christianity. For a Zen master, Habito sometimes writes too much like an academic ("A diagnostic view of the human problematic and its resolution"). This book's highest value is as Zen apologetic for Christians. (Oct.)
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Product Description
Many people are taking positive steps to address the requirements of the global community, but the magnitude of the task can be overwhelming. Healing Breath helps readers become socially active without being depressed or angry. It shows how the healing of one’s own life can become the basis of the Earth’s healing, and sheds light on Zen as a spiritual path that leads to healing in three dimensions: personal, social, and ecological. In the process of describing the Zen way of life, the author considers various Christian expressions, symbols, and practices, to show how they, too, point to the transformative and healing perspectives and experiences provided by Zen. Written equally for Christians, Buddhists, and anyone who just wants to make a difference in the world, Healing Breath offers an integrated spiritual path with socially active, ecological engagement as the ground.