Publisher Description

A practical guidebook for those who, like the author, want to discover how Zen can be a complementary and rewarding part of Christian Life.

Author Biography

Elaine MacInnes is a member of Our Lady's Missionaries. She is one of the few teachers to be accredited by the Sanbo Kyodan, in Kamakura, Japan, one of the foremost centers for the study of Zen.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 A Circle is God's Be-Ing Chapter 2 Before the Earth Came into Being Chapter 3 Becoming Free in the Body Chapter 4 Becoming Free Through Self-Knowledge Chapter 5 Connections and Reciprocity Chapter 6 From Intellect to Breath Chapter 7 The Shared Sacred Chapter 8 Swords into Ploughshares Chapter 9 Within the Esoteric Chapter 10 Pieces of a Mosaic Chapter 11 Glossary of Japanese Sankrit Words Used

Review

The practice of Zen helps us to a deeper experience of God here, now, in our prayer or in whatever else we are doing. . . . Sister Elaine is a rare spiritual master. She is a guardian of this precious, spiritual gift which is now being offered by the Orient to the Christian world, to help us to be more fully Christian. It will be fascinating to see how this offering is assimilated in the next century. -- Giles Charrington, TSSF,, in praise of Sister MacInnes's Light Sitting in Light Sister Elaine MacInnes is the real thing. [She proves that] if you can teach prisoners to turn their cells, which may be places of torment, into ashrams, which are places of contemplation and healing, it's an economic way to help people rebuild themselves instead of marking time and wasting away. -- Jeremy Irons,, Academy Award-winning actor and patron of Sr. MacInnes's prison ministry ...extremely interesting and worth reading. -- Rita C. Krupa * Catholic Library World *

Long Description

How and why did a Catholic nun become an accomplished Zen Master? Sister Elaine MacInnes shares her fascinating story and invites us into the compelling and slightly exotic world of Buddhist spiritual practice. As she details her lifelong journey of learning about Zen meditative practices, Sister MacInnes explains how they continue to enrich and inform her experience of Christianity. Replete with the wisdom of deep and contemplative insight and imbued with the profound knowledge of a seasoned spiritual teacher and guide, this spiritual autobiography is also a practical guidebook for those who, like her, want to discover how Zen can be a complementary and rewarding part of the Christian Life.

Review Quote

The practice of Zen helps us to a deeper experience of God here, now, in our prayer or in whatever else we are doing. . . . Sister Elaine is a rare spiritual master. She is a guardian of this precious, spiritual gift which is now being offered by the Orient to the Christian world, to help us to be more fully Christian. It will be fascinating to see how this offering is assimilated in the next century.

Details