Product Description

The notion of spending days at a time in silence and meditation amid the serene beauty of a Zen monastery may be appealing—but how do you do it, and what can you really expect from the experience?

Waking Up provides the answers. Jack Maguire takes us inside the monastery walls to present details of what it’s like. A detailed “Guide to Zen and Buddhist Places” and a glossary of terms make Waking Up not only a handbook for the curious seeker, but an excellent resource for anyone wanting to know more about the Buddhist way.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2017573 in Books
• Published on: 2002-06-27
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 1.15 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 208 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Welcome to Zen Mountain Monastery in Mount Tremper, N.Y. Zen monasteries, Maguire (The Power of Personal Storytelling) reminds us, are devoted to "facilitating zazen," a form of Zen meditation. Nowadays one can go to Zen centers or zendos (meditation halls) to practice zazen, but monasteries, with their unhurried quietude, remain the best spot. This guide introduces readers to Zen sacred space via the design of traditional monasteries (the Zen Mountain Monastery is "Oz-like," says Maguire). Maguire also expands readers' notions of who goes to a Buddhist monasteryAChristians, multifaith experimenters and "hopefully happy wanderers" can all find a place at Zen Mountain. Maguire cautions that while time in a monastery can be relaxing, it can also be quite a challenge. Sitting still for half an hour is no mean feat for the novice, and retreatants may be assigned to an onerous chore, such as cleaning toilets or weeding the garden. In a particularly helpful chapter, Maguire explores Zen time, describing the "natural rhythm" of a day in the monastery: the community rises at dawn, eats its most substantial meal in the middle of the day, and so on. A useful directory of Zen monasteries, zendos and retreat centers fills out the book. Readers who would like to try a retreat at a Zen monastery, or simply want to experience it vicariously, will enjoy this helpful slice-of-life approach. (Dec.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
To the average person, monasteries seem dreadfully forbidding. Yet for all their isolation and austerity, monasteries are hospitable and welcoming places where you may go to be apart and center yourself. This is true of both Trappist and Zen monasteries, as we discover in these two accessible books. Journalist Aprile (Louisville Courier-Journal) is a longtime friend of many of the Trappist monks at the Abbey of Gethsemani, one of 17 Trappist abbeys in the United States. Like most Roman Catholic monks, the Trappists follow rules devised by St. Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century. Trappists do not insist that guests have a purpose, so a retreat is usually informal. The guest makes a reservation to stay for a weekend or a week (their guesthouses are booked for months in advance); he or she may attend church or meet the guestmaster or another monk for spiritual advice. Aprile offers a thorough, readable introduction to the Trappists and experiencing one of their monasteries. Maguire (The Power of Personal Storytelling) takes us through a week at Zen Mountain Monastery (Mount Tremper, NY) under the guidance of its abbot, John Daido Loori. The retreat experience here is very different. While Trappists impose little structure on guests, at a Zen monastery visitors follow a formal schedule and an ideal style of observance. Guests have a specific goal: waking up to oneself and one's life. The principal means of waking up and becoming attentive is zazen ("sitting meditation"), but other activities are also directed to that end: kinhin ("walking meditation"), dokusan or daisan ("meeting with a teacher"), and mondo ("informal question-and-answer sessions"), among other activites. Both books are well worth reading, and if they inspire one to spend time with the Trappists or Zen monks, so much the better. For both public and academic libraries.DJames F. DeRoche, Alexandria, VA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Most people have no idea what life in a Zen monastery is like. So Maguire takes us to the Zen Mountain Monastery in Mt. Tremper, New York. He emphasizes that the teacher-student bond in Zen is sacrosanct, and spends much time exploring the intimacies of that relationship. Using the anecdotes of full-time residents, he discusses what draws people to Zen and keeps them in a monastery for years. Many grew up Christian but, for various and complex reasons, no longer feel welcome in their home churches. Some are Christian Buddhists, comfortably straddling both worlds. Still others are practicing Christians wishing to revitalize their faith. Zen monastic life may be simple, but it is never easy, as Maguire's detailing of daily monastic life, from the 4:30 morning wake-up call to lights out at 9:30, makes clear. Augmented by many resource lists, Maguire's guide will surely dispel more than a few stereotypes. June Sawyers
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