Inside the Flower Garland Sutra

“Ben Connelly reaffirms the invitation for us, offering a set of pointers that can open us to a view of that glorious world of enlightenment depicted in the Flower Garland Sutra, taking a set of verses of thirty lines composed by Uisang, a seventh-century Korean monk, as guideposts in the adventure.”–Ruben L. F. Habito, author of Total Liberation: Zen Spirituality and the Social Dimension“Ben Connelly’s Inside the Flower Garland Sutra is a significant landmark in the development of Western Buddhist practice. I am deeply grateful to him for this excellent book, so supportive as we face a time of challenge.”–Taigen Dan Leighton, author of Faces of Compassion and Dogen’s Extensive Record“Ben Connelly’s contemporary commentary on thirty verses of a Huayan classic skillfully evokes awe with the interconnectedness of everything in magical display, illuminating this very moment.”–Judith Simmer-Brown, Naropa University, and author of Dakini’s Warm Breath: The Feminine Principle in Tibetan Buddhism“In this jewel of a book, Ben Connelly does what he knows how to do so well–he shows me that my own twenty-first-century life and a seventh-century Buddhist text can talk to each other. Whether you are a scholar of Buddhism or someone who has just begun to meditate, this book will encourage you.”–Susan Moon, co-editor of The Hidden Lamp: Stories from Twenty-Five Centuries of Awakened Women

Ben Connelly is a Soto Zen teacher and Dharma heir in the Katagiri lineage. He also teaches mindfulness in a wide variety of secular contexts, including police and corporate training, correctional facilities, and addiction-recovery and wellness groups. Ben is based at Minnesota Zen Meditation Center and travels to teach across the United States. He’s the author of Inside the Grass Hut: Living Shitou’s Classic Zen Poem, Inside Vasubandhu’s Yogacara: A Practitioner’s Guide, and Mindfulness and Intimacy.