Zen Wisdom for Christians

This refreshing, eye-opening book, presenting sundry examples illustrating how Zen practice can enrich Christian life and understanding, is an invitation for earnest spiritual seekers to undertake an inward journey that leads to one’s true home. – Ruben L.F. Habito, Guiding Teacher, Maria Kannon Zen Center, Dallas, TexasZen Wisdom for Christians is a timely and penetrating book that left me wanting more. Unlike many books attempting inter-religious dialogue, the strength of Collingwood’s book arises from the integrity of prolonged praxis of both Christianity and Zen, realising their complementarity, and living and resolving any tensions that may arise. He neither blurs the boundaries nor slides over the paradoxes - in fact he shows how essential paradoxes are to each discipline. A must read for Christians and Buddhists alike. – Maggie Ross, Anglican Solitary and author of Silence: A User’s Guide, Vols. 1 and 2Zen Wisdom for Christians is a lucid, accessible reflection on the transforming power of encounter with Zen Buddhism. The reader is invited to participate in the silence of Zen meditation, to reflect on seemingly paradoxical Zen koans and to re-read biblical passages in the light of Zen insights. ‘Zen is supremely about letting go and allowing our true self to manifest itself quite naturally’, the author writes. It is about taking responsibility for our lives, dying to our narrow, egotistical selves, and coming home to a place where love and compassion bring us into unity with all that is. Throughout, the author speaks from his own experience of deep meditation practice. He is a worthy guide to a tradition that can enrich Christian experience. – Elizabeth J. Harris, Birmingham University, President of the European Network for Buddhist-Christian Studies

Christopher Collingwood is Canon Chancellor of York Minster; an Authorised Zen Teacher in the White Plum Asanga, an international association of Zen teachers based in America; and one of the four teachers in the Wild Goose Zen Sangha based in the UK.