Discover how the mysterious, powerful form of the koanâknown for bringing about sudden enlightenmentâcan disrupt and illuminate your everyday understanding of life.
Traditionally, Zen koansâthe teaching stories of Zenâare drawn from the words and teachings of ancient masters and primarily address the concerns of (male) monastic practitioners. In The Crow Flies Backward, Ross Bolleter changes all at. The 108 modern koans offered within address sexuality and childbirth, family, parenthood, work, money and even the nature time itself. These koans are drawn from a variety of modern sources: Western philosophy, the Bible, contemporary and classic literature from Proust to Lewis Carroll and Mary Oliver and Anne Carson, as well as stories provided by authorâs encounters with his Zen students.
Bolleterâs commentaries provide guidance to the reader on how to engage with each koan and koans in general, and direct guidance to meditate with koans. An appendix offers rarely-seen intimate and in-depth accounts of the process of koan introspection, from four of the authorâs senior students.