The Zen of Creativity

Cultivating Your Artistic Life

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Zen, Health & Well Being, Self Help, Self Improvement, Creativity, New Age, Meditation
Cover of the book The Zen of Creativity by John Daido Loori, Random House Publishing Group
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: John Daido Loori ISBN: 9780307417558
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group Publication: December 18, 2007
Imprint: Ballantine Books Language: English
Author: John Daido Loori
ISBN: 9780307417558
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Publication: December 18, 2007
Imprint: Ballantine Books
Language: English

For many of us, the return of Zen conjures up images of rock gardens and gently flowing waterfalls. We think of mindfulness and meditation, immersion in a state of being where meaning is found through simplicity. Zen lore has been absorbed by Western practitioners and pop culture alike, yet there is a specific area of this ancient tradition that hasn’t been fully explored in the West. Now, in The Zen of Creativity, American Zen master John Daido Loori presents a book that taps the principles of the Zen arts and aesthetic as a means to unlock creativity and find freedom in the various dimensions of our existence. Loori dissolves the barriers between art and spirituality, opening up the possibility of meeting life with spontaneity, grace, and peace.

Zen Buddhism is steeped in the arts. In spiritual ways, calligraphy, poetry, painting, the tea ceremony, and flower arranging can point us toward our essential, boundless nature. Brilliantly interpreting the teachings of the artless arts, Loori illuminates various elements that awaken our creativity, among them still point, the center of each moment that focuses on the tranquility within; simplicity, in which the creative process is uncluttered and unlimited, like a cloudless sky; spontaneity, a way to navigate through life without preconceptions, with a freshness in which everything becomes new; mystery, a sense of trust in the unknown; creative feedback, the systematic use of an audience to receive noncritical input about our art; art koans, exercises based on paradoxical questions that can be resolved only through artistic expression. Loori shows how these elements interpenetrate and function not only in art, but in all our endeavors.

Beautifully illustrated and punctuated with poems and reflections from Loori’s own spiritual journey, The Zen of Creativity presents a multilayered, bottomless source of insight into our creativity. Appealing equally to spiritual seekers, artists, and veteran Buddhist practitioners, this book is perfect for those wishing to discover new means of self-awareness and expression—and to restore equanimity and freedom amid the vicissitudes of our lives.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

For many of us, the return of Zen conjures up images of rock gardens and gently flowing waterfalls. We think of mindfulness and meditation, immersion in a state of being where meaning is found through simplicity. Zen lore has been absorbed by Western practitioners and pop culture alike, yet there is a specific area of this ancient tradition that hasn’t been fully explored in the West. Now, in The Zen of Creativity, American Zen master John Daido Loori presents a book that taps the principles of the Zen arts and aesthetic as a means to unlock creativity and find freedom in the various dimensions of our existence. Loori dissolves the barriers between art and spirituality, opening up the possibility of meeting life with spontaneity, grace, and peace.

Zen Buddhism is steeped in the arts. In spiritual ways, calligraphy, poetry, painting, the tea ceremony, and flower arranging can point us toward our essential, boundless nature. Brilliantly interpreting the teachings of the artless arts, Loori illuminates various elements that awaken our creativity, among them still point, the center of each moment that focuses on the tranquility within; simplicity, in which the creative process is uncluttered and unlimited, like a cloudless sky; spontaneity, a way to navigate through life without preconceptions, with a freshness in which everything becomes new; mystery, a sense of trust in the unknown; creative feedback, the systematic use of an audience to receive noncritical input about our art; art koans, exercises based on paradoxical questions that can be resolved only through artistic expression. Loori shows how these elements interpenetrate and function not only in art, but in all our endeavors.

Beautifully illustrated and punctuated with poems and reflections from Loori’s own spiritual journey, The Zen of Creativity presents a multilayered, bottomless source of insight into our creativity. Appealing equally to spiritual seekers, artists, and veteran Buddhist practitioners, this book is perfect for those wishing to discover new means of self-awareness and expression—and to restore equanimity and freedom amid the vicissitudes of our lives.

More books from Random House Publishing Group

Cover of the book The Nine Emotional Lives of Cats by John Daido Loori
Cover of the book Shopaholic to the Stars by John Daido Loori
Cover of the book Forbidden Knowledge by John Daido Loori
Cover of the book My Favorite Thief by John Daido Loori
Cover of the book Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet and Songs of Willow Frost: Two Bestselling Novels by John Daido Loori
Cover of the book Seven Seasons in Siena by John Daido Loori
Cover of the book We Band of Angels by John Daido Loori
Cover of the book Stay in Your Lane by John Daido Loori
Cover of the book Del Rey and Bantam Books 2015 Sampler by John Daido Loori
Cover of the book American Lion by John Daido Loori
Cover of the book Highgate Rise by John Daido Loori
Cover of the book Cut to the Heart by John Daido Loori
Cover of the book White Wolf by John Daido Loori
Cover of the book The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution of the United States by John Daido Loori
Cover of the book Windy City Blues by John Daido Loori
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy