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.