SUSAN MOON is a writer and Buddhist teacher in the Soto Zen tradition. She is the author of several books, including This Is Getting Old and The Hidden Lamp, and a contributor to Lion's Roar, Tricycle, and other publications. She teaches in California and at the Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
“Reading this book is like finding a friend, someone who is a bit
wiser and more clear-sighted, honest and plain-spoken, someone who
faces her fears and will help you face yours. Alive Until You're
Dead should be required reading for all mortals.”—Ruth Ozeki,
author of The Book of Form and Emptiness
“Beautiful, inspiring essays. Deep truth in this work and the world
needs to hear it.”—Natalie Goldberg, author of Three Simple Lines
and Writing Down the Bones
“This is such a lovely book. I couldn’t put it down. Susan Moon is
by now our most beloved Buddhist voice and here she realizes that
voice completely, telling story after story that will break your
heart with its emotional truth. How can she so nakedly, so bravely,
face what no one wants to face, and express it all with such
understated elegance, sentence after sentence, in essays as
intimate as they are true? Being old, approaching death, is
baffling and difficult. Alive Until You’re Dead won’t solve the
problem but it will illuminate it, giving much to muse on and
savor. You will want to read this book slowly . . . and
again.”—Norman Fischer, author of When You Greet Me I Bow
“Deep, delightful, challenging, uplifting, this wonderful book is
full of wisdom and a must-read for all of us.”—Joan Halifax, author
of Being with Dying and Standing at the Edge
“I truly love anything Susan Moon writes. These latest essays are
filled with her trademark simple-but-profound life stories and
humor woven with Buddhist teachings and oodles of wisdom. Her depth
and authenticity, as always, shine through. I can think of no
better guide along the path to aging and the unknown than Susan
Moon.”—Diana Winston, director of mindfulness education at UCLA’s
Mindful Awareness Research Center, author of The Little Book of
Being
“In this wonderful book Susan Moon uses stories of her life to
explore the joys and tragedies of being human. She is a great
satirist, and this book is full of humor and wisdom.”—Wes Nisker,
author of The Essential Crazy Wisdom and Buddha’s Nature
“As she faces the inevitable end of her long life, Susan Moon
considers what it means to be satisfied. With wit and the wisdom of
decades of Buddhist practice, Moon considers the gifts and
struggles of age, where joy and sorrow walk hand in hand.”—Sallie
Tisdale, author of The Lie About the Truck and Advice for Future
Corpses
“There's no shying away from tough topics, but Moon's graceful
urgings to accept the inevitably of aging and death, along with her
easy-to-swallow spiritual guidance and everyday, practical tips
provide a calm, clear path to help readers enjoy life, until
they're dead.”—Booklist
![]() |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
![]() |