Jane Dobisz (Zen Master Bon Yeon) is a Guiding Teacher of the Cambridge Zen Center, where she was Abbot for four years and where she lived for ten years. A student of Zen Master Seung Sahn since 1982, she has practiced extensively in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. An advisor in the financial services industry, she lives in the Boston area with her husband and daughter.
"A deep bow of appreciation to Jane Dobisz for this lovely
reminder--especially welcome in our contemporary culture of
seemingly endless stimulus seductions--that the peaceful mind
rejoices at the sound of melting snow."--Sylvia Boorstein, author
of It's Easier than You Think
"A fine job of capturing an experience that is so extraordinary in
our too-busy, too noisy lives."-- "Albuquerque Journal"
"Dobisz's book describes how loneliness and discomfort evolved into
joy as, forced by the absence of distraction and the repetition of
simple activities, she learned to focus on each moment--the essence
of Zen teaching--and came to treasure life in a way many people
don't."-- "Boston Globe"
"Down-to-earth, humorous, and easy to follow. This is the story of
real practice, as far from a scholarly treatise on Buddhism as
possible, and is filled with wonderful teachings and quotes from
the great Zen practitioners of all time."-- "Primary Point"
"For 100 days of a snowy New England winter, Dobisz lived alone in
a tiny cabin in the woods, adhering to a highly regimented schedule
of sitting, walking, chanting, bowing, and chopping wood. She had
no contact with the outside world. The experience gave her
opportunity to see in a new light things most of us take for
granted: keeping warm, taking a bath, getting a drink of water.
Everything there was elemental. More than once, she asked herself
what utter madness brought her there. Yet she writes luminously
about the spectacle of nature, the sensual pleasure of a hot bath,
the simple joy of silence. She isn't all wide-eyed wonder, though.
She can be quite funny recounting such happenstances as, while out
walking, coming upon a parked car, picnic basket in the backseat,
full of goodies, including several Lorna Doones...(She scarfed them
down.) After her time in the woods, Dobisz went home the same
person and yet, in the way of Zen, not quite the same person."--
"Booklist"
"Good, level-headed stuff. Dobisz is a teacher and writer of
strength and experience. With wit, seriousness, and freshness, she
gives a powerful account of facing life and reality
head-on."--Steve Hagen, author of Buddhism is Not What You
Think
"Jane Dobisz, as so many students of Buddhism have done, decided to
live a solitary life with nature for a time, 100 days to be exact,
during the winter and spring months so that she could experience
the harshness of winter and then the jubilation of spring. As I
allowed myself to enter her world and release my cynical
ponderings, the book began to calm me... This is not really a book
to be read in one or two sittings. It is one of those books that
you leave by your bedside. You pick it up, and randomly choose a
chapter. The quote, the lesson of each small chapter will embrace
you, and provide you with a small Zen moment to relax with after a
long hard day."-- "PopMatters.com"
"Lovely brushstrokes of Zen heart/mind emerging out of intrepid Zen
practice. Having trained under the same teacher, it was
particularly delightful to feel the vitality of Seung Sahn's
teachings brought to life in such a down-to-earth and poetic
way."--Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of Wherever You Go, There You Are and
Coming to Our Senses
"Rich with humility and humor--Dobisz finds lessons in Zen and life
in everything from the frozen rock-solid contents of her chamber
pot to the temptations in a package of Lorna Doones."-- "Vermont
Quarterly"
"Splendidly candid and beautifully written... There have been
plenty of other books about solitude and the refreshments emerging
out of silence and communion with the natural world but this one is
special because of its radiant glints of wisdom about Zen."--
"Spirituality & Practice"
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