The Path of Aliveness: A Contemporary Zen Approach to Awakening Body and Mind

Buddhism aims for the development of a flexible mind and skillful responsiveness--whether toward problems in one's personal life or broader issues like the ecological crisis. But in a culture now saturated with cliches about mindfulness and unrealistic fantasies about happiness, what does it truly mean to walk this path? The key practice is that of embodied aliveness.

In The Path of Aliveness, Zen and Taoist Qigong teacher Christian Dillo offers a path of meaningful transformation tailored to our times. Through potent conceptual work and practical examples, he shows how to carefully examine the interrelationship between our senses, body energy, thoughts, and emotions so that we can transform our lives in the direction of less suffering and more freedom, wisdom, and compassion. This secular reconstruction respectfully plumbs Buddhist tradition--including classic teachings such as the foundations of mindfulness meditation, the practice of loving kindness, and the four noble truths--while encouraging practitioners to rely on their own body-mind and trust their own experience as the basis for deepening vitality.