{"product_id":"opening-to-oneness-a-practical-and-philosophical-guide-to-the-zen-precepts-9781611809398","title":"Opening to Oneness: A Practical and Philosophical Guide to the Zen Precepts","description":"\u003cb\u003eStop trying to become \"better\" by suppressing or hiding parts of yourself, and learn what it means to be fully human with this accessible guide to the core ethical teachings of Zen Buddhism.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In \u003ci\u003eOpening to Oneness\u003c\/i\u003e, Zen teacher Nancy Baker offers a detailed path of practice for Zen students planning to take the precepts and for anyone, Buddhist or non-Buddhist, interested in deepening their personal study of ethical living. She reveals that there are three levels of each precept: a literal level (don't kill, not even a bug), a relative level that takes moral ambiguity into account (what if it's a malaria-spreading mosquito?), and an ultimate level--the paradoxical level of nonduality, in which the precepts are naturally expressed from a state of oneness. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Full of nuance, intelligence, and compassion, the first half of the book addresses the ten grave precepts mostly from the relative level, including instructions for how to practice these precepts individually and in pairs or groups. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The second half of the book takes a deep dive into looking at the precepts from the ultimate perspective, largely through an exploration of the writings of Dogen, the thirteenth-century religious genius who founded the Soto Zen school. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e At once comprehensive and innovative, \u003ci\u003eOpening to Oneness\u003c\/i\u003e will take its place alongside classics like \u003ci\u003eThe Mind of Clover\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Heart of Being\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eBeing Upright\u003c\/i\u003e as a cherished guide to Zen Buddhist ethics.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNANCY BAKER is the founding teacher of the No Traces Sangha in the lineage of Maezumi Roshi's White Plum Asanga. A Dharma successor to Bernie Glassman, she is among the first fully empowered lay Soto Zen teachers. She is Professor Emerita of Philosophy at Sarah Lawrence College, where she taught for more than forty years. She lives in New York City.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Shambhala","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50644713799954,"sku":"9781611809398","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_8bcbe052-422e-4cd5-95ca-d1a77926c5f0.jpg?v=1733122718","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/opening-to-oneness-a-practical-and-philosophical-guide-to-the-zen-precepts-9781611809398","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}