If You're Lucky, Your Heart Will Break: Field Notes from a Zen Life

Drawing on sources as diverse as the Bible and stand-up comics, Ford reflects on his more than four decades walking the Path and the Big Questions asked and answered (in his words: sort of ). He examines the nature of Awakening and what it means to work toward it helping us see, in the words of one chapter title, Some of What Zen Practice Is, and a Little of What It Isn t ; he offers a wise perspective on the nature of spiritual directors and enormously helpful counsel on What to Look for When Looking for a Teacher; and give us a seasoned look at the core practices of Zen (shikantaza and koan study) within the key principles of not knowing and sitting down, shutting up, and paying attention . This book explores the always fascinating issues of karma and rebirth from the deconstructing perspective of Zen in a way that will find resonance with both conservatives and the vast audience of Stephen Batchelor s Confessions of a Buddhist Atheist.