buddhism

"Accessible Zen" is how the author describes her book about embarking on a spiritual path. With chapters like "The Invaluable Lessons of Miserable Days" and "The Art Of Cultivating Sympathetic Joy" you cannot help but stumble upon a gem or two of truth. This book will help you become wiser and make you feel human along the way. You've gotta fall before you fly, but fly you can. Stumbling Toward Enlightenment will help you on with your wings.

I am a practicing Buddhist and Unitarian Universalist minister and when I first read Geri Larkin's book I was immediately moved to read it again from cover to cover. Imagine someone writing about Zen practice with a sense of humour and gentle wit? Imagine seeing ourselves all with 'bad hair days' and still able to laugh and see it as part of the healing that brings so many of us to spiritual practice. I have recommended this book to many friends and colleagues and I know many of them have bought it. People in their 20's have been especially moved by Geri's down-to-earth style because they seek honesty, integrity and gentleness - this book has all three and so much more.

I completely enjoyed this book - several times. Any fiesty woman can completely identify with Ms. Larkin's perspective on life, love, loss, and coming to realize that there are better things to do with your life and your family's life than work 70+ hours a week for a corporation. This is not a guide to Buddhism for a school report - it is a guide to getting real and knowing you're not alone in feeling like being Superwoman isn't all it's cracked up to be. It's also a good guide to getting out from under the mountain of false corporate gods and retaining your sense of humor a la Buddhism.

I laughed, I cried, I gleaned a lot of great information.