Bringing the Sacred to Life: The Daily Practice of Zen Ritual

by John Daido Loori

Zen rituals—such as chanting, bowing, lighting incense before the Buddha statue—are ways of recognizing the sacredness in all of life. A ritual is simply a deliberate and focused moment that symbolizes the care with which we should be approaching all of life, and practicing the Zen liturgy is a way of cultivating this quality of attention in order to bring it to everything we do. Here, John Daido Loori demystifies the details of the Zen rituals and highlights their deeper meaning and purpose. We humans are all creatures of ritual, he teaches, whether we recognize it or not. Even if we don’t make ritual part of some religious observance, we still fall into ritual behavior, whether it be our daily grooming sequence or the way we have our morning coffee and paper. We run through our personal rituals unconsciously most of the time, but there is great value to introducing meaningful symbolic rituals into our lives and to performing them deliberately and mindfully—because the way we do ritual affects the way we live the rest of our lives. The book includes instructions for a simple Zen home liturgy, as it is practiced by students of the Mountains and Rivers Order of Zen.

Genres: Buddhism, Zen, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Meditation, Religion

128 pages, Paperback

First published March 11, 2008

About the author

John Daido Loori was a Zen Buddhist rōshi who served as the abbot of Zen Mountain Monastery. He was the founder of the Mountains and Rivers Order of Zen Buddhism and CEO of Dharma Communications.

Reviews

[Jake Laskaris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wash a head of lettuce with such gentleness and empathy as you give your own child

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an easy to understand, beautifully explained overview of Zen practice rituals . The only chapter I found hard to put into daily use was the chanting part... I’d need a CD to follow until I learned to do it myself... On the other hand I don’t see myself chanting... but otherwise very informative and practical. In the back is a glossary that is wonderfully helpful. In fact I put a tab there and will keep this book in my deskside referance area with my Buddhist dictionary... I will be looking into John Daido Loori’s other books

[Zäkämäkätäkämäkä · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brief introduction to formal Zen practice primarily at home. Includes chants, rituals, and setting up a home author. The last section seemed to be an unrelated jumble to me.

[Lana · Rating 4 out of 5]

it is good to read a book like this and reflect on our life. a daily meditation practice is good for the soul. it can be anykind of meditaton you want just as long as you do it. it makes a big difference in how your day pans out.

[M. Todd Webster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another gem of a book by Loori, on the importance of daily practice in life and of shared ritual in daily practice.

[Coe Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, concise read on zen and ordinary mind / everyday action.

[Demyan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good book as introduction to the practices of Buddhism