At Home in the Muddy Water: The Zen of Living with Everyday Chaos, 1st Edition [Hardcover]

Ezra Bayda (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 10, 2003

May we exist like a lotus, at home in the muddy water. Thus we bow to life as it is. This verse, often recited in Zen retreats, is an important reminder, says Ezra Bayda, of what the spiritual life is really about: the willingness to open ourselves to whatever life presents—no matter how messy or complicated. Through that willingness we discover wisdom, compassion, and the genuine life we all want. Bayda applies this simple Zen teaching to a range of concerns from everyday life—including relationships, trust, sexuality, and money—showing that we have all the material we need for practice right here before us, and that peace and fulfillment is available to everyone, right here, right now, no matter what the circumstances.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"At Home in the Muddy Water will help any reader transform the confusion, the instability, and the unhappiness we face in everyday life into a genuine sense of peace."—Sharon Salzberg, author of Faith and Lovingkindness





"Ezra Bayda provides real, specific advice for extending our spiritual practice beyond the meditation cushion into every aspect of daily life. His teachings on relationships, sex, and money provide invaluable help in the perennial work of refining our lives. At Home in the Muddy Water is a major contribution to contemporary dharma."—Larry Rosenberg, author of Breath by Breath and Living in the Light of Death

From the Inside Flap

May we exist like a lotus, at home in the muddy water. Thus we bow to life as it is.

This verse, often recited in Zen retreats, is an important reminder, says Ezra Bayda, of what the spiritual life is really about: the willingness to open ourselves to whatever life presents?no matter how messy or complicated. Through that willingness we discover wisdom, compassion, and the genuine life we all want. Bayda applies this simple Zen teaching to a range of concerns from everyday life?including relationships, trust, sexuality, and money?showing that we have all the material we need for practice right here before us, and that peace and fulfillment is available to everyone, right here, right now, no matter what the circumstances.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 146 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala; 1St Edition edition (June 10, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570629471
• ISBN-13: 978-1570629471
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,138,770 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ezra Bayda was born in 1944 in Atlantic City, New jersey. He graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in philosophy, and after working for a while as a teacher and a computer programmer, became a carpenter and builder, an occupation he worked at for thirty years. His favorite activities include boogie boarding in the ocean, playing basketball and playing the conga drum.
He began practicing Zen meditation in 1970, receiving permission to teach in 1995. He now lives, writes and teaches at Zen Center San Diego with his wife and fellow teacher, Elizabeth Hamilton. He also leads a meditation group in Santa Rosa, Ca., and has been a hospice volunteer for over ten years. He is the author of five books, including his most recent, Beyond Happiness (Shambhala, 2010). For more information, go to www.zencentersandiego.org.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ezra the Great, November 10, 2004

By 

Dustin G. Rhodes (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: At Home in the Muddy Water: The Zen of Living with Everyday Chaos, 1st Edition (Hardcover)

Reviewing a book such as this is no easy feat. Quasi-spiritual, semi-self help books are a dime a dozen, and many of them are terrible. They attempt to reduce common sense to a formula that, once applied to one's individual life circumstances, permanently alters the course of one's life.

Do you know anyone whose life has radically changed as a result of reading a self help book?

I bought this book (along with Being Zen, Ezra Bayda's previous title) because I am interested in Zen Buddhism. I bought them rather randomly, having never heard of Mr. Bayda before (these books did not, however, serve as an introduction to Buddhism for me; I have been interested in the practice for many years). I am extremely impressed, however, by Mr. Bayda's simplicity and practicality; I don't think I've read a more accessible book on Buddhist practice. I would argue, in fact, that he does it better than Pema Chodron (whom he credits as a source of inspiration). Mr. Bayda's books are the result of some fantastic writing and editing.

Mr. Bayda says that these two books are really Parts 1 and 2 of the same work, and I would agree: You should read both of them, so that the important concepts are really hammered home. After all, these books are not intended to be feel-good, airy-fairy words to make one "feel better"; this, in fact, is what I believe to be the "strength" of Buddhism---the fact that its primary goal is not to make one feel better, but rather to point us toward residing in the ordinariness and pain of every day life. Mr. Bayda's effort is directed at pointing us in the direction of an "authentic life," as opposed to the "substitute life" which so many of us are accustomed to living. Mr. Bayda offers sound, succint, and challenging advice on how we can apply the principles of Buddhism to our lives in a practical and compelling way, without ever using exclusively Buddhist terminology. A person of any faith would find this book both accessible and informative.

In the end, I cannot recommend either of his two books highly enough. While reading these two books (or any other books for that matter) have not and will not change my life, taking to heart the teachings really could.

44 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great tool for anyone willing to use it, January 26, 2004

By 

Jenessa Bayda (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: At Home in the Muddy Water: The Zen of Living with Everyday Chaos, 1st Edition (Hardcover)

As with my dad's first book, BEING ZEN, I could read AT HOME IN THE MUDDY WATER countless times and always find it useful. There always seems to be something or someone in life that I want to change. I see repetitive patterns in the way I relate to others and to life. I watch myself react and put up defenses and strategies of control. I think I am clear, with a good analysis of the situation, of myself, and of others. And yet, the same patterns return. The same difficulties and questions come again and again, varying only in the circumstances under which they arise, but not in the base emotions and beliefs themselves. AT HOME IN THE MUDDY WATER helps me to see and experience my difficulties on a deeper level, getting to the very base, the very core of my hurt, my fear, my anger and my pain. This book, like BEING ZEN, helps me to deal with life daily, whether it be with reacting to something as small as being cut off on the freeway to something larger, like depression, self-doubt, and difficulties with relationships. Many times, I must admit, the equanimity my dad speaks of in his books feels out of reach. But I know it is possible to achieve because I have watched him in spiritual practice for over 27 years. My dad still feels pain; he still gets hurt, angry, disappointed and filled with fear. But he relates to all of these things differently than most. His spiritual practice, as so clearly laid out in these books, allows him to experience life in all of its colors and shapes, in happiness or in grief, in peace or in total chaos. The practice is always the same: simply to BE HERE. The tools are out there, but it is up to each of us to put them to use for ourselves. AT HOME IN THE MUDDY WATER is such a tool.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars self-help, September 17, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: At Home in the Muddy Water: The Zen of Living with Everyday Chaos, 1st Edition (Hardcover)

This book is excellent for someone who is practicing without a teacher. I found the discussion of how to deal with a "dry spot" in your practice especially helpful. It's difficult for a solo practioner to step outside the self thing and see what's sabotaging your practice. I am thankful to Mr. Bayda for his ability to articulate so well what's going on.