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Lessons from the Monk I Married offers up ten of the most powerful lessons about life, love, and spirituality that Katherine Jenkins has gathered during her marriage to former Buddhist monk Seong Yoon Lee.
A seeker in the truest sense of the word, Jenkins went to Korea on a whim, hoping to find the answers to her deepest, most pressing questions about how to find peace and her purpose in life. During her first months there, she sought out a remote temple, where she unknowingly crossed paths with an unassuming Buddhist monk. Months later, they met again by chance—and fell in love. Though their courtship was long, mostly secretive, and fraught with logistical and spiritual considerations, Jenkins and Lee were ultimately married in Korea in 2003. Through their relationship, Jenkins discovered the most important lesson of all: No one holds the keys to peace and happiness—you have walk your own path and find your own wisdom through your own experiences.
More than the improbable story of a girl from Seattle who found peace of mind (and love) with a Buddhist monk, Lessons from the Monk I Married is an approachable guide to the most elemental spiritual questions of our day.
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"Katherine Jenkins offers us a glowing jewel in this moving and uplifting book. She shares with us an abundance of wisdom and insight learned in the university of life. This beautifully written and compelling work is one to treasure and share with those we love." —Allan Lokos, guiding teacher, Community Meditation Center, NYC, and author of Patience and Pocket Peace
"I was inspired by the wisdom in Lessons from the Monk I Married, entranced by its exploration of far-away places, and moved by Katherine's story of profound and irresistible love. It's a story that would force even the most jaded person to agree that there is, indeed, such a thing as a love that was meant to be." —Noelle Oxenhandler, author of The Wishing Year
"Katherine Jenkins's beautiful memoir is a wonderful story of listening to one's heart through both hardships and joy alike." —Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness and Real Happiness
"Jenkins’s writing is graceful and direct…in this gentle, earnest book" —Publishers Weekly
"This gentle book is full of surprises. Part memoir, part spiritual journey, this is written in an accessible and conversational style that should appeal to a wide range of readers…" —Booklist
About the Author
Katherine Jenkins is the author of the popular blog Lessons from the Monk I Married, which offers lessons based in the Buddhist tradition and drawn from her daily experiences. She is a regular contributor to Woman’s World Online Magazine, and the founder of Writers Rising, a blog she started for writers, which now has over twenty contributors.
Jenkins spent over eight years in South Korea, where she met her husband in 1996. That same year, she went to Nepal and joined a ten-day silent meditation course. That ten-day course changed her life and she has been practicing Vipassana meditation ever since.
Jenkins moved back to the States with her husband in 2006, where they became managers of the Northwest Vipassana Meditation Center in Washington State. During her time at the meditation center, she helped edit the book Letters from the Dhamma Brothers, which was featured on Oprah Winfrey’s Soul Series in October of 2008.
Today, Jenkins lives in Seattle with her husband, a popular yoga teacher and lecturer, and she teaches English as a Second Language at Edmonds Community College.
Product Details
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Seal Press; Original edition (April 3, 2012)
Katherine Jenkins is the author of the popular blog Lessons from the Monk I Married. In 2010, she wrote a lesson every single day on her blog for 365 days and in 2011 she wrote weekly lessons. Currently she has over 58,000 visitors to her blog (1,000 per week). Her inspiring lessons are on topics such as love, fear, yoga, meditation, patience, procrastination, book writing, peace, happiness, stress and many other topics. Her book, by the same title as her blog, is a memoir about her 15-year journey with her husband, a former Korean Buddhist monk. Katherine spent over eight years in South Korea, where she met her husband in 1996, before moving back to the United States. They now live in Seattle, Washington.
I've been reading Katherine Jenkins' blog since late 2009 and have followed all the trials and tribulations of getting this book into print and published. I've rooted for Kathy the entire time, silently (and sometimes with a blog comment) encouraging her not to give up, to continue her writing. I'm so glad she did. I received my copy of 'Lessons From the Monk I Married' this week. I loved every minute of reading it! While on the surface, it tells the story of how Kathy met Yoon and how their love affair developed, its underlying theme is one of gentle acceptance and understanding of one's self, as well as one's significant other. It takes courage to lay your life out there for the world to see, and this book is full of courage. I'm not sure what I find more inspiring and courageous...Kathy's beautiful love affair with her monk, her trek around Annapurna or the fact that she lived in a 'love hotel'! This book is a delightful, heartfelt read. And even though you know how the story ends, you still feel the tension...will their love survive? My favorite lesson..."There is no such thing as a meaningless coincidence." You'll have a favorite lesson, too!
"Lessons..." is a beautifully written book that captured my attention within the first few pages. Katherine's search for her mission in life is treated with insight, humility and humor. Her journey leading to "the Monk she married" was clearly filled with adventure and romance. I loved every page!
I couldn't put this book down! Katherine Jenkins story is both unique and universal. A young woman, searching for answers to life's bigger questions, travels to a far away land and finds love in the most unlikely place and with the most unlikely person - a Buddhist monk! By not backing away from her own struggle, unflinchingly examining her own mind and senses, and surrendering to the higher powers of the universe, she takes you with her as she unlocks the doors of her heart. From beginning to end, you can't help but root for Jenkins. Her prose is accessible and endearing, and her story is filled with humor and humility as she illustrates the truism that your life is the only journey worth making.
