Customer Reviews

Pure heart, enlightened mind: the Zen journal & letters of Maura "Soshin" O'Halloran

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A marvelous book from beginning to end. The utter unpretentiousness of Maura O'Halloran's rich spiritual journuey is a miracle to encounter. It's so difficult, at book's end, to take leave of this shining young person, this quiet buddha , but she strengthens us for the inevitable by teaching so pure, so real, so necessary, that the natural world of our own lives is changed forever, charged with her abiding and beholden to her example. Others here have stated well the 'content' one finds in these pages; I wish only to say thank you to Maura's wise and devoted family for making the effort to provide us with these journals and family letters. Her mother's Introduction, with its simple and moving veneration of her daughter's life, sets a loving compass for the journey ahead; her sister Elizabeth's drawings are clearly pulled from her own heart, and her brother's afterword together give us an infinitely deep understanding of the means behind the meaning of this extraordinary young woman's life's journey. This is a book of great hope, abundant humor, and sure grace for anyone who reads it. Abundant recommendation without reserve; read it and walk anew the paths of love.

I got this as my first book on tape. I had always thought it would take away from the book to listen to it read by someone else. But on my drive from upstate NY to Philly to visit my parents, I decided to get a book on tape. I was so into this book that i could hardly pay attention to my driving. The five hour drive was a breeze while listening to this. I was there before I knew it. Also, as a practicing Zen Buddist, I found this to be a wonderful story and it helped me find a few things I was missing. I bought the book now and I'm re-reading it. I think that anyone, Zen buddist or not would enjoy this tale of a person's growth, and feel the sorrow of her untimely death

In 1979 Maura O'Halloran left a waitressing job in Boston to begin
her study of Zen in Japan. One thousand days later she received the dharma transmission of her Roshi. Six months after achieving enlightenment, she was killed in a bus accident in Thailand at the age of 27. In her small Buddhist monastery in northern Japan there stands a statue erected to her memory.

As her mother asks in the Introduction, how did this daughter of an American mother and an Irish father, educated at convent schools and Trinity College, Dublin, become not only a Zen monk but a Buddhist saint? This book, excerpted from notebooks and journals kept during her three years' training in Zen at Toshoji Temple in Tokyo and Kannonji Temple in Iwate Prefecture, tells the story. It is a fascinating record of a monastic novitiate and rapid progress toward soshin: a pure heart, and of her practice of both meditation and sacrifice. Her own Roshi comments: "She had achieved what took the Shakjamuni Buddha eighty years in twenty-seven years....Then she left this life immediately to start the salvation of the masses in the next life!"

It seems that monks--male or female, Zen or Catholic, Japanese or American--speak heart to heart and discover the same end to their contemplative prayer: oneness with all creation and compassion for all fellow travelers. This journal demonstrates how much spiritual seekers have in common.

Sheryl Frances Chen/Santa Rita Abbey,HC 1 Box 929, Sonoita, Arizona 85337

This book is a lovely tale of a life well lived. It is told in simple, clear prose. These pages describe what it means to be fully alive to reality. Maura shares with us what Zen is all about as a lived experience, rather than some abstraction, which, I suppose, is the only way it can be demonstrated. The book is full of quiet, irreverent, good humor, which is one of the qualities of Zen if I understand it correctly.

Maura tells us a lot about Zen in this book. More importantly, she tells us in poetic prose what it means to be fully attentive and absorbed in the present. What I take from this book is that living a good life, after the fog has lifted, is as simple as a...b...c.......
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Soshin O'Halloran was a remarkable zen practitioner. The book describes in detail her journeys throughout Northeastern Asia and experiences at two Japanese Soto Zen Monasteries. Her story, told by her diary entries and letters home, remains a personal favorite because her state of consciousness is subtly expressed between her written words. As her monastic experience deepens, so does her writing.

For those who have ever fantasized trading the laylife for the monastic, Pure Heart: Enlightened Mind will be a fascinating read.

This is the most touching book on Zen that I have yet to find. Several times while reading this book I experienced moments of Kensho. Soshin-san distilled the essence of Zen in her simple words.

I was so touched by her words that every year on Oct. 22nd I light a white candle in her memory.

This is a MUST read for anyone who is truly seeking to understand Zen.

I ordered a used copy of this book because I wanted to learn more about Zen Buddhism. It certainly provided me much more insight than I had before, even though I have read widely about Buddhism before buying this book.

Maura O'Halloran, raised Catholic, goes to Japan and becomes a Zen Buddhist monk, joining a group of men who do not speak her language (nor does she know theirs), and following the strict ascetic lifestyle for 3 years, seeking enlightenment. The book is a journal of her actions and thoughts over the three year period, which was illuminating for me. It is more than a description of the lifestyle of a Zen monk; it is a personal journey of a remarkable young woman. Tragically, she dies in an accident at the end, so we are left with some unanswered questions about the ultimate meanings she has found in Zen.

For those who want to learn about Zen Buddhism, I recommend reading about Buddhism first, as this book assumes a passing knowledge of its concepts (otherwise, I think a reader would be rather lost). It is quite descriptive about living conditions, division of work, and daily routine at a Zen monastery. It outlines the author's increasing understanding of Zen, as well as her determination and eventual mastery of meditative practice. What most people would consider torturous ordeal becomes her common way of live, without complaint - begging in freezing snow, going with little sleep for days on end, meditating for hours at a time, living in a building with little heat, having few personal conveniences, shaving her head, manual chores, all while living in close proximity to Tokyo, one of the world's most modern cities.

My chief complaint would be the lack of a Japanese glossary of terms in the back. The book makes the practice of defining a word once (the first use), then assuming the reader will remember the term through the rest of the book. This didn't happen for me - I kept forgetting! I recommend readers write down their own glossary of Japanese words and their English definitions as they encounter them. Otherwise, the book was rather amazing.

I highly recommend this book for any students of religion, particularly those who wish to better understand Zen Buddhism. I read it within a day and a half, mostly because I couldn't stop reading.

this book is one of my favorite books in my library . this diary of an irish american searcher of zen cuts to the heart. ive read the book and have the abridged book on tape. though the tape is a shorter version of the book mare winningham brings the words alive with an irish charm. this book gives an insiders look at the heart zen as it is practiced in a japenese zen monastery. it is not only eyeopening it is enduring.

This book is an unexpected little gem from the front cover to the very end. I stumbled upon it travelling and dealing with serious medical issues and it has unpretentiously reinforced my spiritual strength, and sweetly comforted and inspired me. I have a special place in my heart for this book.

Soshin O'Halloran was a remarkable zen practitioner. The book describes in detail her journeys throughout Northeastern Asia and experiences at two Japanese Soto Zen Monasteries. Her story, told by her diary entries and letters home, remains a personal favorite because her state of consciousness is subtly expressed between her written words. As her monastic experience deepens, so does her writing.

For those who have ever fantasized trading the laylife for the monastic, Pure Heart: Enlightened Mind will be a fascinating read.