Zen Miracles: Finding Peace in an Insane World [Hardcover]

Brenda Shoshanna (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2002

"This wonderful book brings East and West--and ancient and modern worlds--together and provides profound wisdom and guidance for anyone struggling with stress, anxiety, anger, fear, or loneliness. Beautifully written, funny, warm, and filled with unusual, wonderful exercises. A real miracle."--Rabbi Gary Moskowitz, Director of the Institute for Violence Prevention

"A healing journey into the inner conflicts and contradictions that separate spirit from self." --Armand DiMele, the DiMele Center for Psychotherapy

"Dr. Brenda Shoshanna is a versatile, creative, warm, and truly excellent teacher." --Rabbi Joseph Gelberman, founder of the Interfaith Seminary and Director of the All Faith Seminary

"Zen Miracles is an inviting and inspiring message for those looking for a more simple and powerful way to enhance their lives and for those who want to integrate a practical way of peace in today's distorted and increasingly violent world."--Bob Goff, NY Naturally

"Zen Miracles is a book that is invaluable for anyone seeking to bring a profound, yet genuinely joyous, experience to life. Brenda Shoshanna explores the spiritual and therapeutic aspects of Zen practice in a way that is acceptable to anyone, no matter what their faith, philosophy, or religious beliefs. With her warm and compassionate style, she exhibits the unique ability to explain even the most difficult ideas in understandable terms. Her approach is readily accessible and applicable to even the most mundane of activities. This book is a must for anyone seeking the secrets for attaining a balanced life and true peace of mind."--Lewis Harrison, Director of the Academy of Natural Healing

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It's virtually axiomatic now that America has its own brand of Zen Buddhism, and the author of this skilled volume proves the point. Shoshanna is a Hasidic Jew who has been both practicing zazen and maintaining a psychotherapy practice for more than 25 years. Here she weaves a fine tapestry out of these splendid, assorted threads. Five sections ("Getting Started," "Cravings and Compulsions," "Letting Go," Dissolving the False Self" and "Zen, God and Enlightenment") use traditional Buddhist and contemporary American stories and quotes and lucid prose to invite anyone and everyone down Zen's calming, clarifying garden path. These forms are supplemented by both provocative koans and "Zen in Action" exercises at the conclusion of each of the 18 short chapters. The last chapter, "Zen and God," might well have been placed first, since it elucidates the neutrality of Zen that can make it completely compatible with other institutionalized or personalized beliefs. This book has less to do with the mechanics of sitting and more to do with the realities of integrating Zen practice into real life. Shoshanna extends an empty and richly filled hand, offering both the sublime and the practical, which are one and the same in the Zen world. This is a highly recommended volume for beginners and new practitioners who are coming to the truth that "to find the answers to your life questions, you must look within. Nothing less will do. Nothing more is needed."
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap

Discover a simple and powerful way to make your life more peaceful and more fulfilling every day. This book makes the mysteries—and miracles—of Zen accessible to everyone.

Known as "Dr. Brenda," the relationships expert on the iVillage.com Web site, Brenda Shoshanna has studied and practiced Zen meditation for almost three decades. In this gentle but practical guide, she introduces you to the Zen approach, allowing you to experience your fundamental strength and beauty—your Buddha nature—while showing you how to calm the "monkey mind" that keeps you restless and craving. In Zen Miracles, Dr. Shoshanna shows you step-by-step how to open yourself to appreciating the great gifts and miracles you receive daily.

In this book, you’ll learn the importance of mindfulness—and the essence of letting go. You’ll see how the false ego can distort and constrict your thoughts, causing emotional pain and confusion. You may be surprised to find out how smoothly Zen practice can coexist with, and even strengthen, your spirituality or religious faith. Focusing on practical ways to integrate Zen practice with family, work, relationships, and everyday life, Zen Miracles includes exercises that you can perform wherever you are.

Put this book into practice and see stress, confusion, loneliness, and anger dissolve right before your eyes. Achieve a calmness, compassion, and clarity you have never known. Discover Zen Miracles and find the joy of peace and contentment that lies waiting, ready to blossom, in every aspect of your life.

"If you are looking for a way to have happiness and still live in this world, you have come to the right book. Rarely do eloquent prose, gems of quotes, simple wisdom, and practical exercises come in one book: Zen Miracles offers all of these and more. Whatever your spiritual orientation, this is a book you will refer to for years to come."—Lee Jampolsky, Ph.D., author of Healing Together, Healing the Addictive Mind, and The Art of Trust

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1st edition (March 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471414816
• ISBN-13: 978-0471414810
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #440,889 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A psychologist and therapist for 28 years, Dr. Brenda Shoshanna published work has integrated psychology and spirituality in facing life's crucial questions. She is the author of numerous books in the spirituality, zen, psychology and relationship genres, including FEARLESS: 7 PRINCIPLES TO PEACE OF MIND, THE ANGER DIET: 30 DAYS TO STRESS FREE LIVING (listed as one of the best books of the year by Spirituality and Health), JEWISH DHARMA, ZEN AND THE ART OF FALLING IN LOVE, ZEN MIRACLES, WHY MEN LEAVE, GETTING HIM TO TALK, SAVE YOUR RELATIONSHIP, LIVING BY ZEN, EVERYDAY GRATITUDE and THE HAPPY MARRIAGE MANUAL.

Her books all offer psychological, practical and spiritual guidance, combining spiritual wisdom with psychological insight and practical advice. She has received wide critical-acclaim for all of her books, with excellent reviews from publications such as Tricycle, Publishers Weekly, Body & Soul and others, and she has won the NABE Award for the Best Book of the Year in the Category of Health. Her books have been translated into 18 languages, and she appears frequently on national television, in national print, and in major venues online (she is the Relationship Expert on iVillage.com). She has spoken and taught at many universities and has offered over 500 talks and workshops nationally on all aspects of psychology, spirituality and fulfilling one's potential. She also hosted her own radio show on the Gary Null network, which offered her a weekly platform to address a wide range of issues dealing with spirituality and self-help.

Please visit her website at www.drshoshanna.com, to learn more, and to watch video.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Breath of Fresh Air in the Zen World, April 11, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Zen Miracles: Finding Peace in an Insane World (Hardcover)

Among the many, many books on zen, i found ZEN MIRACLES by far to be the best. It is clear, concise, filled with great zen anecdotes, and is also practical, giving me exercises to grapple with myself, which have already helped me greatly in finding peace. It also gives a nice, simple introduction to zen, which seems to be hard to find in the crowded zen market. I also really liked the fact that Dr. Shoshanna is a Ph.D. psychologist with over 20 years experience, which lent the book a feeling of expertise and a nice counterbalance. If I had to recommend one book on Zen, this would be it.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding primer on Zen from an outstanding author, April 3, 2006

By 

B. J. Colorafi (Las Vegas, NV) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Zen Miracles: Finding Peace in an Insane World (Hardcover)

I had previously read several books on Zen prior to coming across this particular book from Brenda Shoshanna. Unlike many of the other books I read, which tended to be bland and sometimes diffficult to follow and apply to one's own life, Dr. Shoshanna takes an entirely different approach in helping us to understand the common concepts of Zen. Her book is very well written. It is clear and concise, even for someone not entirely familiar with Zen, enjoyable to read, and most importantly, she conveys her own experiences with Zen, some of which are quite humorous, to assist the reader in understanding and applying Zen principles to his or her own life. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the subject of Zen.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Zen Miracles, March 22, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Zen Miracles: Finding Peace in an Insane World (Hardcover)

For anyone looking for a soothing change in lifestyle, read this book. The author takes you through an accessible introduction to Zen and shows you how to incorporate peace and mindfulness in your daily life. I've using this book as a guide and ever since, my stress is better managed.