Journey Description
This audiobook is a compilation of Zen stories, short ones, gathered into chapters by theme. The first chapter stays with the Zen focus. From there, we move through themes of elements, animals, insects, birds, gentleness, peace and love.
Between the stories there are prompts for awareness. Small questions you can carry into an ordinary day and use where the lesson actually lives.
You can also listen as you fall asleep. As you drift, your brain waves slow and open, and what you take in through that window settles into the subconscious. It keeps working on you quietly, in how you process things, how you see your life, how you meet the people around you.
So there are two ways in. Listen in waking hours and work with the prompts. Or let a story carry you into sleep and let it do its work there.
Finally, no need to read the chapters in order, you choose how your tales unfold for you ...
Now, let me tell you the first one.
Journey Tracks
Classic Zen Tales
Old stories, told simply.
You will meet a generous man who gave away his robe. A patient master who waited. A wise teacher who knew the cup was already full. A keeper whose art is the space between the sounds.
Each story is short. Each one leaves something behind, and you find it later in an ordinary moment, when your hands are busy and your mind has gone quiet.
Stay with the prompts that follow and carry them into your day. Or let a story take you down into sleep and let it work there.
These teachings have settled in me over the years. Let them settle in you too.
Elemental Zen Stories
This sequence of Zen tales coincides with the five elements of water, wood, fire, earth and metal. We weave our way through the parables of 'The monk who burned his robe', 'The river and the stone', 'The farmer and the seed', 'The bamboo and the wind' and 'The sword and the sheath'.
Seekers of Peace & Freedom
These Zen tales tell of seekers searching for peace, freedom, wholeness. We listen to 'The Master's Condition', 'The Salt and the Lake', 'The Two Arrows', 'The Tea Kettle', 'The Missing Ox'.
Animal Wisdom
In these tales, we turn to the animals for wisdom. Animals appear as teachers because they live without the constant commentary of the human mind. A cat does not wonder if it is meditating correctly. A crane does not worry about tomorrow. A fish does not regret yesterday. They are fully present in each moment because they simply are. The teachings of Zen flow effortlessly through the ways of nature.
The World of Wings
The small creatures of insects and birds can provide great teachings. In this chapter we hear 'The cricket who asked Why', 'The swallow who built her nest', 'The ant and the grain of sand', 'The Silent nightingale', 'The butterfly dream' - one of Zen's most famous tales.
False Beliefs
"We do not see the world as it is - we see the world as we are" - this classic Zen quote weaves through all of these stories which are a reminder about the origin of suffering. 'The Gates of Paradise', 'The Stone Cutter', 'Mud Lotus', 'The Tiger and the Strawberry', 'The Empty Boat'.
Listen to the Full Journey
Subscribe to New Reality Journeys today to unlock playback for all tracks in this journey, companion guide notes, and direct PDF downloads.