Zen at the End of Religion: An Introduction for the Curious, the Skeptical, and the Spiritual but Not Religious - Softcover

Ford, James Ishmael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1958972762 ISBN 13: 9781958972762

Publisher: Monkfish Book Publishing, 2025

Synopsis

A Spirituality & Practice “Best Spiritual Book of 2025”

Zen is the ideal path for those who have left institutional religion behind.

In this liminal moment, when the grip of our old religions has loosened, a prominent Zen practitioner asks: What is religion? What is spirituality? And what is it all about? 

Ford begins by invoking the ideas of Aldous Huxley, welcoming what he calls a “naturalistic perennialism.” Ford believes there are currents of religion that are rooted in our biology. And as something natural, it is something that people can find within all religions, in fact, the heart birthing of all religions. 

Then, true to the book’s title, Ford asks and answers, “Why then, Zen?” and demonstrates how pure Zen is as simple as noticing and waking: an expression of an intimate way of life. 

Four noble truths, ox herding pictures, samadhi, koan, lovingkindness, and many other Zen essentials are here, in succinct and conversational prose that offers a lifeboat to anyone who feels something missing in the absence of religious life.

About this title

About the Author

James Ishmael Ford is both a Zen priest and a Unitarian Universalist minister. He has lived in monasteries and other spiritual communities, served as a local pastor and spiritual director, and preached throughout New England, where he lives. His previous books include If You’re Lucky, Your Heart Will Break and, in 2024, The Intimate Way of Zen. www.jamesishmaelford.com

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

I believe Zen offers among the most compelling range of adaptations arising in this uncertain moment. Zen in its several forms is still rooted into the mists of history, often deeply. But also in this vulnerable moment, Zen is open to new expressions. Sometimes these can be very compelling for some among the spiritual but not religious.

Zen offers something to those who have seen the failures of the old religions, but who intuit some profound spiritual core within those religions. Zen brings ancient teachings that can be seen as a dynamic living spiritual current. Perhaps one of the clearest expressions of that naturalist perennialism. This all turns on how we understand ourselves and the world. Much of this turns on what in Zen is called Buddha nature. That is, what are we really?

Edition details

• Publisher: Monkfish Book Publishing
• Publication date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1958972762
• ISBN 13: 9781958972762
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 180