The first part of this book recounts the religious experiences of Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett when she was gravely ill and near death in 1976. When a doctor told her she had three months to live, she began an intensive meditation retreat to prepare for death. How to Grow a Lotus Blossom is a diary, verbal and pictorial, of her spiritual experiences over the following ten months. It describes, in very personal terms, what in Zen is called the third kensho; it is invaluable in clarifying both the nature of kensho experience and the purpose of Zen training in the broadest sense.

At first glance the immensity of the experiences described here may leave a new meditator wondering what benefit there could be in studying them---they seem so removed from one's own experience but, when we look more closely, we begin to see parallels in our own practice and realize that, although there are many levels of religious experience, the fundamental process of growth is always the same, repeating itself in cycles. It is at this point that How to Grow a Lotus Blossom becomes a useful tool for all trainees regardless of their level of development.

The crucial difference between the first and third kensho is that the first reveals one's true spiritual nature while the latter is the complete acceptance of that nature as one's own. To realize Truth in one moment of time is one thing---to purify every aspect of oneself to such a degree that the spiritual vision becomes our normal everyday mind is quite another. Rev. Jiyu-Kennett has done Zen Buddhism a service in demystifying the kensho experience and clarifying the true purpose of religious training.

The second part of this revised edition includes additional visions, with commentaries, that have occurred since the events of 1976.

How to Grow a Lotus Blossom is handsomely covered with a durable plastic jacket with gold embossed lettering.

Book details

• Format Paperback
• Pages283 pages
• LanguageEnglish
• ISBN100930066103
• ISBN139780930066109