Peter Coyote’s first collection of poetry takes us on a whirlwind tour of an eclectic and exciting life as an actor and Zen Buddhist priest, meandering from love affairs to marriage to divorce to the Sixties to psychedelic spirituality and beyond. Written over several decades, these poems read as a collage, each piece distinct and contributing to a cohesive lyric narrative.

In this collection of inspirational writings, novice and experienced practitioners are treated to four key works that rank high in the Zen canon: 101 Zen Stories recounts actual experiences with Zen that span five centuries. The Gateless Gate is a 13th-century collection of mind problems used in the practice of Zen. Ten Bulls is a 12th-century commentary on the stages of awareness that lead to enlightenment. Centering is a 4,000-year-old teaching from In...

In this 2024 conversation with Justine Willis Toms, actor and Zen priest Peter Coyote tells us that Buddha was a revolutionary who left us with a map of how to effectively live our lives with skillful means. He gave us wise words for effective living through the Four Noble Truths, The Eightfold Path, and the Thirteen Precepts. Coyote expands on the concept of "life is suffering" to mean life's afflictions cannot be avoided. Stuff happens. However, we can contain our response to those affli...

In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few.So begins this most beloved of all American Zen works. In a single stroke, the simple sentence cuts through the pervasive tendency students have of getting so close to Zen as to completely miss what it's all about. In the years since its original publication, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind has become one of the great modern Zen classics. Suzuki Roshi presents the basics of Zen in a w...

Peter Coyote’s first collection of poetry takes us on a whirlwind tour of an eclectic and exciting life as an actor and Zen Buddhist priest, meandering from love affairs to marriage to divorce to the Sixties to psychedelic spirituality and beyond. Written over several decades, these poems read as a collage, each piece distinct and contributing to a cohesive lyric narrative.

Coyote explores the practice of meditation to catch a glimpse of who we truly are. His mask workshops provide for the possibility of “the disappearance of your everyday self [along with] self-criticism, self-consciousness, and a sense of shame…[allowing for] absolute freedom.” It allows us to experience Buddha's idea of no fixed self.

• Shares a series of mindfulness techniques and improv exercises with masks to suppress the ego, calm the mind, and allow spontaneous playfulness and spaciousness to arise from your deepest nature• Draws on Buddhist philosophy to describe how and why the exercises work• Woven throughout with a lighthearted parable of an overweight and out-of-work Lone Ranger and Tonto who meet Buddha and experience spiritual awakeningSharing a series of mindfulness techniques and ac...

“A quietly uplifting, practical view of Buddhism.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review• Shows how Zen offers a creative problem-solving mechanism and moral guide ideal for the stresses and problems of daily life• Shares the author’s secular, vernacular interpretations of the Four Noble Truths, the Three Treasures, the Eightfold Path, and other fundamental Buddhist ideasDuring the nearly 3,000 years since the Buddha lived, his teachings have spre...

"The rainman gave me two curesAnd he said, 'Just jump right in.'The one was Texas MedicineAnd the other was railroad gin.And like a fool I mixed themAnd they strangled up my mindNow people just get uglierAnd I have no sense of time."—Bob Dylan, "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again"The guiding metaphor in Peter Coyote's new spiritual autobiography is drawn from a line in an early Bob Dylan song. For Coyote, the ...

Hewing to classic fairy-tale tradition, these five eventful, connected stories by a first-time children's author follow the magical adventures of kindhearted Princess Serena. In the first story, Serena ventures into a "deep dark forest" to find her best friend's brother, one of many villagers who have mysteriously disappeared there. Because Serena has given her word as a royal to search for him, the king and queen must let her go. The author strikes an enjoyable note of suspense as the for...

“A quietly uplifting, practical view of Buddhism.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review• Shows how Zen offers a creative problem-solving mechanism and moral guide ideal for the stresses and problems of daily life• Shares the author’s secular, vernacular interpretations of the Four Noble Truths, the Three Treasures, the Eightfold Path, and other fundamental Buddhist ideasDuring the nearly 3,000 years since the Buddha lived, his teachings have spre...

• Shares a series of mindfulness techniques and improv exercises with masks to suppress the ego, calm the mind, and allow spontaneous playfulness and spaciousness to arise from your deepest nature• Draws on Buddhist philosophy to describe how and why the exercises work• Woven throughout with a lighthearted parable of an overweight and out-of-work Lone Ranger and Tonto who meet Buddha and experience spiritual awakeningSharing a series of mindfulness techniques and ac...