Close to the Ground - by Geri Larkin (Paperback)

About the Book

After the bliss and emptiness that we might be lucky enough to experience along the spiritual path, what's left are the karmic knots of conditioning that still need to be undone if we are going to be of any genuine help to anybody. Untying them is the work of spiritual warriors: that is, all of us. The seven factors of enlightenment are a means to loosen these knots, all the while keeping us upright in our efforts. The seven factors include mindfulness, investigation of phenomena, energetic effort, ease, joy, concentration, and equanimity.

Book Synopsis

After all the bliss and generalized euphoria we might experience along our spiritual path, what's left are the karmic knots of conditioning that still need unraveling. Untying them is the work of spiritual warriors--that is, all of us. The seven factors of enlightenment are a grease to loosen them, all the while keeping us upright in our efforts: mindfulness, the investigation of phenomena, energetic effort, ease, joy, concentration, and equanimity.

In Close to the Ground, longtime Buddhist teacher Geri Larkin uses stories from her own life to share some of the gifts that these factors bring. Because she refuses to be anything special, her stories are all of our stories, her humor, all of our humor, her heartbreaks, all of our heartbreaks. In this book, readers discover (or rediscover) that they have many more tools available to help with this work of "life and death" than they realized.

About the Author

Geri Larkin attended the Maitreya Buddhist Seminary from 1992 to 1995, when she was ordained as a dharma teacher. In 1999 she started Still Point Zen Buddhist Temple in the heart of Detroit. She lives in Eugene, OR.