Harriet the Zen Hen is either one of the lightest books on our Autumn 2006 list or the most profound. The answer will be up to our readers and their state of consciousness. Those most Buddha-like will know exactly what Harriet's saying. The rest of us birdbrains can just follow along and enjoy the truly enlightened chicken and her Zen wisdom. Anybody who transcends the everyday life of the chicken coop must have reached a higher spiritual plane. Harriet has, as evidenced by her ponderings such as 'We are what we think we are. Hen or Chicken, the choice is yours.' And, contemplating an egg, 'Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can tell us which came first.' This fowl understands the Zen world and is willing to share it with the rest of us. Consider her pithy koan tale: A nesting hen, wanting to impress her Zen master, said, "There is only nothing. The nature of phenomena is emptiness." The master sat still and said nothing. Suddenly, he pushed the hen off her nest and stole the eggs she had just laid. This made the young hen angry. 'Give me back my eggs!' she cried. 'What eggs?' inquired the master. Harriet will have you clucking - and thinking - all the way to enlightenment.

When the government comes for her mother, Emmeline embarks on a plan to save her family and expose the truth behind the objectives of the United Nations' agenda 21.

Vols. 1-7 include music.

Whether speaking of student or master, Zen hinges on the question. Zen practice does not necessarily focus on the answers, but on finding a space in which we may sustain uncertainty and remain present and upright in the middle of investigations. Zen Questions begins by exploring "The World of Zazen,"--the foundational practice of the Zen school--presenting it as an attitude of sustained inquiry that offers us an entryway into true repose and joy. From there, Leighton draws deeply on his own experience as a Zen scholar and teacher to invite us into the creativity of Zen awareness and practice. He explores the poetic mind of Dogen with the poetry of Rumi, Mary Oliver, Gary Snyder, and even "the American Dharma Bard" Bob Dylan. What's more, Leighton uncovers surprising resonances between the writings of America's Founding Fathers--including Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin--and the liberating ideals at the heart of Zen.