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Zen and the Writing Life [Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

Peter Matthiessen (Author, Narrator)

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Book Description

Publication Date: June 1999
The heart of Zen practice and writing are the same, teaches Peter Matthiessen – to freshen the mind and see things in a new way. On Zen and the Writing Life, Matthiessen chronicles his own 25 years of growth as both a writer and a meditator. Can meditation be used to broaden and clarify the writer’s vision? How do you cultivate a "beginner’s mind"? Here is an extraordinary writer’s personal account of these never-ending tasks – and essential listening for all writers interested in the spiritual life.

Product Details

  • Audio Cassette
  • Publisher: Audio Wisdom (June 1999)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1564556638
  • ISBN-13: 978-1564556639
  • Product Dimensions: 18 x 11.2 x 2.1 cm
  • Shipping Weight: 150 g
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,524,129 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

From AudioFile

With sonority and the accumulated wisdom of long-term Zen practice, Matthiessen talks with great humility about his growth as a writer. The program is about how writers find inspiration and how they chip away at discovering art in their everyday experiences and in their own hearts. The stories he tells are so joyfully integrated with this author's spiritual depth that they could hardly fail to inform and inspire the listener/writer who wants a fuller spiritual life and more energy to write what needs to be written. His stories are intimate, rich, and colorful, and it's obvious in every word and phrase that he's working from a deep well of personal experiences. T.W. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

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Customer Reviews

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com: 5.0 out of 5 stars  3 reviews
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Zen and the Writing Life April 22 2001
By John Espy - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a seminar Matthiessen did on writing as a meditation. This lecture is quite different from Matthiessen's other works, in that it is far less polished. This is NOT to imply any negative conotation but rather to imply how refreshing and helpful this material is. Matthiessen focuses on his own history as a writer discussing his successes and his failures and those experiences that have been humbling and helpful in his gorwth as a writer and with his Zen life. In addition he also discusses some important practical considerations and suggestions for someone interested in and pursuing writing both as an avocation and a career. I would have no problem highly recommending this tape.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic lecture on writing and a little zen Aug 28 2007
By roan - Published on Amazon.com
Matthiessen is a very good speaker and teacher. He discusses his methods in an honest way. He speaks of zen in the sense of doing and not thinking of doing. His remarks and stories are at once deep and shallow. Deep in their truthfulness and shallow in the sense that he's surprisingly funny and jokes around a little. There's no secret to reveal, though. It is clear that he works quite hard. These tapes also contain interesting boigraphical information. He quotes, and comments on, several other writers. Hemmingway and Camas are two examples. He talks about his travels and publishing experiences, with the careful, and insightful, descriptions that fill his writing. His is a solid, earthy zen. The idea of "suchness" is emphasized. Hearing him speak about his journals and comrades like Schaller make me feel as if he's at the table with me.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars In fiction, you have a rough idea what's coming up next - sometimes you even make a little outline - but in fact you don't know. Sep 1 2010
By J. H. Minde - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase
Make this a well-spent two hours of your life. ZEN AND THE WRITING LIFE is full of self-reflection, colorful storytelling, intense emotion, and humor. You need not be a Zen practitioner nor a writer to appreciate Peter Matthiessen's lessons, though every writer and every Zen student should have access to this audiobook lecture. The practical advice the multiply award-winning author of 28 fiction and non-fiction books gives us on subjects from note-taking to plotting to scheduling your workday is invaluable. Also invaluable is the insight this Zen roshi gives us into the life of heightened awareness which is so necessary to both good writing and Zen practice.

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