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In a message dated 5/13/04 6:04:20 AM, mkirk@... writes:

<<
I've always had an interest in Buddhism, but never really spent time reading
about it.
Any book recommendations on the subject....besides the one that Julie
recommended?
Would love some suggestions. >>

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind is pretty easy to find, but happier, easier and two
of my favorite books in the WHOLE WORLD are fun and funny and profound and
accessible things PERFECT for unschoolers called Why the Chicken Crossed the
Road and The Zen Commandments.

They're listed and linked on an obscure backwater page of my website, but
I'll cut'n'paste from there and then list the link of Dean Sluyter's site.


NEW AND INSPIRING: Any book by Dean Sluyter:
Why The Chicken Crossed the Road and other Hidden Enlightenment Teachings
from Buddha to Bebop to Mother Goose
The Zen Commandments: Ten Suggestions for a Life of Inner Freedom
A review of the first one, which appears in the second:

This smart, sassy, and idiosyncratic spiritual resource is divided into
sections on cosmic jokes, sacred nursery rhymes, exploding proverbs, and accidental
hymns….Sluyter proves to be a subtle and imaginative guide through the
contemporary world of pop culture, dazzling us with epiphanies….He provides fresh
takes on faith, devotion, grace, being present, beauty, practice, selflessness,
forgiveness, simplicity. Like the best spiritual teachers, Sluyter lets light
in from many angles—in this case, the wisdom of Buddhism, Christianity, Taoism
and more. Why the Chicken Crossed the Road is a surefire demonstration of why
play is an essential ingredient in spiritual growth."
--Values and Visions

http://www.deansluyter.com/


Sandra

24hrmom

<< Sandra Dodd wrote:

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind is pretty easy to find, but happier, easier and two of my favorite books in the WHOLE WORLD are fun and funny and profound and accessible things PERFECT for unschoolers called Why the Chicken Crossed the Road and The Zen Commandments. >>

Oh, I have to second the two Dean Sluyter books!! I first got them from the library but soon got my own copy of the Zen Commandments (Why the Chicken Ccrossed the Road is on my to buy list). When I read Sandra's email I grabbed the book from the shelf to glance through it again. At that moment my daughter (she's 10) came down. She's been interested in meditation lately so I read her bits from the appendix on meditation. My 6yo son showed up as well and they both enjoyed what he wrote.

Then I remembered that he had a Homer Simpson quote and I found that for them as well. They had a good laugh and remembered the episode. Then my daughter took the book and started glancing through it.

They are great books for unschoolers because there are so many little bits connected together. He takes observations of everyday life, lots of short quotes from Shakespeare to The Simpsons to Plato to David Byrne, and brings it all together in a fun and simple yet profound way.

Pam L

www.livingjoyfully.ca


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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In a message dated 5/13/04 12:45:54 PM, 24hrmom@... writes:

<< They are great books for unschoolers because there are so many little bits
connected together. >>

RIGHT! Quite a connect the dots guy!



And the other one, "Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road," takes song lyrics as
jumping-off points. Sometimes nursery rhymes, sometimes rock'n'roll, various
things.

Sandra

Inna Manni

Not sure if this is the right recommendation for Unschoolers, but I
remember I really liked books by Stephen Batchelor. I first read
Alone With Others for a class, and then went on to some of the
others. He is very philosophical :)

--Inna







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