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Rating: 
Summary: Zen is eternal life!
Review: A marvelous book from beginning to end. The utter unpretentiousness of Maura O'Halloran's rich spiritual journuey is a miracle to encounter. It's so difficult, at book's end, to take leave of this shining young person, this quiet buddha , but she strengthens us for the inevitable by teaching so pure, so real, so necessary, that the natural world of our own lives is changed forever, charged with her abiding and beholden to her example. Others here have stated well the 'content' one finds in these pages; I wish only to say thank you to Maura's wise and devoted family for making the effort to provide us with these journals and family letters. Her mother's Introduction, with its simple and moving veneration of her daughter's life, sets a loving compass for the journey ahead; her sister Elizabeth's drawings are clearly pulled from her own heart, and her brother's afterword together give us an infinitely deep understanding of the means behind the meaning of this extraordinary young woman's life's journey. This is a book of great hope, abundant humor, and sure grace for anyone who reads it. Abundant recommendation without reserve; read it and walk anew the paths of love.
Rating:
Summary: Zen is eternal life!
Review: A marvelous book from beginning to end. The utter unpretentiousness of Maura O'Halloran's rich spiritual journuey is a miracle to encounter. It's so difficult, at book's end, to take leave of this shining young person, this quiet buddha , but she strengthens us for the inevitable by teaching so pure, so real, so necessary, that the natural world of our own lives is changed forever, charged with her abiding and beholden to her example. Others here have stated well the 'content' one finds in these pages; I wish only to say thank you to Maura's wise and devoted family for making the effort to provide us with these journals and family letters. Her mother's Introduction, with its simple and moving veneration of her daughter's life, sets a loving compass for the journey ahead; her sister Elizabeth's drawings are clearly pulled from her own heart, and her brother's afterword together give us an infinitely deep understanding of the means behind the meaning of this extraordinary young woman's life's journey. This is a book of great hope, abundant humor, and sure grace for anyone who reads it. Abundant recommendation without reserve; read it and walk anew the paths of love.
Rating:
Summary: I couln't keep my mind on the road
Review: I got this as my first book on tape. I had always thought it would take away from the book to listen to it read by someone else. But on my drive from upstate NY to Philly to visit my parents, I decided to get a book on tape. I was so into this book that i could hardly pay attention to my driving. The five hour drive was a breeze while listening to this. I was there before I knew it. Also, as a practicing Zen Buddist, I found this to be a wonderful story and it helped me find a few things I was missing. I bought the book now and I'm re-reading it. I think that anyone, Zen buddist or not would enjoy this tale of a person's growth, and feel the sorrow of her untimely death
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Summary: A 'must read' for a zen student.
Review: Soshin O'Halloran was a remarkable zen practitioner. The book describes in detail her journeys throughout Northeastern Asia and experiences at two Japanese Soto Zen Monasteries. Her story, told by her diary entries and letters home, remains a personal favorite because her state of consciousness is subtly expressed between her written words. As her monastic experience deepens, so does her writing.For those who have ever fantasized trading the laylife for the monastic, Pure Heart: Enlightened Mind will be a fascinating read.
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Summary: As simple as a....b.....c.............
Review: This book is a lovely tale of a life well lived. It is told in simple, clear prose. These pages describe what it means to be fully alive to reality. Maura shares with us what Zen is all about as a lived experience, rather than some abstraction, which, I suppose, is the only way it can be demonstrated. The book is full of quiet, irreverent, good humor, which is one of the qualities of Zen if I understand it correctly. Maura tells us a lot about Zen in this book. More importantly, she tells us in poetic prose what it means to be fully attentive and absorbed in the present. What I take from this book is that living a good life, after the fog has lifted, is as simple as a...b...c.......
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Summary: zen with a heart
Review: this book is one of my favorite books in my library . this diary of an irish american searcher of zen cuts to the heart. ive read the book and have the abridged book on tape. though the tape is a shorter version of the book mare winningham brings the words alive with an irish charm. this book gives an insiders look at the heart zen as it is practiced in a japenese zen monastery. it is not only eyeopening it is enduring.
Rating: 
Summary: overstated
Review: This is a book which reads more like a hagiography than a journal. Maura O'Hallaran's both time in training and understanding were, for want of better words; brief and comparatively small. She may well have been embarrassed by the book herself if alive today.
Rating:
Summary: Truely inspiring
Review: This is the most touching book on Zen that I have yet to find. Several times while reading this book I experienced moments of Kensho. Soshin-san distilled the essence of Zen in her simple words. I was so touched by her words that every year on Oct. 22nd I light a white candle in her memory. This is a MUST read for anyone who is truly seeking to understand Zen.
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Summary: An Irish voice
Review: What moves me very much is the lilting, playful, droll voice of Maura O'Halloran. You would imagine that the Irish character and the Buddhist tradition are poles apart. Maura's passion whirls them together in an instant.
This book is a good companion indeed.
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