When you greet me I bow : notes and reflections from a life in Zen / Norman Fischer; edited by Cynthia Schrager.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 309-310).

Notes on looking backward while walking forward--Part one: a Buddha and a Buddha: notes on the joy and catastrophe of relationship--1. When you greet me I bow--2. No teachers of Zen--3. Falling in love--4. Leaving home, staying home--5. Stages of monastic life--6. Wash your bowls--7. On spiritual friendship--Part two: form is emptiness: notes on thinking, writing, and emptiness--8. Beautiful snowflakes--9. What is you body?--10. A mother's death--11. Impermanence is Buddha nature--12. Suffering opens the real path--13. Everything is made of mind--14. On looking at landscape--15. Beyond language--16. Phrases and spaces--Part three: east/west: notes on cultural encounter--17. On Dogen's Shobogenzo--18. The place where your heart is kept--19. Why do we bow?--20. Applied dharma--21. Putting away the stick--22. On God for Sue--23. Reencountering the psalms--24. The two worlds--Part four: Difference and dharma: Notes on social engagement--25. Quick! Who can save this cat?--26. On being an ally--27. Buddhism, racism, and jazz--28. The sorrow of an all-male lineage--29. On difference and dharma--30. On forgiveness and reconciliation--31. We have to bear it--32. The religion of politics, the politics of religion--32. Contemplating climate change--33. No beginning, no ending, no fear--34. The problem of evil.

From beloved Zen teacher Norman Fischer, a collection of essays spanning a life of inquiry into Zen practice, relationship, social engagement, and spiritual creativity.

"Looking backwards at a life lived, walking forward into more life to live built on all that, trying not to be too much influenced by what's already been said and done, not to be held to a point of view or an identity previously expressed, trying to be surprised and undone and maybe even dismayed by what lies ahead."--Norman Fischer

Norman Fischer is a Zen priest, poet, and translator whose writings, teachings, and commitment to interfaith dialogue have supported and inspired Buddhist, Jewish, and other spiritual practitioners for decades. When You Greet Me I Bow spans the entirety of Norman Fischer's career and is the first collection of his writings on Buddhist philosophy and practice. Broken into four sections--the joy and catastrophe of relationship; thinking, writing, and emptiness; cultural encounters; and social engagement--this book allows us to see the fascinating development of the mind and interests of a gifted writer and profoundly committed practitioner. Provided by publisher.