num_pages: 328
description: At the age of thirty Kaoru Nonomura left his family his girlfriend and his job as a designer in Tokyo to undertake a year of ascetic training at Eiheiji one of the most rigorous Zen training temples in Japan. This book is Nonomura's recollection of his experiences. He skillfully describesevery aspect of training including how to meditate how to eat how to wash even how to use the toilet in a way that is easy to understand no matter how familiar a reader is with Zen Buddhism. This first-person account also describes Nonomura's struggles in the face of beatings hungerexhaustion fear and loneliness the comfort he draws from his friendships with the other trainees and his quiet determination to give his life spiritual meaning.After writing Eat Sleep Sit  Kaoru Nonomura returned to his normal life as a designer but his book has maintained its popularity in Japan selling more than 100000 copies since its first printing in 1996. Beautifully written and offering fascinating insight into a culture of hardships that fewpeople could endure this is a deeply personal story that will appeal to all those with an interest in Zen Buddhism as well as to anyone seeking spiritual growth.
language: English
title: Eat Sleep Sit: My Year at Japan's Most Rigorous Zen Temple
publisher: Kodansha USA