Dharma Road: A Short Cab Ride to Self Discovery
In his first book, Haycock draws on his years as a taxi driver in Austin, Texas for this "introduction to Zen practice for people who live in the real world." In his persona of cab driver he takes the reader into his former world of congested streets, rookie and veteran taxi drivers, and unpredictable passengers, punctuated by moments of grace. Haycock skillfully weaves into this story of 12- to 16-hour shifts some basic tenets of Buddhism-such as the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, the paramitas (perfections)-with an emphasis on the Zen of Korean master Seung Sahn. Most importantly, he shows how Buddhism can inform choices about attitudes and behavior in daily life. This report from the mean streets is told with humor, self-deprecation, and an assured voice; by addressing the reader directly Haycock adds to the immediacy of his spare writing. Besides providing reassurance that monasteries and mountaintops aren't necessary for the practice of Buddhism, Haycock shows how Zen principles can be applied to even gritty and mundane jobs.(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC.  All rights reserved.