The Doors of Joy: 19 Meditations for Authentic Living

Description

In The Doors of Joy, Daniel Odier takes us on a journey of self-discovery in unique and sublime style. Joy, he argues, occupies a central place in our search for the absolute. It cannot be compared to pleasure or happiness, which depend on external circumstances and are ephemeral. Joy is at the heart of any search, and, at the same time, it is the clearest sign that individuals have reached the harmony that they seek to derive from their philosophical, artistic and spiritual practices. Odier's quest to find spontaneity, joy and freedom began at the age of 15, when he first discovered Zen through the monumental writings of D.T. Suzuki. Via the philosophies of Dzogchen, Vajrayana and the Shaivism of Kashmir, Odier then returned to Zen and the old Chinese masters of the Tang dynasty, which has had extensive influence on and permeates his writings. In The Doors of Joy, Odier observes the connection between the Tang dynasty and the human necessity to escape our limitations. He discusses our propensity to build systems around our ideas in an attempt to give more value to our knowledge and experience, when, in actuality, we are building conceptual limitations. The Doors of Joy proposes that, by using and then forgetting the teachings from the past, we can reach an authentic kind of freedom.

Daniel Odier was born in Geneva in 1945. He is best-known as the author of a Lolita-esque series of novels published in France under the pseudonym Delacorta. His book of sexual mysticism, Tantric Quest, was an international bestseller. For several years he taught screenwriting at the University of Oklahoma at Tulsa. The author lives in France.

"In Odier's (Tantric Quest) newest, the Zen and Tantric Buddhist master offers brief yet expansive meditations for breaking out of routines of habit and working towards living authentically with others and with one's self. For Odier, people live seemingly happy lives of pleasant self-deception that are created out of fear of the unknown and love for the predictable. He shows readers the possibility of embracing a life of spontaneity and deep, organic joy. Each meditation focuses on a different aspect, touching on how readers can begin, for example, embracing insecurities, practicing compassion, dropping opinions, and being present in the moment. Questions for reflection on preconceptions and everyday lives follow the themes of the meditation. Included with these meditations are short instructions for deepening awareness of the breath. Odier dares readers to be uncomfortable and insecure in the chaos of human existence, where they can learn to be pliant and present rather than rigid and distracted. This sort of authentic living, for Odier, would allow readers to swim with the tides of life instead of against its crashing waves." - Publisher's Weekly (December 6, 2013) "...[an] open-ended inquiry that shuns systematising to an extent. Broken down into nineteen meditations 'for authentic living,' Daniel Odier gives short meditative essays followed up by practical questions that could last a lifetime of soul-searching work. Odier's inspiration comes from a variety of Indian teachings, as well as Zen teachings from China and elsewhere." - www.yogapossible.com (April 4, 2014)