The Zen of Horseriding Book

Zen has its roots in a Japanese Buddhist sect which holds that the truth is not in scriptures but in man's own heart if he will strive to find it by meditation and self-mastery. According to Zen philosophy one of the great paradoxes is that if you are trying to attain something, you are wasting your time. Never short on humour, Zen masters describe riding the donkey in search of the donkey you are riding. With this wisdom in mind, Ingrid Soren sets out to learn the art of horseriding, and gets more than she bargained for. We follow her tortuous and often humiliating path through fear, doubt, joy and insight as it dawns on her that her experiences are but expressions and reflections of herself. The horses that she encounters are inimitable Zen masters, each with its distinctive personality and qualities. They instruct without instructing, without artifice. Grounded in their own unselfconsciousness, these fine animals offer Ingrid Soren new images for everyday living. They show her how things are interconnected and how Zen is the experience of life in all its aspects.Read More