Being Black: Zen and the Art of Living with Fearlessness and Grace. - Review - book review

Black Issues Book Review, Nov, 2000 by Imani Q'ryn, Kelly Ellis

Being Black: Zen and the Art of Living with Fearlessness and Grace by Angel Kyodo Williams Viking Compass, September 2000, $23.95, ISBN 0-670-89268-8

Angel Kyodo Williams offers a uniquely refreshing flavor of food for the soul. If you've scoured the self-help bookshelves, gotten headaches listening to empowerment tapes, taken class after class, and still find you're empty and unhappy, then you may want to sit down, relax and feast upon her words. Williams, an ordained Zen priest shares the philosophy of Buddhism, gearing it to African American readers. She gives us not a substitute for our own religious or spiritual practices but a set of guidelines to help us more fully experience the joy to which we are all entitled.

I was amazed to discover questions I'd had for years answered in a simple, down to earth manner. Even breathing techniques, sitting postures and how to meditate is explained! As opposed to seeming foreign, these principles are thoroughly accessible and invite us to see ourselves more clearly.

The most touching elements of the book are the personal stories Williams includes. Through experiencing pieces of her life we realize that we are not alone with our problems and fears. In these sections Williams reveals herself to be an author capable of powerful and poignant prose.

Although there is an emphasis in Being Black on simply being, Williams has definitely not left out blackness. As an African American, she expresses her insights and concerns about our community. She makes some excellent points for which a closer examination would be beneficial. Williams encourages us, through meditation and self-examination, to wake up, become aware and find compassion for ourselves and our community.

Imani Q'ryn is a singer, writer, entrepeneur and spiritual seeker.