Stumbling Toward Enlightenment

September 1, 2004
This book records the dharma talks delivered by Larkin, a Zen master in Ann Arbor, Mich., at the Ann Arbor Buddhist Temple and the Chicago Zen Buddhist Temple. In these lessons, Larkin teaches that the journey toward enlightenment does not consist of walking along a straight path filled with no obstacles but rather that it is more like stumbling along a path while learning to walk. Larkin draws her lessons from the Dhammapada, the Buddhist sacred text whose central lessons include mindfulness and lovingkindness. Larkin is able to draw out of this text lessons about the importance of awareness, the "dangers of grasping at material things" and the elements of wisdom. She also teaches how to use mindfulness though the tool of meditation to embrace change, deal with anger, prepare for death and cultivate joy. Each meditation opens or closes with an excerpt from the Dhammapada on which Larkin reflects. Larkin's prose is accessible, and her talks are peppered with examples from her own experiences of stumbling toward enlightenment.

October 1, 1997
A series of failed relationships and nervous exhaustion led Larkin, a former management consultant, to seek solace in Zen Buddhist meditation. This account of her spiritual quest is hilarious and serious, breezy, and earnestly truthful all at once. It is filled with reflections on Zen precepts and meditative practice, distilled in pragmatic observations that will resonate with American seekers wanting out of the fast lane. An enjoyable, thoughtful book for popular reading collections.