Close to the Ground

After the bliss and emptiness we might be lucky enough to experience along our spiritual path, what's left are the karmic knots of conditioning that still need to be undone if we are going to be of any genuine help to anybody. Untying them is the work of spiritual warriors: that is, all of us. The seven factors of enlightenment are a means to loosen these knots, all the while keeping us upright in our efforts. The seven factors include mindfulness, investigation of phenomena, energetic effort, ease, joy, concentration, and equanimity.

In Close to the Ground, longtime Buddhist teacher Geri Larkin tells stories from her own life to illuminate some of the gifts that these factors bring. Because she refuses to be anything special, Larkin's stories are all of our stories—her humor, all of our humor, her heartbreaks, all of our heartbreaks. In reading this book, you may discover that you have many more tools that can help with this work of life and death than you thought.