The Monk and The Butterfly - 60 Beautiful Stories of Zen: Embracing Mindfulness, Inner Peace, and Personal Growth, A Journey Through Change and Letting Go

The Monk and the Butterfly, Stories of Zen and the Art of Change is 60 very charming, provocative stories about spirituality practices from the teachings of Zen. The practices that I learned were mindfulness, positive thinking, peace of mind, compassion, simplicity, adaptability, patience, letting go, gratitude and connection. These practices help you reach enlightenment. They are all interconnected. I totally enjoyed one story after another. This amazing book made me want to learn to be a better person. I also found the illustrations at the beginning of each chapter quite exquisite.

The book's very tone is one of serenity. Murano thoughtfully groups the tales by subject: mindfulness, positive thinking, inner peace, compassion, simplicity, adaptability, patience, letting go and gratitude, which I appreciate as at different times we struggle with different triggers and it will be easy to revisit the relevant insightful stories upon which to meditate. His explanations of the stories are clear, which is refreshing as I feel like a lot of books I've read with zen stories exalt in remaining cryptic! Not only are they presented clearly, but Murano weaves the lessons from the different stories together as for example, lessons on adaptability and letting go may both be relevant meditations for a single challenge. If you feel like you'd like some peace from a troubled mind, read this book.

A collection of 60 Zen stories that interweave timeless lessons from Zen Buddhism with pragmatic guidance for living mindfully in today's world. By sharing the experiences of Monk Liang and his interaction with nature, it invites you to go deeper with the themes of mindfulness, inner peace, and personal transformation. Each story was a step leading deeper into self and toward the world around. Not all the stories touch equally, but as a collection, it has much to say to anyone looking for a more mindful, calm life.

Transcendent, life affirming, and changing. Direction for Life's Journey!New old stories similar to Native American legions and lessons . A must read!.

As the headline here says, these are more or less several fables for illustrating Buddhist principles of mindfulness, patience, and impermanence. It includes the story made famous in the West by the film, Charlie Wilson's War, of the farmer who's horse escapes, setting off a series of ups and downs for the farmer and his family that shows a universe constantly in transition. The book works well as both an educational text and an entertaining short story collection.

These Zen stories don't need you to understand Buddhism to be useful and make sense. Still, I found my background in studying Indian Philosophy helped me enjoy these stories more. I recommend them to anyone who has an interest in peaceful living and storytelling. The tales here are quick, and there are a lot of them. Well done.

I so love this book and I rarely ever read a book more than once, but will definitely be reading this one a second time!!!

This book is a wonderful compilation of short stories that teach about different aspects of mindfulness, being in the moment, and living life with inner peace. It reminded me of a Japanese storybook I had growing up that taught life lessons. The stories are bite-size pieces that are easily digested and understood. They are simple yet profound. I particularly enjoyed the story of Farmer Lost Horse. It reminded me that things are not always as they appear, and having peace throughout what may seem like an up or down is important. Also, what may be considered a negative in life may turn out to be a blessing. These are not only stories for adults who want to understand a zen way of thinking but they can also be read to children as short stories.