The Zen Parent: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Families

By Yen Ooi

Zen philosophy has largely been associated with finding peace within ourselves, but in this brilliant new book, East Asian scholar Yen Ooi shows how ancient Zen wisdom can be used to improve our relationships with our children and find harmony within parenting.

In Zen texts, the concept of Sottaku Douji (啐啄同時) is exemplified by the moment when a chick is hatching out of its egg. At the moment the chick is ready to emerge, it will begin pecking at the shell around it, and the mother hen will then begin pecking from the outside too. In order for the chick to come out, the two must delicately work together.

Using Sottaku Douji and other insights from ancient philosophy, Ooi shows how we can apply these ideas to our own lives, from working collaboratively with our children more and priming them for the future to building patience and letting go of anxiety.

And through these concepts, she shows us the steps towards true Zen parenting.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1035425882
• ISBN13: 9781035425884
• Release Date: April 2026
• Publisher: Headline Welbeck Non-Fiction
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.74 lbs.