Zen in the 21st Century Volume 2: Further Stories for Daily Life

By Elisabeth Marino

What does stillness look like in a world that never stops moving?

Zen in the 21st Century: Volume Two continues the acclaimed series that reimagines timeless teachings through the lens of modern life. These stories aren't sermons or instructions. They are quiet moments of recognition - a conversation over coffee, a flash of humor, a small act that changes the way we see.

Here, wisdom arrives softly: in the cracked handle of a beloved paintbrush, in the rhythm of work done with care, in the sound of laughter that interrupts a long silence. Each story invites us to pause for just a breath and notice what is already present - simplicity, compassion, and the surprising beauty of ordinary things.

Some of these parables make you smile in recognition. Others stay with you long after the page is turned, echoing in the mind like a koan. Together they form a mosaic of quiet awakenings, reminding us that enlightenment isn't found in a mountaintop retreat but in traffic lights, kitchen tables, and the tender mess of everyday life.

Written in clear, graceful prose, Volume Two deepens the journey begun in Zen in the 21st Century: Volume One, exploring themes of belonging, loss, patience, and renewal. It is both companion and continuation - a collection to return to when the noise of the world grows too loud, and you need to remember how to listen again.

If The Book of Awakening, Zen Flesh, Zen Bones, or The Tao of Pooh have ever felt like a quiet friend, this book belongs beside them.

Pour a cup of something warm. Read a few pages. Let the stories do their work.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FWJ9MQJ2
• ISBN13: 9798269999609
• Release Date: October 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 162 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.0" x 9.0"