Tending the Fire: An Introspective Guide to Zen Awakening

The title Tending the Fire: An Introspective Guide to Zen Awakening comes from an ancient mondo, the public record of an exchange between a Zen master and disciple. Prior Soku asked Master Hogen, What is the student that is I? Master Hogen replied, Children of fire come looking for fire. What is the student that is I? is the essential inquiry of every Zen practitioner. Tending the Fire entertains this question with an in-depth investigation into the study and transformation of conditioned states, one of the three aspects of dukkha [cause of suffering]. Tending the Fire introduces an innovative, systematic approach for working with conditioned states that blends Zen training with a Western psychological method of introspection called the Resolution Sequence. The Resolution Sequence is a symbolic means of conveying information that assists practitioners with structuring, organizing, and understanding the process of awakening. Tending the Fire is offered as a skillful means for studying the constituents of self before and after transformative experiences. The application of this model assists practitioners in learning to trust their deepest intuition, as well as the autonomous nature of the healing process.