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.

Close to the Ground Reflections on the Seven Factors of Enlightenment, Geri Larkin, Shambhala Publications, Paperback, 2020, 177 Pages, $17.95

Geri Larkin attended the Maitreya Buddhist Seminary from 1992 to 1995, when she was ordained as a dharma teacher. In 1999 she started Still Point Zen Buddhist Temple in the heart of Detroit. She lives in Eugene, OR.

Introduction

1 Mindfulness

Beau Explores a Ladybug
Fear as a Best Friend
The Fire of Attention
Unitasking
Loving What Is
Retreat Meals

2 Investigation of Phenomena

Where Did I Come From?
Seeing Through the Lens Affectionately Known as Me
Everybody Suffers
Where Does Mexico Start?
Pain Explored
Channeling Morandi

3 Energetic Effort

Who Is a Brahmin?
Racing to the Door
Cleaning the House Every Day
Nonstop Hundred-Foot Poles
Good Friends
The Rhinoceros Club

4 Ease

Having Kissed My Ass Goodbye
No Opinions, No Problem
Resistance Free
Goodbye, Flattery and Deception
No Doubt Again
I See Bodhisattvas

5 Joy

A Day Safe From Asteroids
The Lotus Sutra's Formula for a Happy Life
Without Haste
No Place for the Timid
The End of Searching
Gentleness

6 Concentration

Buddha Is Grass Shoes
Orange Walnut Salad
Gilgamesh's Car
Hello, Wisdom
The Power of Perseverance
Moving Past Bliss

7 Equanimity

Buddha and His Good Friend Drunk Elephant
Nothing Gets Rewarded
Not Running Away
Not Running Away, Part 2
Melodrama Withdrawal
How to Be a Seamless Monument

Conclusion