Healing Breath: Zen Spirituality for a Wounded Earth

by Ruben L.F. Habito

Book by Habito, Ruben L. F.

Genres: Buddhism, Spirituality, Christianity, Philosophy

166 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

associate dean for academic affairs and
professor of world religions and spirit

Reviews

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruben Habito is one of my favourite Zen teachers. A former Jesuit priest, now a lay theologian and zen teacher , he embodies a spirituality nourished by both Christianity and Buddhism. This is an excellent book, that diagnoses the malaise in the heart of our culture as a sense of separation : from each other, from our own bodies, from nature. It points to the quiet, patient practice of zen meditation : sitting quietly, attending to the breath, just being, as a viable and powerful source of healing that shows us that separation is a delusion. The last chapter , on recovery, is brilliant and I’ll be re reading again.

[Jim Kuenzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wish I could like this book more, but it just got infuriating. What starts as a practical guide to Zen practice and the ties with the Christian faith—and how it can help heal a wounded earth—plummets into a morass of New Age gobbledygook and made up words. This is pleonasm at its finest.

I have to wonder what the purpose of this book actually is, because of its an invitation and and introduction, it’s an invitation few would want to accept.

[Larry Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Healing Breath by Ruben L.F. Habito is a clear and compelling description of Zen practice, which is written from a Christian perspective by a former Jesuit priest. In the book, Habito suggests that Christian beliefs are compatible with Zen practices.

[Belle Meade School]

294.3444

[David Guy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruben Habito is the one writer who writes about Christianity and Zen equally well, because he's a former Jesuit who lived in Japan for years. Parts of this book seem theoretical to me, and other parts seem quite down to earth and helpful. He sometimes sees breath and spirit as one and the same, and that makes for some interesting reading of scriptures.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had the pleasure of being in a Global Healing seminar with Dr. Habito, and his breath has transparency throughout this whole book. Loved it.