Composting Our Karma: Turning Confusion into Lessons for Awakening Our Innate Wisdom

by Barbara Rhodes, Elizabeth S.R. Goldstein (editor), Dae Bong Sunim (afterword)

Engaging teachings on the core Korean Zen practice  of “don’t-know mind” that encourage us to cultivate and apply a clear mind, improve our intuition, feel naturally at ease, and generate compassionate wisdom to face whatever arises.

​​Barbara Rhodes (Zen Master Soeng Hyang) offers the core Korean Zen teaching of don’t-know mind as an antidote to the over-thinking, overly stimulating modern world that is the cause of so much suffering. In this collection of essays, Rhodes shows us that there are ways we can work with, or “compost,” whatever we’ve got in front of us, digest it into energy that can get us through the rough times, and cultivate a satisfying life.
      “Don’t-know mind,” Korean Zen’s foremost teaching, points to our clear enlightened mind before suffering arises based on concepts and judgments of like and dislike. While simple, it is a lifelong exercise, with immediate benefits that get deeper with practice. By applying don’t-know mind to meditation, everyday existence, and life’s challenges, readers will learn to work with their own mind’s reactions to things; trust their intuition; perceive situations clearly; and act with natural courage, compassion, and enthusiasm.
     Rhodes offers fascinating insights from her professional life as a nurse; her commitment to engaged Buddhism; her life experience as a member of the LGBTQ community; her use of psychedelics on her spiritual path; and more. Readers will appreciate her down-to-earth wisdom, compassion, enthusiasm, and faith in the power of this practice.
     This book includes an afterword by Dae Bong Sunim, a guiding teacher at Musangsa Monastery in Korea.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Philosophy, Buddhism

184 pages, Paperback

Published December 10, 2024

Reviews

[Reader]

"Own your dear life." I am writing this after spending a retreat with this book—this quote and the recommended practices will stay with me.

[Greta]

I really enjoyed reading this, learning more about Zen Buddhism and about the author. A lot definitely went straight over my head, but I was almost brought to tears a few times and I couldn’t tell you exactly why. Looking forward to learning more about zen practices, would recommend!

[Maria]

Loved learning about Zen Buddhism and the author's journey through meditation and solo retreats. Light and easy to read.

[Reader]

A remarkable book by a remarkable woman. Barbara Rhodes has written the warmest, most encouraging book on zen I know of. It is in no way a lecture; it is a series of stories, drawn from her long, brave life, about the wisdom, empathy and joy to be gained from a regular spiritual practice. In this case, that practice is a relatively accessible form of zen brought to this country by an irrepressible and brilliant Zen Master from Korea, Seung Sahn Su Nim, (whose book “Compass of Zen” is a master course in zen traditions). Ms Rhodes, herself a Zen Master, draws on her long career as a hospice nurse, her experiments with psychedelics and her many interactions as a spiritual teacher. This is a super accessible read, full of wise, wonderful stories, completely and refreshingly unassuming. Highly recommended.

[Erica]

I give this book 3.5 stars. It helped me discern that what I am truly drawn to is Tibetan Buddhism (not Zen). There are still helpful concepts in it that I can apply to my practice. Some editing errors could have been caught. And I agree with one other commenter that the author's disclosure of her psychedelic use in 3 places (2 short stories and one chapter) was a bit distracting. She explains her reasoning for being so open and it makes sense, but it also feels as though an equally helpful book could have been written without emphasizing that aspect so much.

[Shami]

It’s special to read a book that’s grounded in nature, more so about our inner states as human beings, and how we can learn to help the world through cultivating a practice of attention and compassion. Meditation can transform our lives and those of others around us. I enjoyed reading Composting our karma because it is a gentle nudge to pay attention, moment to moment. We are reminded that the mind creates habits, and that we can tune in to said habits and “compost our karma” to help the world.
Highly recommend.

[Malik Salam]

The teaching in this book is very straightforward and to the point. I’ve studied in the Kwan Um School of Zen for a few years and had the pleasure to sit a couple of retreats with Barbara Rhodes. It’s such a pleasure to have an overview of her teaching in written form and read the stories she illustrates her points with.
Like any good book about meditation and zen (or any kind of practice), this book encouraged me to practice and that’s the most important!

[Malum]

Good advice from a Buddhist point of view, marred by a little bit about how meditation can give you magic powers and sight into other universes and a lot of talk about how great drugs are.