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A Year of Zen: A 52-Week Guided Journal
Reflect, meditate, and explore through a year of Zen journaling
Each day is a new empty space to bring to life—it can be loaded with stress or decorated with moments of calm and clarity. Embark on a wondrous journey through the self with this 52-week guided journal from Zen priest and teacher Bonnie Myotai Treace, sensei. Her wise, thought-provoking prompts will lead beginners and experienced practitioners alike through the seasons, filling the blank spaces with peaceful self-exploration and reflection every day.
Explore topics from the mundane to the holy with creative prompts
Walk the path of growth and build a mindful daily practice with this Zen Buddhism journal.
Each day is a new empty space to bring to life—it can be loaded with stress or decorated with moments of calm and clarity. Embark on a wondrous journey through the self with this 52-week guided journal from Zen priest and teacher Bonnie Myotai Treace, sensei. Her wise, thought-provoking prompts will lead beginners and experienced practitioners alike through the seasons, filling the blank spaces with peaceful self-exploration and reflection every day.
Explore topics from the mundane to the holy with creative prompts
Walk the path of growth and build a mindful daily practice with this Zen Buddhism journal.
176 pages, Paperback
Published September 22, 2020
25 people are currently reading
240 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 22, 2023
This was a bit of a mixed experience for me, as you'd expect from a journal with a different writing challenge for every day of the year. Some of the tasks seemed pointless, irritating or too difficult (especially when I was asked to draw something), so they felt like a chore. I also felt like the book assumed that you were committed to a regular Zen practice and meditation. Overall though, it was an interesting experience, and looking back through past entries was quite rewarding and full of insights. I loved the closing quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson - "Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense."
January 11, 2023
By turns 5 and 1 stars, as purportedly Zen is.
Some weeks I wrote daily. This last month, the month after my mother’s death, I barely wrote at all, only now, almost halfway through January, finishing most of December. And it irritated and vexed, as it does. Mixing as the author says “with periods of earnestness, love, and enthusiasm.” Right.
I would have been better served by my year of effort, I think, had I been better versed in what Zen is and can be. But good for me — I tackled the effort in spite of my incomplete awareness.
And so there is life. And Zen.
The journal ended with an admonishment to “write a 5-10 word epitaph for the world as I’d known it.”
*Unexpected death and unforeseen life
Double helixed
In chaos and consideration.
So it goes.*
Some weeks I wrote daily. This last month, the month after my mother’s death, I barely wrote at all, only now, almost halfway through January, finishing most of December. And it irritated and vexed, as it does. Mixing as the author says “with periods of earnestness, love, and enthusiasm.” Right.
I would have been better served by my year of effort, I think, had I been better versed in what Zen is and can be. But good for me — I tackled the effort in spite of my incomplete awareness.
And so there is life. And Zen.
The journal ended with an admonishment to “write a 5-10 word epitaph for the world as I’d known it.”
*Unexpected death and unforeseen life
Double helixed
In chaos and consideration.
So it goes.*
January 7, 2021
After the chaos that 2020 was came to a close, I wanted to find a journal for 2021 that would promote peace and healing. This was my choice, and I think it fits perfectly. :)
This is a 52-week [1 prompt per day] journal filled with writing prompts that inspire peace and tranquility while encouraging writers to find their creativity. I'm only 1 week in to 2021 at this point but I've skimmed a few of the prompts and they're all so lovely~ Not to mention that this journal is so beautiful on the inside - it has colored illustrations of plantlife as well as little butterflies and birds :) This would be a delightful gift or investment for any avid journaler - starting my days off right this year! <3
This is a 52-week [1 prompt per day] journal filled with writing prompts that inspire peace and tranquility while encouraging writers to find their creativity. I'm only 1 week in to 2021 at this point but I've skimmed a few of the prompts and they're all so lovely~ Not to mention that this journal is so beautiful on the inside - it has colored illustrations of plantlife as well as little butterflies and birds :) This would be a delightful gift or investment for any avid journaler - starting my days off right this year! <3
November 20, 2022
Good guided journal for a daily prompts to connect you with yourself. Broken down into Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. I enjoyed it a lot at first but I got bored and it felt repetitive towards the end. So I finished it up quicker than a prompt a day.
December 24, 2025
This journal was fine, very OK. Given the copious amount of journaling options available today, it’s not one I’d recommend. Some of the prompts felt off: confusing, nonsensical, and in a few cases downright absurd. I skipped a small number of them for that reason.
I read the author’s book Wake Up: How to Practice Zen Buddhism ahead of working with this journal, expecting correlation, but the two don’t necessarily align. I rated the book one star—insufferable and it’s honestly surprising that after disliking the book so much, I still managed to stick with the journal for an entire year.
I read the author’s book Wake Up: How to Practice Zen Buddhism ahead of working with this journal, expecting correlation, but the two don’t necessarily align. I rated the book one star—insufferable and it’s honestly surprising that after disliking the book so much, I still managed to stick with the journal for an entire year.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews