The bestselling author of Work as a Spiritual Practice presents a user’s life guide to aging well and making every year fulfilling and transformative.
Everything changes. For Buddhist priest and meditation teacher Lewis Richmond, this fundamental Buddhist tenet is the basis for a new inner road map that emerges in the later years, charting an understanding that can bring new possibilities, fresh beginnings, and a wealth of appreciation and gratitude for the life journey itself.
In Aging as a Spiritual Practice, Richmond acknowledges the fear, anger, and sorrow many people experience when they must confront the indignities of their aging bodies and the unknowns associated with mortality. This wise, compassionate book guides readers through the key stages of aging, such as when “lightning strikes”—the moment we wake up to our aging—as well as the processes of adapting to change, letting go of who we were, embracing who we are, and appreciating our unique life chapters. Unlike many philosophical works on aging, however, this one incorporates illuminating facts from scientific researchers, doctors, and psychologists, as well as contemplative practices and guided meditations on aging’s various challenges and rewards. The tandem of maintaining a healthy body and healthy relationships, infused with an active spiritual life, is explored in rejuvenating detail.
Breath by breath, moment by moment, Richmond’s teachings inspire limitless opportunities for a joy that transcends age.
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“Provides a refreshing road map for facing old age optimistically but without the illusion of a fountain of youth. In his mid-sixties and having suffered two life-threatening illnesses, Richmond draws on a depth of personal experience…While Richmond applies traditional Zen techniques, he does so from an ecumenical standpoint. Each chapter is filled with anecdotes from contemporary life about how people he knew have dealt with the challenges of getting older.”
— Kirkus Reviews
“The book is fun and enlightening. I’ll never forget some of the stories and the sharp formulas the author uses to remember how to age with some pleasure.”
— Thomas Moore, New York Times bestselling author“[A] measured and thoughtful resource.”
— SpiritualityandPractice.com“[Richmond] weaves current scientific findings with the stories of older adults, including his own…The book’s range is wide, and Richmond’s insights exceptionally acute…This compassionate, hopeful book is a valuable resource for the inquiring adult coping with the passages of aging. ”
— Publishers Weekly“Delivering the author’s many anecdotes of his personal experiences, friends, and people he knows or has worked with, Sullivan energizes the message on how to age gracefully. He is equally at home with the discourse on Buddhist teachings about the nature of life as change, the review of scientific and other studies of aging, and the exploration of the joys, rewards, and challenges of aging.”
— AudioFile“A practical, step-by-step set of attitudes and practices, which open the reader to philosophical maturation.”
— James Hollis, author of Finding Meaning in the Second Half of LifeBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Lewis Richmond is a Zen Buddhist priest and meditation teacher who has published four books, Healing Lazarus, A Whole Life’s Work, Aging as a Spiritual Practice, and the national bestseller Work as a Spiritual Practice. He leads Vimala Sangha, a Zen meditation group, and teaches at workshops and retreats throughout the San Francisco Bay area.
Fred Sullivan is an actor and an AudioFile Earphones Award-winning narrator. He has played over one hundred roles as an award-winning resident actor at Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, Rhode Island. He is resident director at Gamm Theatre and teaches acting at the Rhode Island School of Design.