Zen Baby - Hardcover

Judith Adler; Paul Coughlin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0609610953 ISBN 13: 9780609610954

Publisher: Clarkson Potter, 2002

As babies approach the world, everything is so sparkling and thrilling and different: the sound of their mother’s voice, the bright sunlight, the first glorious jump into a puddle, even the flicker of a TV. And despite the unequivocal newness of all that’s around them, how often their little faces seem to evoke the seasoned perception of an older soul.

Zen Baby reminds us how Zen-like an infant’s sense of wonder can be. Pairing more than fifty beautiful photographs of babies with gems of Zen wisdom from a variety of sources, we get a glimpse of what might be passing through their minds as they ponder new experiences. For example, a photograph of a lovely little girl nibbling a huge loaf of bread is matched with the saying “If you realize you have enough, you are truly rich.”
Beyond being stirred by their undeniable cuteness, we could even learn a thing or two from these little Buddhas. As Zen teaches, “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few.”

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About the Author:

Judith Adler lives in New York City and is the coauthor of Zen Dog. Following her life path as a communicator, marketing muse, business intuitive, and soul coach, she helps individuals and companies realize their dreams by creating success from the only place that lasts—the inside out.

Paul Coughlin is a photographer whose other books include The Quotable Canine, The Quotable Feline, and Timeless New York. The New York Times called his photographs “straightforward, painterly, and soulful.” He lives in New York City.

From Publishers Weekly:

"Zen means meditation, babies mean Zen," charges Adler (the author of Zen Dog and a self-identified "soul coach"). It's hard not to find a book whose essence embraces babies in all their Zen-like innocence (and in all their cutest poses) appealing; after all, babies can tug at the heartstrings with the merest smile or coo. But there's little that this small publication offers beyond sweet pictures of strangers' babies. While Coughlin's photos of tykes in endearing poses are charming, the maxims that accompany them (one per picture) are familiar and unenlightening. (There's Yogi Berra's "In baseball, you don't know nothing," juxtaposed with Master Baek's "See everyone as a Buddha.") Claiming that adults reap infinitely more from babies than vice versa, the introduction strays dangerously close to condescending psychobabble with observations such as "Not only do they hold our world in their hands, but they are also gracious enough to share their world with us." As an impulse buy, this will likely be a hit (especially as a gift for the new mother), but those searching for substance should look elsewhere.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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