Caught in Fading Light: Mountain Lions, Zen Masters, and Wild Nature - Softcover

Thorp, Gary

4.33

39 ratings by Goodreads

9780802776778: Caught in Fading Light: Mountain Lions, Zen Masters, and Wild Nature

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0802776779 ISBN 13: 9780802776778

Publisher: Walker Books, 2002

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A personal exploration of wildness, territory, and the elusive nature of our lives

In this concise, richly contemplative book, Gary Thorp records his singularquest to see a mountain lion, or cougar―the "cat of one color"― in the wild hills and mountains of northern California, where he lives. Using the traditional form of Japanese writing known as nikki bungaku (literary diary), Thorp recounts his meditations and adventures, from taking a one-day class on tracking animals, to visiting a mountain lion in the zoo, to his numerous forays into the hills during the day and night. The pursuit of one thing invariably leads him to discover many others: The tracks of a solitary mountain lion, for example, evoke a marvelous world of photographic imagery, literary events, dancing foxes, ocean voyages, and blind poets, all gathered together just beyond the limits of human vision. Thorp explores what it means to seek something you might not find and ponders the difference between seeing only darkness and being blind, offering as well bright glimpses into the Zen tradition. Combining an elusive and challenging pursuit with a centuries-old way of uncovering life's ultimate answers, Caught in Fading Light will give readers a new way of seeing, and will captivate nature lovers and Zen practitioners alike.

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About the Author:

Gary Thorp began studying Zen in 1960 and was later lay-ordained in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. A former bookseller and jazz pianist, he is a full-time writer, doing research in marine biology and the ecology of mountain lions. He lives with his wife, Lura, in Marin County.

From Publishers Weekly:

One night, after realizing how bored he was by the evening news, the author of Sweeping Changes: Discovering the Joy of Zen in Everyday Life decided, quixotically but without qualms, that he wanted to see a mountain lion up close. The "cat of one color" was known to prowl the wild hills and hidden glens around Thorp's Marin County home, but in all his decades of hiking and camping he had never encountered one. This contemplative, concise little book is his diary of that quest, using a traditional form of Japanese narrative to record a journey that is part nature study, part wilderness adventure and part spiritual exploration. Thorp went to tracking school, rushed out on short notice when he heard of nearby sightings, honed his observational skills on whale-watching expeditions, gazed at a mountain lion (also known as the puma, cougar or hellcat) behind bars in the zoo, came across tracks alongside dusty roads, perched patiently for hours on rocks but three years passed before he finally glimpsed a mountain lion and then suddenly another for a total of 20 seconds. The account of his pursuit achieves a surprisingly suspenseful quality, but in the best Zen tradition, the real journey is within. Thorp studies himself as much as he does the elusive cat, embracing the world as he narrows his focus, all the while weaving his reflections on the nature of life through this satisfying journal of yearning, learning and observing.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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