> Skip to content
  • Published: 1 April 2014
  • ISBN: 9781611800920
  • Imprint: Shambhala
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 176
  • RRP: $29.99

The Authentic Life

Zen Wisdom for Living Free from Complacency and Fear



Wonderfully accessible Zen teachings for how to live your life genuinely, honestly, and happily in the face of life’s inevitable difficulties

Ever feel like your efforts to live a life of wisdom, honesty, and compassion are hijacked by, well, life? Take heart. Ezra Bayda has good news: life’s challenges aren’t obstacles to our path—they are the path. Understanding that liberates us to use every aspect of what life presents us with as a way to live with integrity and authenticity—and joy. 

In this, as in all his books, Ezra’s teaching is Zen made wonderfully practical, in a way that can apply to anyone’s life. Meditation is the foundation, but it doesn’t stop there. It’s about learning to take the practice of presence we cultivate in meditation to all the rest of our complicated lives. Doing that empowers us to navigate our journey with the integrity and authenticity that are what a satisfying life is all about.

  • Published: 1 April 2014
  • ISBN: 9781611800920
  • Imprint: Shambhala
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 176
  • RRP: $29.99

About the author

Ezra Bayda

Ezra Bayda is a Zen teacher affiliated with the Ordinary Mind Zen school. A student of meditation for more than thirty years, he lives, writes, and teaches at the San Diego Zen Center in San Diego, California.

Also by Ezra Bayda

See all