James Ishmael Ford is one of the guiding teachers of Boundless Way Zen and the senior minister at the First Unitarian Church of Providence. He is the voice behind the award-winning blog MonkeyMind.

Ford calls himself the fortunate heir of two grand traditions as a Zen priest and as a Unitarian Universalism minister, who has spent 20 years serving UU parishes. In this down-to-earth collection of essays he shares his experiences as an awakened individual who beckons us to join him on his spiritual journey:

"We can use the light that shines when we open our hearts and minds to discover our larger identity, to walk more carefully, more wisely on this sweet and suffering planet."

Robert Aitken defines a koan as "a presentation of the universal and the particular; a theme of Zen to be made clear." After looking here and looking there, Ford finds his heart practice in koans where he sits with questions about "self and other, of the one and the many, of hurt and loss and finding."

In "Listening for the Sound of a Single Hand: How to Let a Koan Work for You," the author's enthusiasm for this spiritual practice shines through brightly. Whether saluting the wisdom of pith instructions such as "just this" or "only don't know" or assessing new developments in Western Buddhism, Ford proves to be a knowledgeable tour guide with plenty of personal stories. The high point in the book comes with a discussion of seven suggestions for the Buddhist Ethical Precepts:

1. Love your Mother.
2. Reverence Life.
3. Speak Truthfully.
4. Respect Things.
5. Respect Our Bodies.
6. Seek Justice.
7. Seek Clarity.