Philip Toshio Sudo, the author of Zen Computer and Zen Sex, is a master teacher of the way of enlightenment. He has a knack for finding spiritual practices that grow naturally out of everyday experiences. With an ease that comes from spiritual maturity, Sudo delivers one marvel after another in this astute reading of zen truths residing in work, exercise, eating, laughter, and sleep.

Or as the author puts it — "Zen teaches that our approach to today determines our whole approach to life. The Japanese call this attitude Ichi-nichi issho: 'Each day is a lifetime.' We arise in the morning newly born. As we pass through the day, we age and gain experience. When we tire at day's end, we 'die' and take our rest. That one arc serves as a miniature of our entire life."

Zen 24/7 contains many insightful, sassy, and fruitful ways of reading everyday activities. Instead of just going mindlessly through the motions of shaving, try to imagine "the divine energy that makes the hair grow." Respecting the lamp and your desk adds a depth dimension to your work — bowing or nodding to it with a few words of gratitude is even better! Acting courteously on the road by letting others pass is a spiritual practice of selflessness that can lead to inner peace. After all driving fast is only an outward manifestation of inner restlessness. Seeing a stop sign as a pause that refreshes is a stress buster in the midst of a busy day. Even the fizz that rises up on top of a poured soda provides a zen meditation on the transitoriness of life. See your shower as a daily act of transformation. Align yourself with nature, and the weather outside will always be just right.

These are just a few of the gems in this extraordinary paperback about the way of zen and its major and minor epiphanies. Sudo makes the spiritual practices of attention, being present, gratitude, and wonder come to life on these pages. You'll never be the same after reading Zen 24/7.