David G. Hackett came to Catholicism and the monastic life through his study of Zen meditation. In the 1970s he spent two years in Japan and one summer touring Southeast Asia. His book recounts his experiences to his spiritual mentor Father Thomas Keating. Hackett's healthy cross-cultural perspective finds the positive values in Buddhism, Shintoism, and Taoism. He muses on the common ground in all religions and finds new ways of envisioning traditional Christian beliefs ("The Trinity is like a koan") and practices ("To sit is to allow the life of Christ to rise up quietly within you"). His visits to Zen monasteries deepen his respect for nondiscursive prayer and solitude. The practices of attention and openness demonstrated on these pages are exemplary of an evolving global spirituality.