This is the story of how a meditation practice gave Henry Shukman a context for integrating a sudden spiritual awakening into his life and how his depression and anxiety were gradually healed through this practice. In sharing how he grew into a Zen teacher, Shukman demystifies Zen training, casting its profound insights in simple, lucid language. Along the way, One Blade of Grass guides listeners on a journey of their own, into the hidden treasures that contemplative practice can reveal to any of us.

One Blade of Grass recounts Shukman’s journey from academia to life as a wandering poet and writer, until he finally settled in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he now runs Mountain Cloud Zen Center. A child of professors at Oxford University, he received a classical humanist education and threw himself onto the path to academia in order to cope with the pain of his parents’ divorce and the chronic eczema that had plagued him since childhood–until one day as a young man he encountered a spontaneous, powerful awakening experience.

By turns humorous and moving, this beautiful memoir takes listeners on the journey of a lifetime–into the depths of humanity, following an ancient path to freedom and love.