Ancient Wisdom for Modern Families
In her fascinating new book, East Asian scholar Yen Ooi looks at how we can tap into the wisdom of ancient Zen philosophy to better connect with our children.

Zen philosophy has largely been associated with finding peace within ourselves, but in this brilliant new book, East Asian scholar Dr Yen Ooi shows how ancient Zen wisdom can be used to explore how we can practice Zen while being a parent by improving our relationships with our children and finding harmony within parenting.

In Zen texts, the concept of Sottaku Douji (啐啄同時) is exemplified by the moment when a chick is hatching out of its egg. At the moment the chick is ready to emerge, it will begin pecking at the shell around it, and the mother hen will then begin pecking from the outside too. In order for the chick to hatch, the two must delicately work together.

Using Sottaku Douji and other insights from ancient philosophy, Ooi shows how we can apply these ideas to our own lives, from working collaboratively with our children more and priming them for the future to building patience and letting go of anxiety.

And through these concepts, she shows us the steps towards practising Zen as a parent.