Overview

The Zen Priestess and the Snake is the powerful true story of a woman inspired by her visions of the Sacred Feminine. Her experiences of encountering the Mother Goddess gave her the strength to overcome the challenges she faced as a woman in the Zen hierarchy, until finally she overcame patriarchal barriers to find her true home as an American Zen Master. Roshi Shinko steps outside the conventions of traditional Zen Buddhist books to share her personal journey from her colorful childhood in Puerto Rico through her upbringing in Fascist Spain to her role as co-founder and Abbess of the Maitreya Abbey retreat center in Colorado. She also shares her research and her spiritual insights and practices, inviting the reader to consider an awakened feminine viewpoint on Zen in America. Shinko makes a case for bringing the wisdom of the Sacred Feminine back into Buddhism and leads us through centuries-old practices derived from the Mother Goddess tradition, teaching us how to incorporate these practices into contemporary spiritual life. The Zen Priestess and the Snake appeals to all genders and faiths, including those who identify as spiritual but not religious. In these turbulent times, it shows how the denial of the Sacred Feminine within religious systems has not only oppressed women and minorities, but also created a disconnected society that exploits Mother Earth, leading to our current climate crisis.

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9781896559599

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Reviews

I trust her voice, she is genuine and this is an important book. Lama Tsultrim Allione This book is a must read for all those who long for the sacred feminine.... Roshi Wendy Egyoku Nakao Roshi Ilia Shinko Perez is Western Zen's Lady of Light. Roshi Eve Myonen Marko At a time of global upheaval and collective suffering, this book is a cup brimming with peaceful power. Mirabai Starr This lively and valuable book, The Zen Priestess and the Snake, is essential reading for those who wish to enter the secret world of the divine feminine. Grace Schireson For Zen to become the enlightening and healing tradition that we so urgently need today, it must outgrow its patriarchal roots and embrace the sacred feminine. Shinko Roshi is one of the pioneers showing us the way. A deep bow to her and this book, which blazes a new trail. David Loy Shinko Roshi's intimate memoir movingly traces her recovery of the Sacred Feminine in her life through Zen practice, artistic expression, and shamanic teachings from old Tibet. Judith Simmer-Brown In The Zen Priestess and the Snake, Zen teacher Shinko Perez - abbess of Maitreya Abbey in Colorado - tells the story of her discovery of the Divine Feminine in her life and describes the way in which she helps others cultivate that awareness. Richard Bryan McDaniel One of the most passionate and tender explorations of the divine feminine that I have ever read. Essential reading for all those who love the Mother and believe as the Dalai Lama that the world will be saved by awakened women. Buy this fierce and tender beautifully written book and learn from its hard earned luminous wisdom. Andrew Harvey

I trust her voice, she is genuine and this is an important book. Lama Tsultrim Allione This book is a must read for all those who long for the sacred feminine.... Roshi Wendy Egyoku Nakao Roshi Ilia Shinko Perez is Western Zen's Lady of Light. Roshi Eve Myonen Marko At a time of global upheaval and collective suffering, this book is a cup brimming with peaceful power. Mirabai Starr This lively and valuable book, The Zen Priestess and the Snake, is essential reading for those who wish to enter the secret world of the divine feminine. Grace Schireson For Zen to become the enlightening and healing tradition that we so urgently need today, it must outgrow its patriarchal roots and embrace the sacred feminine. Shinko Roshi is one of the pioneers showing us the way. A deep bow to her and this book, which blazes a new trail. David Loy Shinko Roshi's intimate memoir movingly traces her recovery of the Sacred Feminine in her life through Zen practice, artistic expression, and shamanic teachings from old Tibet. Judith Simmer-Brown In The Zen Priestess and the Snake, Zen teacher Shinko Perez - abbess of Maitreya Abbey in Colorado - tells the story of her discovery of the Divine Feminine in her life and describes the way in which she helps others cultivate that awareness. Richard Bryan McDaniel One of the most passionate and tender explorations of the divine feminine that I have ever read. Essential reading for all those who love the Mother and believe as the Dalai Lama that the world will be saved by awakened women. Buy this fierce and tender beautifully written book and learn from its hard earned luminous wisdom. Andrew Harvey

Author Information

Roshi Ilia Shinko Perez is the Abbess of Maitreya Abbey in Berthoud, Colorado and co-director of Great Mountain Zen Center. She received Dharma Transmission in the White Plum Lineage from Roshi Gerry Shishin Wick in 2004 and the Seal of Approval (Inka) in 2015 from Roshi Wendy Egyoku Nakao Abbot Emeritus of Zen Center of Los Angeles. She has led numerous retreats in both the United States and in Spain and has guided many students in their Zen studies. Roshi Shinko pursued her Zen training while raising two sons and running her family import business. She holds a Master's Degree in archeology from the Universidad Autonoma of Madrid, Spain, where she grew up. She was a professor of Spanish Literature at Caribbean University College, Puerto Rico, for seven years, has taught Zen Buddhism at Naropa University, Boulder, Colorado, and is co-author of The Great Heart Way: How To Heal Your Life and Find Self-Fulfillment. A devoted animal lover and horse rider, Roshi Shinko is also an artist, a writer, a gardener, an environmental activist and an animal rescuer. Her art works including her visions of the Sacred Goddess illustrate this book.

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