Zen Penguins

The Art of Keeping Chill

What is the sound of one flipper flapping?
 
It's a long way from the Zen temples of the Himalaya to the barren icescapes of Antarctica, but as this little book discovers, the chubby flightless birds of the far south are true masters of the Zen way.  Their life lessons bring a little lighthearted enlightenment to us all.

"The obstacle is the path." "Live the life in front of you." "Be Still. Stay Chill."  What better creature to teach us to live in the moment and be flexible and chill out (so we won't flip out!) than the biped birds at the bottom of the earth? Penguins are intuitive, practical, and cooperative; they naturally know the art of keeping chill.  Jonathan Chester's renowned penguin photography whimsically illustrates the sage Zen wisdom presented here in every enlightened spread.

 
With their preternatural composure, it’s easy to imagine penguins as little Zen masters. They are patient, tolerant, aware of their surroundings, and live in the moment…all tenets of the Zen philosophy. A penguin’s life is not an easy life, and yet the Zen masters of the Antarctic waddle on. What can they teach us? As this little book shows, quite a lot actually.
 
"To endow animals with human emotions has long been a scientific taboo.  But if we do not, we risk missing something fundamental, about both animals and us."—Frans de Waal
 

About the Author

Jonathan Chester is a veteran polar photographer and expeditioner. The photographs in this book are from his many Antarctic expeditions.  Patrick Regan has written lots of books—some with penguins, some without. You can learn more about Jonathan and Patrick and their books at extremeimages.com and patrickreganbooks.com. Previous books by this creative duo include Flipping Brilliant, To Love Is to Fly, Stay Cool, and My Unflappable Mom.

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