Caught in Fading Light: Mountain Lions Zen Masters and Wild Nature

About this book

A personal exploration of wildness territory and the elusive nature of our lives In this concise richly contemplative book Gary Thorp records his singularquest to see a mountain lion or cougarthe "cat of one color" in the wild hills and mountains of northern California where he lives. Using the traditional form of Japanese writing known as nikki bungaku (literary diary) Thorp recounts his meditations and adventures from taking a one-day class on tracking animals to visiting a mountain lion in the zoo to his numerous forays into the hills during the day and night. The pursuit of one thing invariably leads him to discover many others: The tracks of a solitary mountain lion for example evoke a marvelous world of photographic imagery literary events dancing foxes ocean voyages and blind poets all gathered together just beyond the limits of human vision. Thorp explores what it means to seek something you might not find and ponders the difference between seeing only darkness and being blind offering as well bright glimpses into the Zen tradition. Combining an elusive and challenging pursuit with a centuries-old way of uncovering lifes ultimate answers Caught in Fading Light will give readers a new way of seeing and will captivate nature lovers and Zen practitioners alike.