Letters to a Dead Friend about Zen

• Heartfelt, quirky reflections on the Zen way of life and death,

sparked by the untimely death of a childhood friend

• The author’s iconoclastic books, including Hardcore Zen, Sit Down and Shut Up, and Don’t Be a Jerk, have sold 150,000 copies
• Written for the uninitiated, Warner’s “letters” serve as both an uncommon introduction to and a cogent overview of Zen
• The author is the founder and lead teacher of the Angel City Zen Center in Los Angeles and teaches internationally each yearThe night Brad Warner learns that his childhood friend Marky has died, Warner is about to speak to a group of Zen students in Ham- burg, Germany. It’s the last thing he feels like doing. What he wants to do instead is tell his friend everything he never said, to explain Zen and “what I do for a living or why I care about this crazy philos- ophy and this weird meditation practice I do every day.” So, as he continues his teaching tour through Europe, he writes to his friend all the things he wishes he had said. Simply and humorously, he reflects on why Zen provided him a lifeline in a difficult world. He explores grief, attachment, and the afterlife. He writes to Marky, “I’m not interested in Buddhism; I’m interested in what is true,” and then proceeds to poke and prod at that truth. The result for readers is a singular and winning meditation on Zen — and a unique tribute to both a life lost and the one Warner has found.