One night, after realizing how bored he was by the evening news, the author of Sweeping Changes: Discovering the Joy of Zen in Everyday Life
decided, quixotically but without qualms, that he wanted to see a mountain lion up close. The "cat of one color" was known to prowl the wild hills and hidden glens around Thorp's Marin County home, but in all his decades of hiking and camping he had never encountered one. This contemplative, concise little book is his diary of that quest, using a traditional form of Japanese narrative to record a journey that is part nature study, part wilderness adventure and part spiritual exploration. Thorp went to tracking school, rushed out on short notice when he heard of nearby sightings, honed his observational skills on whale-watching expeditions, gazed at a mountain lion (also known as the puma, cougar or hellcat) behind bars in the zoo, came across tracks alongside dusty roads, perched patiently for hours on rocks—but three years passed before he finally glimpsed a mountain lion—and then suddenly another—for a total of 20 seconds. The account of his pursuit achieves a surprisingly suspenseful quality, but in the best Zen tradition, the real journey is within. Thorp studies himself as much as he does the elusive cat, embracing the world as he narrows his focus, all the while weaving his reflections on the nature of life through this satisfying journal of yearning, learning and observing. (Oct.)
