The power of Deep Play

With my increasing interest in Zen, Dad passed on ‘Deep Play’ by Diane Ackerman, a sagaciously engaging book that leads one through the experience of ‘stillness’ in the present by going deep into oneself – an altered mental state unfettered by conditioning and pre-conceived notions, where most often one acquires clarity, revelation, acceptance of self and other life affirming feelings.

The book leads us through a fascinating panorama of nature’s bounty and the author’s multiple experiences. The universe and its hundreds of microcosms clinch her attention as she draws the reader to a world of marvel and rapture. Ackerman illuminates an exalted state of transcendence through emotionally and physically vigorous activities. According to her, one must continue to get enchanted by the world around us, only then can we experience deep play at its best.

For those who breathe and live nature, who feel one with it, who are revived by being in it, this is a must read.