“I have great respect for David Chadwick. He is one of the pioneers spreading dharma in the West. All my students study his books. I know all readers will love this book and these stories.”—Natalie Goldberg, author of Writing Down the Bones

“Two in three Americans today say they are ‘spiritual,’ while one in four identifies as ‘spiritual but not religious.’ For full immersion in one of the deepest well-springs of this widespread cultural revolution, dive into these stories of free spirits and seekers creating a uniquely western monastic community rooted in centuries of Zen Buddhist practice and led by a teacher true to the moment. No one tells it better than David Chadwick, with a firsthand feel for the high adventure and deep play of mind-changing history embodied in the making.”—Steven M. Tipton, author of In and Out of Church: The Moral Arc of Spiritual Change in America

“This book is as priceless as discovering a previously unknown time capsule. David Chadwick, widely known as one of Suzuki Roshi’s favorites, captures the wacky spirit, the dedication, and the courage required to leap into the unknown that characterized the earliest Zen students surrounding Suzuki Roshi. (Full disclosure: David became one of my earliest friends when I began my practice in 1974.) Fifty-one years later, an ordained priest and transmitted teacher, I still look up to David as an original member of the A-team. This book, in his authentic and unduplicable voice, is an absolute treasure. Read it. Give a copy to a friend.”—Peter Coyote (Hosho Jishi), actor, director, author