Sept. Book Club Selection

---

Product Description

Chock full of moving and enlightening stories, The Chocolate Cake Sutra will help you let go of perfectionism and celebrate the sacred nature of the life you already have.

---

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #140006 in Books
• Published on: 2008-02-01
• Released on: 2008-02-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Because everyone yearns for a recipe for a fruitful life, many may gravitate to this friendly, accessible "cookbook." A Buddhist priest and confessed chocolate cake devotee, Larkin (Stumbling Toward Enlightenment) started Still Point Zen center in inner city Detroit. In the best Zen tradition, she recounts many personal anecdotes that find their flavor percolating in that everyday existence. These stories rise to make vivid points in focused, economical chapters. Larkin points us toward joy, extreme ethics, tolerance, a capacity to keep going, clear headedness, a penchant for surprise adventure, and wisdom. Her previous career as a management consultant may contribute to her breezy, hip conversational style that may or may not stand the test of time. But such lingo as "Even after years of attending or leading long retreats, there is always a moment when most of me says, 'This so sucks. I'm gone,' " may perfectly ring the unstruck bell to some modern ears. Her heart offerings, however, have an eternal chime of truth: "Everything and everyone is holy. And the point of our being on this sweet planet is to be of service to all of it. And when we understand this truth in our bones, joy fills our hearts." (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
"[A]rgues that when we're stunned by life's tragedies, that's when we need to remember life's potential for sweetness." (Detroit Free Press )

Because everyone yearns for a recipe for a fruitful life, many may gravitate to this friendly, accessible "cookbook." (Publishers Weekly )

"Disarmingly blunt, direct, smart, and funny. I ate it in one sweet bite!" (Sylvia Boorstein, author of It's Easier Than You Think: The Buddhist Way to Happiness. )

About the Author

Geri Larkin gave up a successful career as a management consultant to become a Buddhist teacher. A practicing Buddhist since 1988, she completed seminary and was ordained in 1995. Four years later, she decided to start a Zen meditation center in the heart of inner-city Detroit. She is the author of Stumbling Toward Enlightenment, Building a Business the Buddhist Way, Tap Dancing in Zen, First You Shave Your Head, and The Still Point Dhammapada.

---

Customer Reviews

A Delicious Treat from One of the Best Buddhist Bakers!
Geri Larkin is so many things; a Zen Buddhist; a former female executive; the founder of a Detroit-based retreat center; a talented and accomplished writer. What she ISN'T is a disconnected guru with an out-of-touch perspective on modern life.

No, she's one of the few contemporary Buddhist writers who remains fully engaged and committed to our modern world and its frenzied pace. What sets her apart from the masses is her ability to eloquently, and sometimes even humorously, pair Buddhist teachings with commonplace scenarios to which everyone can relate. More than that, she speaks to her audience from a grounded location & never seems the least bit self-righteous or haughty. In fact, she embodies the spirit of humility to which most Buddhists strive.

In this latest installment, Larkin uses the image of a delectable pastry to illustrate the the steps one must follow in order to attain a more peaceful, calm, and compassionate lifestyle & outlook. Each chapter introduces a spiritual ingredient which must be added to the mix in order for the results to be optimal. As Larkin explains, one can opt to only include those components which are straightforward and generally effortless to summon however, in doing so, one must accept that his or her daily dessert will suffer as a result. The richest and most rewarding life is one in which all ingredients are included and Larkin's recipe followed to a T.

Per her usual, Larkin's writing style is witty, whimsical, and wise. Her message is coherent and the execution concise. She writes in a way so that her message is incredibly accessible to both Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike. The only criticism I can possibly offer is that the work is just a tad too short. After finishing the last page, I was left craving more. Then again, such is inexorably the case after one devours a treat as delightful as this!

This book has started me on a new path
First off I do not as a rule write many review. But, this book and ALL of her books deserve high praise and have really spoken to me on many levels. I fell into this book by reading a review from my latest Body and Soul Magazine. And , I couldn't be happier that I decided to take their advice and purchase it. I read this book in 2 days...could not put it down. It spoke to me on SO many levels! Geri writes as tho she is your best friend sharing her journey with you and I could relate to SO many of her examples. I had purchase other books on Buddhism but struggled to understand them many times...I have a VERY busy schedule ( which after reading this I realize I MUST slow down) But, the other books left me a bit frustrated and frankly wanting to just fall asleep. This book was uplifting and down to earth. No pretense here...Just one person who is on a path of enlightenment expaining to another the ups and downs to acheiving it and what the path entails. I felt as I was reading that we were almost sitting together over a cup of tea or coffee and I just listening to her. I felt very comforted and also found myself laughing out loud many times at her own trials and tribulations that I could really relate to. I was very disappointed to learn that she had moved to Seattle however. I live only 2 hours from Detroit and Ann Arbor and felt saddened to learn that she was so close to me and I might have made a journey to the Temple to meet her had I discovered her earlier...and now she is thousands of miles away. But, there is a reason for everything and so instead I promptly ordered every other book she has written and finished one of them already. These are books though that, even if they are an easy and fast read, have a lot of "meat" in them and I will be referring to them again and again...re-reading each one until the pages are sure to be worn. Thank you Geri Larkin for being you and for writing these amazing books! I am so happy to have "stumbled" upon you on my path toward enlightenment!

Let Them Eat Cake!
If you've read anything else by Larkin, you know. She's witty, wise, and worldly. As the cover may give away, this isn't some preachy, "thou shalt" and "thou shalt not" book of Buddhist directives. Larkin speaks in the voice of one who has been there. Practically everywhere. Her words hit home and her teachings are nestled in the familiar. Loaded with personal stories to illustrate time-tested points, The Chocolate Cake Sutra provides the perfect soul food. Pun unapologetically intended.