Dharma Wheels: Zen, Motorcycling and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Dharma Wheels tells two stories as one. One: the story of a motorcycle trip through 10 Western states that lie between the 105th meridian and the sea. Glacial mornings silent except for the squeak of still-cold leathers. Pinion smoke wafting over late-night country lanes. Meteors crisscrossing red rock canyon lands like some jai alai game of the gods. Six weeks sans phone or screens, the ticking of the odometer the only clock. Dharma Wheels is a love letter to the art of motorcycling.Second: the ancient, ever-new story of the human quest for happiness. Itself a journey, this quest is the backstory to any tale of the road. As a cognitive therapist and Zen practitioner, the author's whole life has been an inquiry into the habits of heart and mind that enable us to live and die well. These twin disciplines provide the means to recognize and relinquish the cognitive filters that cloud a direct apprehension of reality. Classic Zen texts and fMRI machines now agree: throughout space and time well-being is one the world over. Through the lens of science East and West, Dharma Wheels snaps into sharp focus the moving parts of this wellness.