The Barn at the End of the World, by Mary Rose O'Reilley
The Apprenticeship of a Quaker, Buddhist Shepherd
(Review posted 28 Nov 2004 00:18:46)

Mary Rose O'Reilley tends sheep (which includes pinning them down, flipping them over, giving them shots, and finding them dead, as much as it includes anything quaint and pastoral), sits zazen, talks about her Catholic roots, spends a month in a Vietnamese Buddhist community in France, and thinks about the universe in general.

It's a good use of time.