The Cat Who Taught Zen
In another heartwarming journey filled with meaningful encounters with more loveable characters, James Norbury tells the story about a wise cat who sets off on a journey to find an ancient pine that holds the wisdom he is searching for. The Cat Who Taught Zen will teach its readers valuable life lessons about forgiveness, mindfulness and friendship as the Cat sets off to find answers.
The illustrations just seem to get better in each of Norbury’s books, and are just as important as the story. I love that the Cat has a rat friend, and I relate to the feeling the Cat has of pining for answers to things that he doesn’t understand.
There are many symbolic lessons throughout the story, including themes of hardship and new hope, as the Cat recalls his kitten-hood and meets creatures along the way. He encounters new friends, and the reader even gets to see old familiar characters from previous books as the Cat goes along. One of my favorite lessons was during the Cat’s encounter with the Cub, a reminder that we can only be ourselves:
“Maybe…we each have our own gifts to offer the world, and we should celebrate them, rather than wishing we had someone else’s” (Norbury, 74).
I love that all the animals represent different human trials, such as anxiety, fear, greed, and even death. Another touching moment for me was the encounter with the tortoise who is tired of life and ready to leave the world. It’s a relatable condition, to long for the end when life’s beauty goes unnoticed around us. But when the Cat reframes how the tortoise looks at life, it’s truly eye opening, and what the tortoise says in response is very moving:
“I have seen a lot…[a] hundred summers, a thousand temples, a million stars, but have I ever really, truly smelt a flower? Well…I cannot wait to do so” (Norbury, 93).
The beauty and the hardship of traversing this life alone is prominent throughout the entire book. The Cat acknowledges that he has always been alone, but that he is learning to change, and this serves as a reminder that we need each other in the grand scheme of things.
I love the story about the lady with no money that the Cat helped find a fortune, and the reminder that it is important to remember that money isn’t everything, that it shouldn’t change who we are. Norbury also shows us how vital it is to remember those who helped us along the way.
I sympathize with the Tiger who wants to take a different path but who is afraid to start because they are afraid of not being ready. It’s something that resonates with me on my current life path, and the Cat’s advice is very wise:
“It is better to begin the journey, make some mistakes and correct your course, than to wait until everything is perfect and never even start” (Norbury, 123).
Norbury captures these truths and feelings so well in this book, the harsh but freeing reality that we’ll never be ready, and we’ll never know unless we begin.
When the Cat finally finds the ancient pine, he sees everything in a different light, and he realizes that he learned something valuable from each creature he encountered along the way. The final words of wisdom are a beautiful twist on the age old saying that it’s not the destination, but rather the journey, that matters:
“The secret to a beautiful life is not just in an ancient tree or a star-filled sky. It is in the leaves and the mud and the rain. In you and me and in the bustling city I left far behind” (Norbury, 168).
The afterword is a great commentary on zen and all the concepts used to depict this idea throughout the book through the characters and illustrations. As always, the narrative is beautifully simple and is told through not only words, but pictures of nature and animals as well. Norbury doesn’t shy away from real or sad themes in his stories, and though I know where the story is going, it’s always an enlightening journey to go on.
Reference
Norbury, James. The Cat Who Taught Zen. William Morrow, 2023.