John Tarrant is a teacher of Zen Buddhism and also a Jungian psychotherapist. He is on the faculty of the program for integrative medicine at the University of Arizona, Tucson. He is author of The Dark Inside the Light. Here is makes the distinction between spirit and soul – spirit referring to our connection with the infinite and soul pertaining to our physical passions. He suggests that a disciplined inner life integrates these two poles of experience. He illustrates the Zen philosophy of acceptance with a story from the life of the master Hakuin.

In Part 2 John Tarrant points out that the skills that enable us to achieve success are generally not the same as those needed to maintain success. Thus, it is normal that following our achievements we begin to descend again into a place of darkness or uncertainty. This is a theme both throughout literature and spiritual traditions. Also discussed are the roles of faith and doubt in relation to spiritual practice.