The Chocolate Cake Sutra: Ingredients for a Sweet Life

by Geri Larkin

Book Overview

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. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060836954
• ISBN13: 9780060836955
• Release Date: January 2007
• Publisher: HarperOne
• Length: 182 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.8" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Late Night Cravings ....Chocolate Cake Sutra!

Chocolate Cake Sutra, felt like sitting at a coffee shop having the most perfect talk on the most perfect day. Up lifting and inspiring, without being overwhelming, Geri Larkin brought a renewed sense of self with every word urging each of us, to find passion and inspiration in the most unexpected places.

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.

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!

An enlightening read...

The author takes often complex issues and presents them in a way that makes it easy for readers to relate them to their individual lives. Using chocolate cake as a metaphor is an interesting approach, and it works very well. Anyone who has read Ms. Larkin's previous books knows her easy-to-read style and will find even more insights in this book.