“A wonderful addition to a cherished genre: the spiritual memoir of the all-too-human, struggling practitioner, heroically seeking a way to transcend their flaws and challenges, to achieve a moment of blessed liberation. This is the story of one individual’s journey to overcome his doubts and confusion, to attain the exalted in a magnificent gesture. We’re lucky that before Testu succumbed to leukemia in 1998 he managed his second great triumph, to recount his experiences in this fascinating memoir, and that his daughter Jeanette took the time to bring his words to our attention. I suspect you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.”

– Josh Korda, guiding teacher, Dharma Punx NYC, author, Unsubscribe

"In reading Touching Ground—a compelling account of the author’s life and religious journey—I am reminded of the wave of young Americans of his generation who also sought refuge in Buddhism. Few, perhaps, were as dedicated or courageous as the author, or willing to suffer the hardships of devoted ascetic practice, but many will find mirrored in Testu’s inspired story something of their own spiritual history and humanity."

– Mike O'Connor, translator of When I Find You Again, It Will Be in Mountains

"There's nothing fancy, or easy, about walking a spiritual path, and this is as real and as useful an account as you might ever read."

– Red Pine, translator of The Heart Sutra

"A gem of a tale about a deeply flawed and serious seeker of the meaning of life, and how he found meaning and a home with a Chinese Chan master during the turbulent 1960s and 1970s. Tim Testu is so honest about everything he encounters with his wise and wild master and with the darkest parts of himself that I found myself alternately entertained, amused, grateful, and touched by his journey to find himself and the Dharma."

– Melissa Myozen Blacker, Roshi, resident teacher, Boundless Way Zen Temple, and co-editor, The Book of Mu

This autobiography of an American Buddhist monk who walked from San Francisco to Seattle, prostrating every three paces, was found by his daughter after his death, lost, and then—thankfully—found again. It is a moving testament to the fact that Buddhism has always been the practice of imperfect ordinary people who, at times, do remarkable things. The story is at times funny, at times poignant, and always compelling.

– Richard Bryan McDaniel, author of Cypress Trees in the Garden: The Second Generation of Zen Teaching in America