Find Peace in the Midst of Conflict

In Conflict and Zen: Stories of Presence in Heated Moments, author Aron C. Viner invites you on a journey where tension meets transformation. Through captivating real-life stories and timeless Zen wisdom, you’ll see how staying fully present can turn confrontation into connection, chaos into clarity, and disagreement into mutual respect.

Book Description

In a world full of conflict resolution strategies and communication techniques, Conflict and Zen offers something different: not another method to learn, but an invitation to presence.

A collection of narrative reflections explores what happens when we meet conflict without trying to manage it or avoid it. Moments of conflict are approached not as problems to solve but as openings to enter. The reflections reveal that conflict can become a doorway to deeper intimacy and understanding when met with presence.

The book does not offer case studies or how-to lessons. Instead, it shares quiet stories: a monk sitting across from yakuza debt collectors in a small restaurant, a father and daughter sharing a silent meal, strangers meeting in hospital corridors and temple gardens. Each story shows how the simple, open awareness of presence can shift even the most difficult moments. Most spiritual writing tells us what we should do. The stories create a field of awareness that the reader enters.

How Conflict and Zen Can Help You?

Conflict is inevitable. How you respond is up to you. Conflict and Zen shows you how to meet tension with calm clarity — and turn every challenge into an opportunity for connection.

Stay Calm Under Pressure

Learn how to remain centered even in emotionally charged situations.

Turn Conflict into Understanding

Transform tense interactions into opportunities for growth.

Boost Emotional Intelligence

Deepen awareness of your own reactions and others’ perspectives.

About the Author

Aron C. Viner brings an unusual synthesis of anthropological knowledge, international business expertise, and contemplative depth to the exploration of conflict and presence. As a social anthropologist, he conducted fieldwork in tribal villages in North Sumatra. Subsequently, he lived in a fishing village on the East Coast of Malaysia studying conflict between ethnic Malay and ethnic Chinese fishermen. His work focused on different types of interpersonal conflict that occurred in traditional societies.