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, Aron 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.
For over two decades, Viner has served as a professor at Endicott College, where he has taught thousands of students the art of conflict resolution and negotiation. His earlier books, Inside Japan's Financial Markets (The Economist Books and Dow Jones-Irwin/McGraw Hill) and The Financial Samurai (Kogan Page and Dow Jones-Irwin/McGraw Hill) were translated into Japanese and German. Years living and working in Japan, where his engagement with Zen began, combined with anthropological fieldwork in Southeast Asia, provided him with insight into how presence transcends cultural boundaries.
This unique synthesis of village councils and corporate boardrooms, tribal wisdom and business ethics, Eastern contemplative practice and Western academic rigor, positions Viner to offer insights into conflict resolution. He writes with the authority of someone who has witnessed human nature across vastly different cultures and social transformations, discovering the approach that emerges when we meet conflict with full presence rather than strategic defense.
About the Book
What if conflict isn’t the enemy—but an invitation to presence?
Most of us meet conflict with control, avoidance, or quick fixes. Conflict and Zen: Stories of Presence in Heated Moments offers another way—one rooted in Zen philosophy, mindfulness, and the quiet strength of deep listening.
At its heart, this book asks a radical question: What if the problem is not conflict itself, but how we meet it?
A Fresh Approach to Conflict, Mindfulness, and Communication
In a marketplace filled with books on negotiation, communication skills, and conflict management, this collection stands apart. It doesn’t offer formulas or scripted dialogue. Instead, it draws from Zen Buddhism, meditation practices, and real human encounters, inviting you to pause and face difficulty with clarity.
Through simple yet profound stories, you’ll discover how conflict can become:
· A doorway to deeper connection
· A spark for personal transformation
· A call to be fully present, even in heated moments
What You’ll Find Inside
This book contains forty-five contemplative stories set in courtyards, kitchens, train platforms, and hospital rooms—ordinary places where extraordinary presence arises. Like traditional Zen koans, each story carries its own teaching.
You’ll encounter:
· A Zen monk meeting yakuza debt collectors in a Japanese restaurant
· A father and daughter sharing a silent meal
· Strangers meeting in temple gardens, hospital corridors, and quiet kitchens
Each story reveals how presence, mindfulness, and compassion can shift even the most difficult moments.
Why This Book Matters
Unlike standard books on conflict resolution, communication skills, or negotiation techniques, Conflict and Zen is not a manual. It is an invitation to transformation.
· For readers of Thích Nhất Hạnh, Pema Chödrön, Jon Kabat-Zinn, or the Dalai Lama, this book will resonate as a bridge between spiritual practice and real-world conflict.
· For those exploring Eastern philosophy, Zen Buddhism, mindfulness meditation, or Japanese wisdom traditions, these stories illuminate timeless truths in fresh ways.
· For professionals in leadership, counseling, teaching, or cross-cultural communication, it offers new insight into meeting conflict with awareness rather than avoidance.
About the Author
Written by a longtime professor who has taught thousands of students in conflict resolution and negotiation, and who has lived and practiced in Japan and Southeast Asia, this book draws from decades of academic expertise and lived contemplative practice.
Conflict and Zen: Stories of Presence in Heated Moments is more than a book—it is a journey into stillness, clarity, and the wisdom of meeting life exactly as it unfolds.
If you are looking for a mindfulness book, Zen reflection, or practical wisdom for navigating relationships, this collection will speak to you.