The Kindness Handbook - A Practical Companion
by Sharon Salzberg
This is a small book, with short chapters so its easy to take small bites. It would be a mistake to try and zip
through this book in one sitting, although I'm sure you could. The foundation for the book is the Buddhist practice
of Metta (lovingkindness) Meditation, but it is not a book about meditation. Instead, it is a "companion" on our journey
toward treating ourselves and others with kindness and compassion.
China Road - A journey into the future of a rising power
by Rob Gifford
From the book jacket: "Route 312 is the Chinese Route 66. It flows three thousand miles from east to west, passing
through the factory towns of the coastal areas, through the rural heart of China,
then up into the Gobi Desert, where it merges with the Old Silk Road.
The highway witnesses every part of the social and economic revolution that is turning China
upside down." "In this book, National Public Radio reporter Rob Gifford, a fluent Mandarin speaker, takes the dramatic journey
along Route 312 from its start in the boomtown of Shanghai to its end on the border with Kazakhstan. Gifford reveals the rich
mosaic of modern Chinese life in all its contradictions, as he poses the crucial questions that all of us are asking about
China: Will it really be the next global
superpower? Is it as solid and as powerful as it looks from the outside? And who are the ordinary Chinese people, to whom
the twenty-first century is supposed to belong?"
by Phillip Moffitt
I've got such a HUGE pile of books next to my bed just now. This one I may take awhile to read because I came
across this phrase that just resonated with me so much, I've stopped to play with it awhile. The author quotes buddhist
monk Ajahn Sumedho as saying (frequently) "This moment is like this". It really helps me to "understand the difference
between skillfully observing a difficult experience from within and unskillfully getting lost in the content of that experience".
It actually works really well for any kind of experience. We're not always that great at really diving into the joyful
experiences either. We can get caught up in wanting them to last instead of experiencing them "like this".
by Wendy Johnson
I don't remember where I heard about this book but I just love it. I got it from the library...but it just might
be one of those books I decide I'd like to have around. You don't have to be an avid gardener...or even a gardener at
all to enjoy this lovely book. Wendy Johnson has been gardening at the Tassajara Zen Center and practicing Zen meditation
for over 30 years. This is her tale of learning Zen from the garden and learning to be in the garden from her meditation
practice. There was one quote I started sharing in class a lot because it was such a perfect description of meditation.
She describes meditation as sitting down in the tangle of your life and learning to know your heart and mind deeply in
the present moment. Yes.
by B. Alan Wallace and Brian Hodel
Both science and spirituality search for “ultimate truths.” God, the Big Bang, nirvana, the theory of evolution,
relativity, quantum mechanics—these are some of the concepts that have been articulated as a result of that search.
But the human capacity for exploring these ultimate sources of truth—the one thing that unites science and spirituality—is
often overlooked. Embracing Mind argues (1) that science has hobbled itself by ignoring its unique source of inspiration—the
mind—and (2) that the schism between science and spirituality is unnecessary. In language accessible to any intelligent
reader, Embracing Mind first explores the veracity of major scientific “myths,” then presents a viable science
of the mind emanating from contemplative spirituality, including Hindu, Christian, Sufi, and Buddhist views.
by Bernie Clark
A student of Paul Grilley and Sarah Powers, Bernie Clark has written an in depth look at the philosophy
and practice of Yin Yoga. I think its a great book to read regardless of what style
of yoga you practice. He looks at yoga from both Eastern and Western perspectives, using several different models of
mind and body. You can read the whole thing online at the
Yin Yoga website Or order it from Amazon...there's a link on his sight. He says he decided to keep both forms available.
Its easier to prop a book up on your lap in bed. But he can keep a web version updated more easily. So we have
both available!
by Nancy Klein Maguire
Those of you who come to my classes have heard me speak of the film "Into Great Silence". This book allowed me
a little more insight into the austere monastic order. ..the Carthusians. Its actually funny at times.
And made me laugh at myself too. We get this idea that people who do this type of spiritual work don't run into the
same difficulties we do when we sit to meditate for a (relatively) short period of time. Or that living in silence
means that the monks don't still have to deal with difficult personalities. One novice complained to the novice master
that another novice must really dislike him..."did you see the way he handed me the bell rope?". And the monks aren't
always alone or silent. They go on long walks once a week. Walking in rotating pairs they have the opportunity
to speak to each other and even develop life long friendships based on these short conversations.
A former Carthusian monk said that everyone has the "monastic archetype" within but rarely do we live it for a lifetime.
He wasn't even sure we should. I've been contemplating the opportunity we have each time we sit to meditate, no matter how
long, to enter the silence. Someone once said, we can't make silence, only enter it. We can only make noise.
and
by Andrea Oppenheimer Dean and Timothy Hursley
Its easy to get jaded and cynical at times. And then I come across work like this being done. Its not front
page news...perhaps it should be.
"Everyone, rich or poor deserves a shelter for the soul," Samuel Mockbee believed. And so he launched the
Rural Studio in 1992 to create homes and community buildings for poor people while offering hands on education stressing
community service. Choosing impoverished Hale County, Alabama for his bold experiment, Mockbee and his Auburn University
students peppered this left behind corner of the rural South with striking buildings of exceptional design. Mose use
recycled and curious materials: hay bales, suprlus tires, leftover carpet tiles, even discarded 1980 Chevey Caprice windshields.
The publication of "Rural Studio" brought this innovative work to the public, and --- five printings later -- continues to
affect the way people view architecture.
Since Mockbee's death in 2001, the Rural Studio has continued to thrive, a tribute to its founder's vision.
by Bill Clinton
"We all have the capacity to do great things," President Clinton says. "My hope is that the people and stories
in this book will lift spirits, touch hearts, and demonstrate that citizen activism and service can be a powerful agent of
change in the world".
We are now beginning to hear from the next generation of teachers...the sons and daughters of the teachers who have been
guiding us in the West for 30 years or more. Noah Levine (son of
Stephen and Ondrea Levine) has found his voice. This is a great book with straight forward language and practical advice regardless of your generation.
"We are called to practice generosity even when we feel selfish. We are called to give even when we are more worried
about ourselves than others. This points to the truth that our feeling of separateness is based in ignorance.
Ultimately we are all deeply interconnected and dependent on one another. Generosity is not only good for others; it
is good for all, including oneself."
by Sandra Blakeslee and Matthew Blakeslee
"Just as road maps represent interconnections across the landscape, your many body maps represent all aspects of your
bodily self, inside and out. In concert, they create your physical and emotional awareness and your sense of being
a whole, feeling self in a larger social world.
Moreover, your body maps are profoundly elastic. Your self doesn’t begin and end with your physical body but extends
into the space around you. This space morphs every time you put on or take off clothes, ride a bike, or wield a tool. When
you drive a car, your personal body space grows to envelop it. When you play a video game, your body maps automatically track
and emulate the actions of your character onscreen. When you watch a scary movie, your body maps put dread in your stomach
and send chills down your spine. If your body maps fall out of sync, you may have an out-of-body experience or see auras around
other people."
by Pema Chodron
"If we want there to be peace in the world, we have to be brave enough to soften what is rigid in our hearts, to find
the soft spot and stay with it. We have to have that kind of courage and take that kind of responsibility. That's
the true practice of peace."
This is a tiny book...100 pages....but there is so much to work with...it could be a life's work.
by Scott McCredie
