Join the Planetwalker, John Francis, on an exploration of kindness, great and small. From the kindness John has experienced in his own life to the history of how kindness has helped to shape our laws, morals and communities, read many inspirational stories from around the world. Over the whole history of humankind, kindness has been key to the survival of our species and to making our world a better place. Learn about Harriet Tubman, who risked her life to help others escape from slavery, the Nomads Clinic, which sends doctors trekking into the Himalayas to tend to patients, The Linda Lindas, a group of young musicians who use their talent to speak up for the rights of others Joshua Coombes, a hairdresser who gives free haircuts to the homeless, and many others. The joyous and awe-inspiring stories in this book will encourage young readers to be kind to others. And being kind, even in small ways, turns out to be healthy for you, yet another reason to be practise kindness every day. It's our planet to share together - let's be kind.

In this "masterwork of an authentic spirit person" (Thomas Berry), Buddhist teacher and anthropologist Joan Halifax delves into "the fruitful darkness"--the shadow side of being, found in the root truths of Native religions, the fecundity of nature, and the stillness of meditation. In "The Fruitful Darkness, a highly personal and insightful odyssey of the heart and mind, she encounters Tibetan Buddhist mediators, Mexican shamans, and Native American elders, among others. In rapt prose, she recounts her explorations--from Japanese Zen meditation to hallucinogenic plants, from the Dogon people of Mali to the Mayan rain forest, all the while creating "an adventure of the spirit and a feast of wisdom old and new" (Peter Matthiessen). Grove Press is proud to reissue this important work by one of Buddhism's leading contemporary teachers.

Roshi Joan Halifax has enriched countless lives of millions around the world through her work as a social activist, anthropologist, and Buddhist teacher. Over many decades, she has also collaborated with neuroscientists, clinicians, and psychologists to understand how contemplative practice can be a vehicle for social transformation. This work led her to an understanding of how our greatest challenges can become the most valuable source of our wisdom - and how we can transform suffering into the power of compassion for the benefit of others. Halifax has identified five psychological territories she calls Edge States - altruism, empathy, integrity, respect, and engagement - that epitomise strength of character. Yet each of these states can also be the cause of personal and social suffering. In this way, these five psychological experiences form edges, and it is only when we stand at these edges that we become open to the full range of our human experience and discover who we really are. Recounting the experiences of caregivers, activists, humanitarians, politicians, parents, and teachers, incorporating the wisdom of Zen traditions and mindfulness practices, and rooted in Halifax's ground-breaking research on compassion, STANDING AT THE EDGE is destined to become a contemporary classic. A powerful guide on how to find the freedom we seek for others and ourselves, it is a book that will serve us all.

For Roshi Pat Enkyo O'Hara, intimacy is what Zen practice is all about: the realization of the essential lack of distinction between self and other that inevitably leads to wisdom and compassionate action. She approaches the practice of intimacy beginning at its most basic level - the intimacy with ourselves that is the essential first step. She then shows how to bring intimacy into our relationships with others, starting with those dearest to us and moving on to those who don't seem dear at all.

Joan Halifax Roshi is a Buddhist teacher, Zen priest, anthropologist, and author. She is Founder, Abbot, and Head Teacher of Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She has explored the medium of photography since she was very young. She has captured striking images of the people and places she has encountered in her extensive travels in Tibet, Burma, throughout Asia, and elsewhere. This book, published on the occasion of her seventieth birthday, is a selection of her compelling and heartfelt photographs and an essay on her experience of seeing.

Living a rushed, demanding life and wishing for mental calm to deal with the difficulties you face? Stressed out by tangled thoughts and frazzled feelings? Mindfulness Starts Here offers you a way to ease stress with clear instructions on these points: How mindfulness works using Five Skillful Habits How being mindful can help you deal better with sadness, pain, and anxiety How mindfulness can make your life more manageable In Mindfulness Starts Here, you learn how mindfulness works through simple, clear explanations. The instructions and practices show you how to pay attention to your life so you can make skillful decisions. The examples help you understand: How practicing Five Skillful Habits can change the way you live your life Why living fully in pleasant and unpleasant times can enrich your life How mindfulness reduces reactivity to and increases steadiness under stress

An illuminating in-depth study of one of the most well-known and recited of all the Buddhist texts by the renowned modern translator. Now in paperback. The first-century classic "Prajnaparamita Hridaya Sutra" may be the best known of all the Buddhist scriptures. It's a key Zen text, chanted daily by many, but it is studied extensively in the Tibetan tradition too. In just forty-two lines, it expresses the truth of impermanence and the release of suffering that results from the understanding of that truth with a breathtaking economy of language. Kazuaki Tanahashi's guide to the "Heart Sutra" is the result of a life spent working with it and living it. He outlines the history and meaning and then analyzes the text line by line in its various forms (Sanskrit, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tibetan, Mongolian, and various key English translations), providing a deeper understanding of the history and etymology of the elusive words than is generally available to the nonspecialist, yet with a clear emphasis on the relevance of the text to practice. It includes a fresh, modern translation of the text by the author and Roshi Joan Halifax."