Book Group

Our sangha invites you to join us at our monthly book group meetings, the third Wednesday of each month (this is subject to change; notice is given on the newsletter page), beginning at 7:30 pm, following the sangha meeting at BookMarcs Bookstore.

The group is open to everyone, as a gift from the sangha to the community -- whether or not one is a member of the sangha, attends sangha meetings, or reads the books we’ll schedule.

Each meeting lasts about an hour, and will consist of a dharma discussion based on the material in the book chosen for that month. One purpose of the group is to provide another door to the Dharma, irrespective of whether the participants identify themselves as Buddhists or are engaged in a practice.

Our book group met in September to discuss suggestions for the 2008-2009 season. Here’s a partial list:

January 21, 2009 – The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology by Jack Kornfield
You have within you unlimited capacities for love, for joy, for communion with life, and for unshakable freedom – and here is how to awaken them. The Wise Heart offers an accessible and illuminating guide to Buddhism’s transformational psychology.

Filled with stories from Kornfield’s Buddhist psychotherapy practice and portraits of remarkable teachers, it also includes a moving account of his own recovery from a violence-filled childhood. For meditators and mental health professionals, Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike, The Wise Heart offers an extraordinary journey from the roots of consciousness to the highest expression of human possibility.

No book group meeting in December.

November 19 – Dharma Punx by Noah Levine
The story of a young man and of a generation of angry youths who rebelled against their parents and the spiritual values of the sixties. Here is a raw story that takes readers deep inside the punk scene and moves from an angry and destructive place to one of health, service, and genuine spiritual growth.

October 15 – Old Path, White Clouds (Book One) by Thich Nhat Hanh
This is Thay’s novelization of the Buddha’s life and teaching ministry, based on the Pali Canon and the Taisho Tripitaka. Book One is made up of Chapters 1 ("Walking Just To Walk") through 29 ("Dependent Co-Arising").

Balancing the Mind: A Tibetan Buddhist Approach to Refining Attention by B Alan Wallace
For centuries, Tibetan Buddhist contemplatives have directly explored consciousness through carefully honed and rigorous techniques of meditation. B. Alan Wallace explains the methods and experiences of Tibetan practitioners and compares these with investigations of consciousness by Western scientists and philosophers. Includes a translation of the classic discussion of methods for developing exceptionally high degrees of attentional stability and clarity by fifteenth-century Tibetan contemplative Tsongkhapa.

Little Pilgrim: A Novel by Ko Un
From Korea’s most revered author comes the tale of a small boy’s quest for enlightenment. Loosely following the last chapter of the Avatamsaka sutra, Little Pilgrim relates the heroic journey of Sudhana, who sets out on a grand adventure. Along the way, he encounters fifty-three teachers – including men, women, children, animals, and heavenly beings – as he travels mountains, valleys, deserts, and forests in his search for truth. A spiritual tale in the tradition of Siddhartha, this novel is now available to English audiences for the first time. A passionate and lively epic, Little Pilgrim takes its readers on a fantastical journey.

Fourth Uncle in the Mountain: A Memoir of a Barefoot Doctor in Vietnam by Quang Van Nguyen & Marjorie Pivar
Set during the French and American wars in South Vietnam, Fourth Uncle in the Mountain is the true story of an orphan, Quang Van Nguyen, adopted by a sixty-four-year-old monk, Thau, who carries great responsibility for his people as a barefoot doctor. Thau manages against all odds to raise his son to follow in his footsteps and in doing so saves him, as well as a part of Vietnam’s esoteric knowledge from the Vietnam holocaust. Thau is wanted by the French regime and occasionally must flee in to the jungle, where he is perfectly at home living among the animals. As wise and resourceful as Thau is, he meets his match in his mischievous son. Quang is more interested in learning Cambodian sorcery and martial arts than in developing his skills and wisdom according to his father’s plan. Fourth Uncle in the Mountain is an odyssey of a single-father folk hero and his foundling son in a land ravaged by the atrocities of war. It is a classic story complete with humor, tragedy, and insight, from a country where ghosts and magic are real.

May 21 & September 17 – No Time To Lose: A Timely Guide to the Way of the Bodhisattva by Pema Chodron
In No Time to Lose Pema Chodron reveals the traditional Buddhist teachings that guide her own life: those of The Way of the Bodhisattva (Bodhicharyavatara), a text written by the eighth-century sage Shantideva. This treasured Buddhist work is remarkably relevant for our times, describing the steps we can take to cultivate courage, caring, and joy  the key to healing ourselves and our troubled world. Chodron offers a practical and engaging commentary on this essential text, explaining how its profound teachings can be applied to our daily lives.

April 16 – The Dhammapada: A New Translation of the Buddhist Classic with Annotations translated by Gil Fronsdal
The Dhammapada is the most widely read Buddhist scripture in existence, enjoyed by both Buddhists and non-Buddhists. This classic text of teaching verses from the earliest period of Buddhism in India conveys the philosophical and practical foundations of the Buddhist tradition. The text presents two distinct goals for leading a spiritual life: the first is attaining happiness in this life (or in future lives); the second goal is the achievement of spiritual liberation, freedom, absolute peace.

March 19 – Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life: Create Your Life, Your Relationships, and Your World in Harmony with Your Values by Marshall B. Rosenberg.
Rosenberg offers insightful stories, anecdotes, practical exercises and role-plays that will dramatically change your approach to communication for the better. Discover how the language you use can strengthen your relationships, build trust, prevent conflicts and heal pain. Revolutionary, yet simple, NVC offers you the most effective tools to reduce violence and create peace in your life–one interaction at a time.

February 13 – Dipa Ma: The Life and Legacy of a Buddhist Master by Amy Schmidt
This biography of one of the few women in her generation to devote herself entirely to the pursuit of meditation also includes Dipa Ma’s spiritual teachings, which have made her a major figure in contemporary Buddhism.

January 16 – Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain: How a New Science Reveals Our Extraordinary Potential to Transform Ourselves by Sharon Begley
In late 2004, leading Western scientists joined the Dalai Lama at his home in Dharamsala, India, to address this very questionand in the process brought about a revolution in our understanding of the human mind. In this fascinating and far-reaching book, Wall Street Journal science writer Sharon Begley reports on how cutting-edge science and the ancient wisdom of Buddhism have come together to show how we all have the power to literally change our brains by changing our minds. These findings hold exciting implications for personal transformation.

December There was no book group meeting in December.

November 14 – Love In Action: Writings on Nonviolent Social Change by Thich Nhat Hanh
Love in Action is a collection of more than two decades of Thich Nhat Hanh’s seminal writings on nonviolence, peace, and reconciliation. Reflecting on the devastation of war--from Vietnam to the Persian Gulf--Nhat Hanh speaks in the tradition of Gandhi and King of the need for mindfulness, and altruistic love as the basis for political action.