Eyes Of Compassion

In the mid-1960s, Thich Nhat Hanh was a little-known Vietnamese Zen monk, touring the United States on behalf of the cause of peace in his homeland. Jim Forest, a Catholic peacemaker, was asked to accompany him on his speaking engagements. From there emerged a friendship over many decades, in which Jim learned through conversations and daily life about Nhat Hanh's spiritual teachings on mindfulness and the inner peace that is necessary for promoting world peace. Over the years Thich Nhat Hanh became one of the most influential and revered spiritual teachers in the world. Jim Forest's intimate portrait, which includes photos and other illustrations, is a unique introduction to a modern spiritual master and his teachings.

"The Aravind Eye Hospital, based in India, is the world's largest provider of high-quality eye care. It is also one of the world's most incredible and revolutionary organizations - delivering surgical outcomes equal to or exceeding those in the developedworld at less than one percent of the cost, treating more than half of its patients free of charge, and taking no grants or donations. Aravind's success is so perplexing it has been the subject of a popular Harvard Business School case study. This is thefirst book to explore Aravind's history and the distinctive philosophies, practices, and commitments that are the keys to its success. Mehta and Shenoy share incredible stories about how Aravind grew from humble beginnings--founded by a retired ophthalmologist with no money or prior entrepre-neurial experience--to the world-class organization it is today. They explain the mysteries of a model that integrates innovation with empathy, service with business principles, and inner change with outer transformation. And they show how choices that seem foolish and unworkable can, when executed with compassion and integrity, yield powerful results - results that literally light the eyes of millions."--Provided by publisher.

Offering an alternative to classic Christian theodicies (justification of God's goodness and omnipotence in view of the existence of evil), Wendy Farley interprets the problem of evil and suffering within a tragic context, advocating compassion to describe the power of God in the struggle against evil.

Steve Goode and Marie Bentley, high-school sweethearts from Tennessee, couldn't have imagined all they would see through multiple decades of service to the poor and oppressed. Never shying away from God's call, they have served in refugee camps and war zones and lived through personal illnesses and struggles. As long-term leaders of Youth With A Mission's mercy ministries and efforts against human trafficking in Southeast Asia and beyond, Steve and Marie have brought healing and hope to thousands of people and continue to inspire others to do the same.

Have you ever felt too progressive for conservatives, but too conservative for progressives? It's easy for faithful Christians to grow disillusioned with civic engagement or fall into tribal extremes. Representing the AND Campaign, the authors of this book lay out the biblical case for political engagement and help Christians navigate the complex world of politics with integrity.

Based on four retreats that Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh led specifically for people of color, this book is for people of all colors, backgrounds, and experiences who have ever felt excluded or alienated, or anyone concerned with issues of social justice. Although Together We Are One is based on teachings given to Buddhist practitioners of color, readers of all backgrounds and walks of life will find it an inspirational and practical guide. In chapters focusing on honoring our ancestors, developing understanding and compassion, and seeing the world in terms of interbeing, Nhat Hanh shows how meditation and the practice of looking deeply can help create a sense of wholeness and connectedness with others. Chapters are interspersed with mindfulness practice exercises and the personal stories of skilled writers, such as Larry Ward (author of Love’s Garden), Sr. Chan Khong (author of Learning True Love), and Rev. Hilda Ryumon Gutierrez Baldoquin (editor of Dharma Color and Culture), about their discovery of a spiritual path, their experience of finding balance, overcoming obstacles in an unpredictable world, and maintaining and sharing insights. Together We Are One is a valuable addition to the unique expression of Buddhism in the West. As in all his writings, Thich Nhat Hanh does not suggest we replace traditional beliefs and customs with Buddhism, but rather emphasizes that a mindful approach to daily life and interactions can help overcome misperception and separation so that we might honor and transcend our differences. Nhat Hanh’s primary focus highlights the basic how-to’s of Buddhist practice, such as mindful walking and eating, the practice of Looking Deeply, and a never before published multicultural version of the Touching the Earth Ceremony, making them accessible possibilities for a better everyday life. A companion movie to the book, featuring Thich Nhat Hanh's retreat, can be found at www.colorsofcompassionmovie.com

The revered Buddhist teacher and author of When Things Fall Apart presents the lojong teachings—pithy slogans for daily contemplation—and the ways in which they can enrich our lives Welcome compassion and fearlessness as your guide, and you’ll live wisely and effectively in good times and bad. But that’s easier said than done. In The Compassion Book, Pema Chödrön introduces a powerful, transformative method to nurture these qualities using a practice called lojong, which has been a primary focus of her teachings and personal practice for many years. For centuries, Tibetan Buddhists have relied on these teachings to awaken the deep goodness that lies within us. The lojong teachings include fifty-nine pithy slogans for daily contemplation, such as “Always maintain only a joyful mind,” “Don’t be swayed by external circumstances,” “Don’t try to be the fastest,” and “Be grateful to everyone.” This book presents each of these slogans and includes Pema’s clear, succinct guidance on how to understand them—and how they can enrich our lives. It also features a forty-five-minute downloadable audio program entitled “Opening the Heart,” in which Pema offers in-depth instruction on tonglen meditation, a powerful practice that anyone can undertake to awaken compassion for oneself and others.

How do you fight despair and learn to meet the world with a loving heart? How do you overcome shame? Stay faithful in spite of failure? No matter where people live or what their circumstances may be, everyone needs boundless, restorative love. Gorgeous and uplifting, Tattoos on the Heart amply demonstrates the impact unconditional love can have on your life. As a pastor working in a neighborhood with the highest concentration of murderous gang activity in Los Angeles, Gregory Boyle created an organization to provide jobs, job training, and encouragement so that young people could work together and learn the mutual respect that comes from collaboration. Tattoos on the Heart is a breathtaking series of parables distilled from his twenty years in the barrio. Arranged by theme and filled with sparkling humor and glowing generosity, these essays offer a stirring look at how full our lives could be if we could find the joy in loving others and in being loved unconditionally. From giant, tattooed Cesar, shopping at JCPenney fresh out of prison, we learn how to feel worthy of God’s love. From ten-year-old Lula we learn the importance of being known and acknowledged. From Pedro we understand the kind of patience necessary to rescue someone from the darkness. In each chapter we benefit from Boyle’s wonderful, hard-earned wisdom. Inspired by faith but applicable to anyone trying to be good, these personal, unflinching stories are full of surprising revelations and observations of the community in which Boyle works and of the many lives he has helped save. Erudite, down-to-earth, and utterly heartening, these essays about universal kinship and redemption are moving examples of the power of unconditional love in difficult times and the importance of fighting despair. With Gregory Boyle’s guidance, we can recognize our own wounds in the broken lives and daunting struggles of the men and women in these parables and learn to find joy in all of the people around us. Tattoos on the Heart reminds us that no life is less valuable than another.

Timing, skill, and talent all play an important role increating a great photograph, but the most primaryelement, the photographer's eye, is perhaps the mostcrucial. In The Eyes of the City, Richard Sandlershowcases decades' worth of work, proving his eye forstreet life rivals any of his generation. From 1977 to just weeks before September 11, 2001,Richard regularly walked through the streets of Bostonand New York, making incisive and humorous picturesthat read the pulse of that time.After serendipitously being gifted a Leica camera in1977, Sandler shot in Boston for three productive years and then moved back home to photograph in an edgy,dangerous, colicky New York City. In the 1980s crime and crack were on the rise and theireffects were socially devastating. Times Square, Harlem,and the East Village were seeded with hard drugs, whilein Midtown Manhattan, and on Wall Street, the richflaunted their furs in unprecedented numbers, and "greedwas good." In the 1990s the city underwent drastic changes to lurein tourists and corporations, the result of which was rapidgentrification. Rents were raised and neighborhoods weresanitized, clearing them of both crime and character.Throughout these turbulent and creative years Sandlerpaced the streets with his native New Yorker's eye forcompassion, irony, and unvarnished fact. The results are presented in The Eyes of the City,many for the first time in print. Overtly, they capture acomplex time when beauty mixed with decay, yet belowthe picture surface, they hint at unrecognized ghosts inthe American psyche.

A profound reflection on how complementary themes in Buddhism and Christianity could serve as the basis for a truly ecumenical faith • Compares Zen meditation with the Greek Orthodox practice of Hesychasm (prayer of the heart) • Shows how Buddha and Jesus represent the distinct yet complementary values of meditation and compassion In Asian spiritual traditions the mountain traditionally symbolizes meditation while the ocean signifies compassion. Jean-Yves Leloup uses this metaphor to compare Buddhist and Christian approaches to meditation and compassion to reveal the similarities and divergences of these profound practices. Emphasizing their complementary nature, Leloup describes how Jesus and Buddha are necessary to one another and how together they form a complete system: Jesus as awakening through love, and Buddha as awakening through meditation. Where Buddha represents the forests, Jesus represents the trees. Buddha is brother to the universe, whereas Jesus is brother to humanity. Nevertheless, these two religious traditions have a profound common ground. Compassion is central to Buddhism, and meditation practices have been central to many Christian traditions. Both view murder, theft, and the destructive use of sexuality as great barriers to realizing our essential being, and both agree on the need to rise above them. Here, however, Leloup suggests that both faiths could benefit from the precepts of the other. The complementary aspects of Christianity and Buddhism offer the possibility for a truly profound ecumenical religion whose interfaith relations are based on deep understanding of the true meaning and practice of meditation and compassion and not merely shared goodwill.