Buddhism of the Heart

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Buddhism of the Heart is a clear, insightful discussion of basic teachings of Shin Buddhism. The author, writing from the heart, is candid and direct. It is an easy reading text for seekers.”—Alfred Bloom, Emeritus Professor of Religion, University of Hawaii

BUDDHISM OF THE HEART

Reflections on Shin Buddhism and Inner Togetherness

Jeff Wilson

Jeff Wilson started his walk on the Buddhas path as a Zen practitioner—taking up a tradition of vigorous self-effort, intensive meditation, and meticulous attention to rectitude in every action. But in Jeffs case, rather than freeing him from his suffering, he found those Zen practices made him nothing short of insufferable. And so he turned to Shin Buddhisma path that is easily the most popular in Zens native land of Japan but is largely unknown in the West.

Shin emphasizes an “entrusting heart,” a heart that is able to receive with gratitude every moment of our mistake-filled and busy lives. Moreover, through walking the Shin path, Jeff comes see that each of us (himself especially included) are truly “foolish beings,” people so filled with endlessly arising “blind passions” and ingrained habits that we so easily cause harm even with our best intentions. And even so, Shin holds out the tantalizing possibility that, by truly entrusting our foolish selves to the compassionate universe, we can learn to see how this foolish life, just as it is, is nonetheless also a life of grace.

Buddhism of the Heart is a wide-ranging book of essays and open-hearted stories, reflections that run the gamut from intensely personal to broadly philosophical, introducing the reader to a remarkable religious tradition of compassionate acceptance.

book information
  • Paperback
  • 264 pages, 6.00 x 9.00 inches
  • $16.95
  • ISBN 9780861715831
  • ebook
  • 264 pages
  • $12.99
  • ISBN 9780861719709
about the author
Buddhism of the Heart

A native of North Carolina who grew up in New England, Jeff Wilson is an assistant professor of religious studies and East Asian studies at Renison University College in Canada. He is the author of The Buddhist Guide to NewYork, Mourning the Unborn Dead: A Buddhist Ritual Comes to America, and Dixie Dharma and is a contributing editor for the Buddhist magazine Tricycle.

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