Robert Aitken Roshi

Aitken Rōshi was co-founder of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship and an active leader in a number of peace, social justice, and ecological movements. Born in 1917, he was introduced to Zen study in 1944 while a civilian internee in Japan. His writing reflects his concern that Buddhists be engaged in social applications of their experience. As a retired master, he worked with a few long-time students, and continued to study and write until two days before his death. Robert Aitken died August 5th, 2010, in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The Dragon Who Never Sleeps is a collection of gathas, vows for daily living in verse form that serve as gentle reminders to live in the present, accepting ourselves and offering joy to others.

Dragon Who Never Sleeps

Pass It On

“Joanna has spun some of the gold of her life into a web of hope. At a time when popular media offer none of the generosity and compassion that nurtures the human prospect, Pass It On reminds us of who we are, who we can be, and who will be again.”
—Paul Hawken, author of Blessed Unrest

Joanna Macy offers five stories that provide testament to the belief that collective faith and effort can transform our consciousness and help heal the ravaged earth. Meet individuals around the world who faced great odds and created change that will affect the planet for generations to come. With five guidelines for keeping active and hopeful in difficult times, this is a book of great inspiration and possibility. Scott Russell Sanders, author of The Conservationist Manifesto, says, “Joanna Macy’s stories show what we are capable of at our best, when we act out of courage and compassion. They inspire us to roll up our sleeves, join with one another, and get on with the work of healing.”

Together We Are One

Honoring Our Diversity, Celebrating Our Connection

Thich Nhat Hanh

Together We Are One demonstrates how connecting with our ancestors and our unique cultural background can lead us to a deeper sense of community. With emphasis that a mindful approach to daily life can help overcome misperception and separation the book includes insights on how to heal our individual and collective suffering, personal stories from people of many backgrounds, and teachings on mindfulness practice.  This is a deeply inspirational an practical guide.

Anh’s Anger

Ahn’s Anger offers children and caregivers a mindfulness-based practice for dealing with anger and other difficult emotions.

Anh begins to understand the causes of anger when they dance, play, sit and breathe together. By creating a space for Anh to be with his strong emotion he is able to resolve an earlier conflict with his grandfather.

Author Gail Silver is a former Child Advocate Attorney, and the founder and director of Yoga Child, where she teaches yoga classes, and meditation for children.

The story is beautifully illustrated with handmade collages by New York artist and award-winning children’s book illustrator Christiane Kromer. Each collage is a mix of paper, silk, cardboard, and found materials.

Wonderland, The Zen of Alice

Daniel Doen Silberberg weaves the classic tale of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland with the The Diamond Sutra, One Mind, and other stories from his own life to explore the differences between how we perceive our world and how it truly is.  He offers important ideas on how to live fully and happily in the Wonderland we’re already in.

REVIEWS

Publishers Weekly, August 10, 2009: “In this short book Silberberg weaves snippets from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland with personal anecdotes, classic Buddhist sutras, koans and popular culture to illustrate Zen approaches to the true nature of enlightenment: “When we get to the other shore, to what I am calling Wonderland, we may experience One Mind.” Rather than using Zen to explain Alice, Silberberg playfully mingles, for example, the upside-down logic of the Caterpillar and Mock Turtle with the wisdom of the Diamond Sutra to explain key ideas. A longtime practitioner and former vice abbot of the Kanzeon Zen Center in Utah, the author is adept at explaining Buddhist teachings and ideas, such as the causes of suffering and Siddhartha’s search for the truth of existence. Silberberg’s description of the Zen path demonstrates more rigor than gentleness, reflecting a “warrior” approach to the search for knowledge.”

Library Journal October 2009: “In his first book, Silberberg, a Zen teacher and practicing psychologist and counselor, gives a good, brief introduction to Zen practice by drawing on ideas he finds in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. For example, he finds something koanlike in pieces of the narrative that shake up our ways of thinking and foster new insights. To make religion or philosophy more relevant, practitioners have written many works associating philosophy or religion with popular culture, e.g., Benjamin Hoff’s The Tao of Pooh, Open Court’s “Popular Culture & Philosophy” series, and the University Press of Kentucky’s “Philosophy of Culture” titles. Silberberg writes clearly and with humor and intelligence.”

Mindful Kids

Plum Blossom Books is an imprint of Parallax Press devoted exclusively to children’s books. Plum Blossom Books features an array of titles for children and young adults based on mindfulness and peace education, most notably those by best-selling author Thich Nhat Hanh.