A Wild Love for the World (Available in April 2020, Shambhala Publications)
Joanna Macy is a scholar of Buddhism, systems thinking, and deep ecology whose decades of writing, teaching, and activism have inspired people around the world. In this collection of writings, leading spiritual teachers, deep ecologists, and diverse writers and activists explore the major facets of Macy’s lifework. Combined with eleven pieces from Macy herself, the result is a rich chorus of wisdom and compassion to support the work of our time.
“Being fully present to fear, to gratitude, to all that is—this is the practice of mutual belonging. As living members of the living body of Earth, we are grounded in that kind of belonging. Even when faced with cataclysmic changes, nothing can ever separate us from Earth. We are already home.” — Joanna Macy
Green Buddhism: Practice and Compassionate Action in Uncertain Times (Shambhala Publications) With species rapidly disappearing and global temperatures rising, there is more urgency than ever to act on the ecological crises we face. Hundreds of millions of people around the world, including unprecedented numbers of Westerners, now practice Buddhism. Can Buddhists be a critical voice in the green conversation? Stephanie Kaza, a leading Buddhist environmentalist, has spent her career exploring the intersection of religion and ecology. With so much at stake, she offers guidance on how people and communities can draw on Buddhist concepts and practices to live more sustainable lives on our one and only home. (Read reviews here.) Order books at IndieBound, Barnes & Noble, Shambhala, and Amazon.
Conversations with Trees: An Intimate Ecology (Shambhala Publications) Stephanie Kaza’s heartfelt meditations on the singular presence of trees have helped thousands of readers feel a sense of spiritual connection to our ancient relatives. Through her attentive, loving encounters with trees, Kaza asks vital questions about what it means to reinhabit place, live simply, and speak from the truth of experience. More pertinent now than ever, her intimate exploration of the lives of individual trees demonstrates the possibility of personal and ecological sanity in our time. (Read advance reviews here.) Order books at IndieBound, Barnes & Noble, Shambhala, and Amazon.
Mindfully Green: A Personal and Spiritual Guide to Whole Earth Thinking With all the attention on living sustainably, the one thing missing from the conversation is how to find a personal connection with green living that will sustain us on our green path. While practical approaches to an eco-responsible lifestyle offer important first steps, it is critical that we ground these actions in broader understanding so that we can effect real change in the world. In this book, Stephanie Kaza describes what she calls the “green practice path.” She offers a simple, Buddhist-inspired philosophy for taking up environmental action in real, practical, and effective ways. Discover new ways to think more deeply about your impact on the natural world, engage in environmental change, and make green living a personal practice based in compassion and true conviction. (Read reviews here.)
Hooked! Buddhist Writings on Greed, Desire, and the Urge to Consume Most of us have experienced an all-consuming desire for a material object, a desire so strong that it seems like we couldn't possibly be happy without buying this thing. Yet, when we give in to this impulse, we often find ourselves feeling frustrated and empty. Buddhism can shed valuable light on our compulsions to consume. Craving and attachment --how they arise and how to free ourselves of them -- are central themes of Buddhist thought. The writings in this volume, edited by Stephanie Kaza, provide fresh perspectives and much-needed correctives to our society's tendency to believe that having more will make us happier. (Read reviews here.)
Dharma Rain: Sources of Buddhist Environmentalism This beloved collection, edited by Dr. Stephanie Kaza and Kenneth Kraft, includes classic texts, contemporary interpretations, guidelines for activists, issue-specific information, and materials for environmentally-oriented religious practice. Sources and contributors include such luminaries as Basho, the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, Gary Snyder, Chögyam Trungpa, Gretel Ehrlich, Peter Mathiessen, Helen Tworkov (editor of Tricycle), and Philip Glass. Wise and relevant, this collection is considered an unequivocal classic.