March 2025: Books in Brief

Jungian psychologist and Zen teacher John Tarrant recounts the Buddha’s life in his colorful new book The Story of the Buddha (Shambhala Publications). In this beautiful tome, which includes a rich collection of traditional Chinese and Japanese illustrations, the timeless tale is presented like a poetic meditation. “Don’t try to use it to achieve something,” writes Tarrant. “Just hold the story in mind, or any part of the story. Stay with it day and night. It’s not so hard.” At the end of the book, Tarrant makes the narrative deeply personal, discussing how this story touched his own heart and how it may touch yours. The author, who also wrote Bring Me the Rhinoceros: And Other Zen Koans That Will Save Your Life, concludes his new work with eight koans, inviting further contemplation. 

Jessica Graham has given us a powerful memoir about intergenerational trauma, chronic pain, and finding oneself. For some, the stories they tell in Being (Sick) Enough: Thoughts on Invisible Illness, Childhood Trauma, and Living Well When Surviving Is Hard (North Atlantic Books) will hit close to home. They write with honesty and courage about growing up too fast, parents who needed to be parented themselves, and falling into the same traps as their elders as they went through adolescence and young adulthood. Graham, who’s now a trauma-resolution guide, meditation teacher, and filmmaker, uses their struggles to raise themselves up, and through their vulnerability, they create a space where readers can feel seen and understood. Graham reminds us that we are all interconnected and that everything is impermanent. Pain is obligatory, but suffering is optional. If we greet the pain with loving acceptance, we can heal our wounds and reduce suffering—both our own and others’.

“The rhythm of the place where we find ourselves is the true rhythm of our practice,” writes Myozan Ian Kilroy, a Soto Zen priest who has practiced Buddhism in Ireland for the past thirty years. In Do Not Try to Become a Buddha: Practicing Zen Right Where You Are (Wisdom Publications), Kilroy lays out the ways in which the ancient traditions of Ireland overlap or resemble Buddhist traditions: Samhain looks like feeding the hungry ghosts; St. Brigid’s cross evokes the wheel of dharma; Irish mountains bring to mind ancient stupas. Kilroy reflects that “the ancient meaning that shines through is greater than any particular religion and is the common heritage of us all.” His meditative essays explore many facets of Buddhism, including the initial search for meaning, the practice of zazen, the ways in which Buddhist tradition may meld with the traditions of Ireland, and Kilroy’s own relationship to Buddhism.

Billy Wynne’s life unraveled during adolescence when his parents divorced and his father was incarcerated. Wynne went through a period of acute depression and eventually became an alcoholic. At thirty-seven, Wynne began to turn his life around by attending anger management classes, working with a life coach, and becoming involved with the Denver Zen Center. He later founded a franchise of nonalcoholic alternative bars. But it all quickly became too much; he felt overwhelmed and unhappy. In his book The Empty Path: Finding Fulfillment Through the Radical Art of Lessening (New World Library), Wynne promotes the practice of stepping back from a life packed with work, self-help, and unhealthy attachments, and finding meaning with less. Intended as a how-to manual, the book begins with advice on grounding oneself in time and space with acceptance and nonstriving. Wynne then explores how to establish relationships free from the constant desire for more. Each chapter includes reflections and detailed guided meditations, making the book both personal and practical.

In Sophie Dipti Sarkar’s Mixed Rice (Plum Blossom), Joya is hungry and dreaming of her favorite snacks when her parents ask her to prepare rice for supper. She hurries to the pantry but then hesitates—should she make gohan or basmati rice? When she asks her parents, an argument breaks out, leaving Joya feeling sad, angry, and guilty. Why are her parents so upset? And what can she do to make things better? Seeking solace, Joya visits the family altar for her ancestors. There, she finds comfort in the reminder that we are all interconnected and that she is safe and loved. Joya helps her parents remember this too, as they all look at the full moon together. Her parents explain what each type of rice means to them, and how certain foods remind them of their families who are far away. Written by a Bengali Japanese American author, this beautiful children’s book is colorfully illustrated and includes an appendix of mouthwatering, multicultural recipes for readers to enjoy.

Authors Richard Freeman and Mary Taylor draw on years of experience teaching yoga and meditation to explore the philosophical interface between yoga and Buddhism. Their book Feeling Happy: The Yoga of Body, Heart, and Mind (Shambhala Publications) expounds mindfulness techniques drawn from centuries-old yogic and Buddhist wisdom. Freeman and Taylor maintain that “dropping into stillness in body, heart, and mind while waking up to what is occurring right here, right now, has widespread benefits—including feeling happy.” The first part of the book focuses on practices that are theoretical, mind-based, or heart-centered. It concludes with a chapter that distills the essence of each preceding chapter into clear, easy-to-understand bullet points. The second part shifts to techniques for grounding these ideas in the body, offering detailed descriptions of yoga postures. Photos of the authors practicing these postures accompany the instructions, providing helpful visual guidance.

To be part of a lively, intellectually challenging conversation is one of the grand pleasures of life. Bright Circle: Five Remarkable Women in the Age of Transcendentalism (Oxford University Press) explores the art of conversation in the context of the transcendentalist movement in mid-1800s New England. A group of women, led by former schoolteacher and woman of letters Margaret Fuller, met weekly in a bookstore to discuss ideas connected with transcendentalist philosophy. Calling themselves the Bright Circle, these women thinkers have long been overshadowed, often dismissed as intellectually inferior to their more famous husbands and relatives, such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. However, in this new book, author Randall Fuller takes a closer look at five of these women and their crucial contributions to the transcendentalist movement. They played a key role in advancing the movement, pushing for women’s rights and the abolishment of slavery, and exploring the interplay between nature and spirituality.

Author and teacher Kimberly Brown has a real “you can do it” approach to improving relationships. Drawing from her own experience of growing up in a troubled family and learning to cultivate healthy connections with the people she loves, Brown shows that positive change is possible for everyone. Her book Happy Relationships: 25 Buddhist Practices to Transform Your Connection with Your Partner, Family, and Friends (Prometheus) contains twenty-five chapters—each paired with a guided practice—addressing common relationship challenges such as envy, jealousy, addiction, dealing with difficult people, and navigating sickness and loss. Organized into three sections—romantic relationships, family relationships, and friendships—the book also includes a thoughtful chapter on our relationships with animals. These Buddhist practices teach us that, by improving our attention and our compassion, we can strengthen ties, grow together, and find true happiness.