Becoming Kuan Yin: The Evolution of Compassion - Softcover

Levine, Stephen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1578635551 ISBN 13: 9781578635559

Publisher: Weiser Books, 2013

Synopsis

In his long career as a poet, Buddhist teacher, spiritual advisor, and writer, Stephen Levine has changed our understanding of death and dying. In Becoming Kuan Yin, Levine's first new book in many years, he turns to the legend of Kuan Yin, the Bodhistitva venerated by East Asian Buddhists for her compassion.

In Becoming Kuan Yin, Levine shares the tale of Miao Shan, born centuries ago to a cruel king who wanted her to marry a wealthy but uncaring man. This is the story of how Miao Shan refused to follow the path her father had in mind and, instead, became Kuan Yin, the first acknowledged female Buddha who watches over the dying and those who work with them.

Levine weaves together story and practice and helps readers discover their own infinite capacity for mercy and compassion under difficult circumstances. This book will have resonance for Kuan Yin's millions of followers.

About this title

About the Author:

Stephen Levine is an American poet, author ,and teacher best known for his work on death and dying. He is one of a generation of pioneering teachers who, along with Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein, Ram Dass, and Sharon Salzberg, who have made the teachings of Theravada Buddhism more widely available to students in the West. He is the author of Who Dies?, Healing into Life and Death, and Turning Toward the Mystery. Visit him at www.levinetalks.com.

Review:

"Good news: the cosmos is compassionate, and Stephen Levine is a trustworthy guide to the Universal Portal. Profoundly nourishing. A real treasure. Please discover and enjoy for yourself the pilgrimage of but a foot and a half--from head to heart. Absolutely #1." --Gary Gach, author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Buddhism

A "heartfelt book [that] offers hope in the face of extraordinary pain." --Publisher's Weekly

"Compassion is the root of healing. It's the doorway to the real miracle, which is an open heart. In this most extraordinary book, Stephen Levine shows us why, and how. Highly recommended." -Dean Ornish, M.D., Founder and President, Preventive Medicine Research Institute

"This book expanded our experience with Kuan Yin to a new level beyond our imagination. This is truly a masterful book that most assuredly will become a classic. In a very real sense, it felt to us that this book was written at the Gates to Heaven. We found no separation between Kuan Yin's commitment to her spiritual life and Stephen's and Ondrea's commitment to their spiritual life and journey. The Levines, in almost a magical way, make Kuan Yin and her life of compassion, loving kindness, and charity very much alive in every reader's mind." --Gerald Jampolsky, M.D. and Diane Cirincione-Jampolsky, Ph.D

"Stephen's transformational book about the life, teachings, and example of Kuan Yin has the rare power to change people's lives by shifting their reality. For months I have been enduring severe nerve pain, yet it wasn't until I read Stephen's book Becoming Kuan Yin: The Evolution of Compassion that my heart fully opened to practicing a profoundly merciful and compassionate approach to my pain." --Susan S. Trout, PhD, co-founder and President of the Institute for the Advancement of Service, Alexandria, VA Advancement of Service, Alexandria, VA

"This book has a heart of its own. A boundless heart. A clarified heart. A heart that bridges humanity. A poetic reminder that enlightenment is not a head trip--it's a heart trip. I felt my own emotional armor shedding a little more with every page. A beauty-full read!" --Jeff Brown, author of Soulshaping

"Using the myths and image of Kuan Yin and her dragon mount, Stephen Levine has given us grace-filled meditations and reflections on the practice of a fierce compassion that constantly stretches the boundaries and limitations of what we previously thought was possible." --Ralph Metzner, author of The Unfolding Self

"Kuan Yin smiles exquisitely in Stephen's writing. Blessings hide-and-seek between words and lines, eager to find and be found, console, heal, and inspire." --Paul Cash

"The stories of Kuan Yin here are truly captivating and liberating. Through these stories and his own insights, Stephen Levine encourages us to cultivate our own limitless capacity for love and compassion." --Sharon Salzberg, author of Real Happiness

"I don't consider this wise and loving book as so much written by Stephen Levine as I do a clear message from Kuan Yin herself." --John Fox, The Institute for Poetic Medicine and author, Poetic Medicine: The Healing Art of Poem-Making

About this edition

• Publisher: Weiser Books
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1578635551
• ISBN 13: 9781578635559
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 160