This wide and varied collection of essays, reviews, and short stories by the renowned author Charles Johnson offers incisive views on poltics, race, and Buddhism. Johnson notes that in his life the two activities that have anchored him and reinforce each other are creative production and spiritual practice. This book is a crystallization of what he has learned during his passage through American literature, the visual arts, and the Buddhadharma.

Essays include:

� "And if Peace Is Their Goal . . ." on the principles of enlightened politics

� "The King We Need" on the deep and sophisticated moral philosophy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and why King's teachings and example are important to all Americans

� "Why Buddhists Should Vote"--Johnson posits that voting can be seen as a way to reduce suffering

� "The Meaning of Barack Obama"--an appreciation of the man who became one of the most historic US presidents, even before his first 100 days were through

� "Why Buddhism for Black America Now?"--what Buddhism can offer the African-American community in the post-MLK era

Shambhala Publications

CHARLES R. JOHNSON is an American scholar and the author of novels, short stories, screenplays, and essays, most of which have a philosophical orientation. Johnson has directly addressed the issues of black life in America in novels such as Dreamer and Middle Passage. Middle Passage won the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction in 1990, making Johnson the second black American male writer to receive this prize after Ralph Ellison in 1953. Johnson received a MacArthur Fellowship or "Genius Grant" in 1998. He is also the recipient of National Endowment for the Arts and Guggenheim Fellowships and many other prizes, such as a 2002 Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and his most recent award is the 2013 Humanities Washington Award for creating and contributing for fifteen years a new, original short story to a literary event called "Bedtime Stories," which since 1998 has raised a million dollars for the literacy programs of the nonprofit organization Humanities Washington.