In frightening times, we wish the world could be otherwise. With a touch of imagination, it can be. Imagination helps us see what's hidden, and it shape-shifts reality's roiling, twisting waves. In this inspiring reframe of a classic Buddhist teaching, Zen teacher Norman Fischer writes that the paramitas, or six perfections generosity, ethical conduct, patience, joyful effort, meditation, and understanding can help us reconfigure the world we live in. Ranging from our everyday concerns about relationships, ethics, and consumption to our artistic inspirations and broadest human yearnings, Fischer depicts imaginative spiritual practice as a necessary resource for our troubled times.
The World Could Be Otherwise: Imagination and the Bodhisattva Path, Norman Fischer, Shambhala Publications, Paperback, 207 pp, $17.95
Norman Fischer is a Zen priest, poet, translator, and director of the Everyday Zen Foundation. His numerous books include What Is Zen? Plain Talk for a Beginner's Mind, Training in Compassion: Zen Teachings on the Practice of Lojong, and Opening to You: Zen-Inspired Translations of the Psalms.
|
CONTENTS: The World Could Be Otherwise
|
|
1.
|
Imagination
|
1
|
|
2.
|
The Perfection of Generosity
|
27
|
|
|
Practices
|
51
|
|
3.
|
The Perfection of Ethical Conduct
|
55
|
|
|
Practices
|
80
|
|
4.
|
The Perfection of Patience
|
83
|
|
|
Practices
|
109
|
|
5.
|
The Perfection of Joyful Effort
|
113
|
|
|
Practices
|
139
|
|
6.
|
The Perfection of Meditation
|
141
|
|
|
Practices
|
169
|
|
7.
|
The Perfection of Understanding
|
171
|
|
|
Practices
|
199
|
|
|
|
Acknowledgements
|
201
|
|
Notes
|
205
|
|
About the Author
|
209
|
|
