Informationen zum Autor Jo-ann Rosen, LMFT, is an educator, licensed psychotherapist, and lay Dharma teacher in Thich Nhat Hanh's Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism. Her work focuses on the intersection of neuroscience, mindfulness, and social change. She is one of the guiding teachers of EMBRACE (Embodying Mindfulness-Based Resilience to Awaken Community Empowerment), a new resource for transforming trauma. She received her professional and clinical training at the University of California at Berkeley and the University of San Francisco. A member of Thich Nhat Hanh's core Tiep Hien Order of Interbeing community since 1996, she received the Lamp of Wisdom and authorization to teach from Thich Nhat Hanh in 2012. She lives with her partner of forty years in rural Northern California. Klappentext "Content warning: this book contains material that may be triggering, including references to self-harm or trauma"--Copyright page. Leseprobe Introduction We're all moving on a journey to nowhere, taking it easy taking it slow. So goes an endearing song commonly heard in the Plum Village Buddhist community, the Zen tradition in which I practice. Are you kidding? Looking around me, I don't see very many folks taking it easy or taking it slow! For most of us, the following Zen story might sound more familiar: A horse came running swiftly down a road, carrying a rider on its back. A passer-by hailed the rider, shouting, Hey, where are you going? As they whizzed past, the rider retorted, I don't know, ask the horse! Where are we going in this whirlwind of a life? Sometimes it seems like we forget to ask this fundamental question before we find ourselves already embarked toward our next destination, at breakneck speed, only to find out that our path is being chosen for us. For a more satisfying ride, wouldn't it be better to make friends with the horse, to get to know its nature, and to do what we can to provide guidance? Along the way, things may spook the horse, uneven ground may cause it to stumble, or it might get frustratingly stuck in muddy patches. Instead of simply hanging onto the reins obliviously, we need to learn to anticipate obstacles, to adjust the way we ride to avoid ditches, and to hang on for dear life when we need to. That's the individual picture. Pulling back a bit, we can see that the path we're riding down is part of a complex network of roads, all of them affected by common issues: if it rains, we all have to navigate mud puddles; if nobody maintains the roads, we all get stuck in ruts. There is no need to enumerate the collective problems facing every world citizen today; this book is meant to inspire, and a litany of downers won't do that. But if we as a species are to survive, we need to be able to work collaboratively. We need to find both individual and collective balance in order to become calm enough to hear a variety of views, to broaden our perspectives, and to find the creativity needed to solve problemsbig ones. Today, our inner lives are chaotic. We're letting the horses we're riding get out of control, and we're not making good decisionsindividually, in our communities, in our governments, and in our collective psyche. To find our way down the road more effectively, we need to learn how to create an inner life of wisdom and compassion, to stay regulated in difficult situations, and to function collaboratively without our individual nervous systems derailing us. We need to learn how to find inner stability amid the outer chaos; in short, we need to become unshakeable.As a tree standing in the forest may encounter strong winds that blow its branches around wildly, to survive, it must have a strong trunk and be held in the ground by formidable roots. It knows how to take in nourishment from above and below. This tree is also supported by the root systems of all the other trees in the forest. Together...

Autorentext

Jo-ann Rosen, LMFT, is an educator, licensed psychotherapist, and lay Dharma teacher in Thich Nhat Hanh's Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism. Her work focuses on the intersection of neuroscience, mindfulness, and social change. She is one of the guiding teachers of EMBRACE (Embodying Mindfulness-Based Resilience to Awaken Community Empowerment), a new resource for transforming trauma. She received her professional and clinical training at the University of California at Berkeley and the University of San Francisco. A member of Thich Nhat Hanh's core Tiep Hien Order of Interbeing community since 1996, she received the Lamp of Wisdom and authorization to teach from Thich Nhat Hanh in 2012. She lives with her partner of forty years in rural Northern California.

Leseprobe
Introduction

We’re all moving on a journey to nowhere,
taking it easy
taking it slow.…

So goes an endearing song commonly heard in the Plum Village Buddhist community, the Zen tradition in which I practice. Are you kidding? Looking around me, I don’t see very many folks taking it easy or taking it slow! For most of us, the following Zen story might sound more familiar: A horse came running swiftly down a road, carrying a rider on its back. A passer-by hailed the rider, shouting, “Hey, where are you going?” As they whizzed past, the rider retorted, “I don’t know, ask the horse!”

Where are we going in this whirlwind of a life? Sometimes it seems like we forget to ask this fundamental question before we find ourselves already embarked toward our next destination, at breakneck speed, only to find out that our path is being chosen for us. For a more satisfying ride, wouldn’t it be better to make friends with the horse, to get to know its nature, and to do what we can to provide guidance? Along the way, things may spook the horse, uneven ground may cause it to stumble, or it might get frustratingly stuck in muddy patches. Instead of simply hanging onto the reins obliviously, we need to learn to anticipate obstacles, to adjust the way we ride to avoid ditches, and to hang on for dear life when we need to.

That’s the individual picture. Pulling back a bit, we can see that the path we’re riding down is part of a complex network of roads, all of them affected by common issues: if it rains, we all have to navigate mud puddles; if nobody maintains the roads, we all get stuck in ruts. There is no need to enumerate the collective problems facing every world citizen today; this book is meant to inspire, and a litany of downers won’t do that. But if we as a species are to survive, we need to be able to work collaboratively. We need to find both individual and collective balance in order to become calm enough to hear a variety of views, to broaden our perspectives, and to find the creativity needed to solve problems—big ones.

Today, our inner lives are chaotic. We’re letting the horses we’re riding get out of control, and we’re not making good decisions—individually, in our communities, in our governments, and in our collective psyche. To find our way down the road more effectively, we need to learn how to create an inner life of wisdom and compassion, to stay regulated in difficult situations, and to function collaboratively without our individual nervous systems derailing us. We need to learn how to find inner stability amid the outer chaos; in short, we need to become unshakeable.As a tree standing in the forest may encounter strong winds that blow its branches around wildly, to survive, it must have a strong trunk and be held in the ground by formidable roots. It knows how to take in nourishment from above and below. This tree is also supported by the root systems of all the other trees in the forest. Together they produce the oxygen that supports all of life; that is their calling. So, too, may our journey to wholeness lead us to participate in the collective awakening that is needed …