Today we officially release our fourth book: In the Garden of Our Minds and other Buddhist stories. This children’s book presents a fictional Western family with two rambunctious elementary school-aged children. In five of the chapters, the mother in the book retells traditional stories of the life of the Buddha in a way that makes their lessons relevant to modern life. One chapter describes the mother leading her children in a simple guided meditation practice developed based on the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh. The last chapter describes the whole family’s visit to hear a Tibetan Buddhist teacher give a teaching about compassion. At the end of the book, a Conversations with Children section provides additional context to assist in discussing the book with children. There’s even a glossary of terms, so no need to worry if you’re unfamiliar with Buddhist terminology. Introductions were graciously provided by His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche and Venerable Bardor Tulku Rinpoche, both lamas in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
Michelle wrote the text; illustrations and graphic design are by Brian Chen, who lives in the DC area and is very involved with the local Buddhist community. The book is 108 pages, paperback. Individual retail copies may be purchased for $19.95 on Amazon.com here. If you want to ask your local bookstore to carry the book, it is being distributed through New Leaf Distributing Company. The book’s ISBN is 978-0-9837984-6-0. Part of the profits from sales of the book will go to Buddhist charities, including the Tibetan Nuns Project and 84000, Translating the Words of the Buddha.
On another bit of good news – Victory at Any Cost has just surpassed 1000 sales and is keeping pace with Rising Tide.
Blue Moon Aurora 