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Pamela Bloom (Editor)
Foreword by Joan Halifax
Conari Press, Berkeley, CA, 2000
ISBN: 1573245232
 Rinpoche
is defined in the glossary of this beautiful anthology as
"Literally 'most precious one,' a form of address used
in Tibetan Buddhism for.respected teachers." Buddhist
Acts of Compassion is truly a precious teacher. Pamela Bloom
states in the introduction that "the greatest merit a
book like this can achieve is to inspire you to delve more
deeply into the traditional teachings."
With just a rudimentary
knowledge of Buddhism, I found myself touched again and again
by the deeply personal stories related by masters and students
alike of their journeys to the real meaning of compassion
and the often severe tests of their desire to relieve the
suffering of all sentient beings. The individual stories are
short, and quotes from the great Buddhist teachers are interspersed
throughout. Even the design of this small book is beautiful.
There are many lessons offered
in this anthology. One of the most powerful is that the practice
of Buddhism is to be compassionate in your very nature. Several
of the stories are written by the rinpoches, who have spent
many years imprisoned by the occupying armies in Tibet. As
I read of their ability to overcome the extreme physical and
mental torture by practicing Tonglen (breathing in the suffering
of others, breathing out compassion and light), I was in awe
of their complete dedication to uncompromisingly relieving
the suffering of all sentient beings-even that of their tormentors.
It was in this small book
that I first read of the concept that anger and compassion
were not mutually exclusive. However, according to the Buddhist
definition of karma, anger often leads to non-virtuous acts,
creating negative karma, but compassion is a state of great
merit, creating positive karma. The philosophy of nonjudgmental
acceptance of all beings and always being kind led one writer
to muse when meeting one of the Dalai Lama's tutors that "His
magnanimity offended the part of my mind that wanted him to
value me specially."
Buddhist Acts of Compassion
has over 50 short stories interspersed with quotations, a
guide to Metta meditation, a guide to Tonglen meditation,
a brief glossary, and a brief biography of each of the individual
contributors. The stories can be read in order from front
to back, or the book can be flipped open to see what message
the Universe may have today. This is a book that can be read
again and again, and the message will be different each time.
The daguerreotype photo of a monk's beautiful hand holding
a mala, the ivory paper, and the clean, delicate type all
add to the tangible pleasure of experiencing this book. Pamela
Bloom has indeed inspired me to learn more about the traditions
of Buddhism.
Kathryn Lanier lives
in Greeley, CO with her seven year old twins. She is a freelance
writer and editor educated at UNC-Chapel Hill and the College
of Charleston. She has been published in national and local
publications and is the publisher of Nourishing the Trinity
newsletter. You are welcome to share your stories and questions
with Kathryn at TheWritingArts@aol.com.
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