Sumeru News — Sumeru Books

Two new books from Sumeru, just in time for Buddha's birthday! Beginning, Middle & Zen: Tales from Canada to Korea and Back Again, by Glen Choi Elucidating Tathagatagarbha, by Master Tam Shek-wing

Here's an interview with Bonnie Sumana Ryan-Fisher on The Secular Buddhist podcast, episode 293 (May 13, 2018). http://secularbuddhism.org/2018/05/13/episode-293-bonnie-sumana-ryan-fisher-mindful-moment-52-weeks-of-mindfulness/ Bonnie Sumana Ryan-Fisher joins us to speak about her new book Mindful Moment: 52 Weeks of Mindfulness, Exercises and Reflections. "When I first heard about secular mindfulness programs like MBSR, I had a judgmental reaction. This isn’t Sati, you can’t condense mindfulness into eight weeks, this is a watering down… all of the usual criticisms from a traditional Buddhist point of view, even though I’m secular. Fortunately, this internal monologue did not go unnoticed, nor did it escape the reality of it being...

Sumeru author Richard Bryan McDaniel's latest book, Catholicism and Zen, was recently reviewed in the Canadian Journal of Buddhist Studies. The review, by Bradford McCall of the Claremont School of Theology, can be found here: https://thecjbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Catholicism-and-Zen_McCall_75-78-1.pdf You'll also notice that the CJBS has moved to a new web address. Glad to see they are thriving!

I have been working on a book about Vajrayana shrine rooms for some time now. It comprises 158 photographs I took over several sessions at a large Buddhist temple in the Greater Toronto area, annotated by text I am writing to explain the objects featured in each photo. So far, the book is 122 pages, 11 x 8.5, in landscape format, full colour throughout. Once I get the text finished, it will probably run a bit longer. The book is in three parts: I - A Rosary of Precious Offerings to Enrich the Mind (the shrine room, altar and ritual objects)...

Canadian Buddhism, eh? Well, that's an interesting topic for contemplation. Here's a review of Lotus Petals in the Snow: Voices of Canadian Buddhist Women that just came out from Buddhistdoor: https://www.buddhistdoor.net/features/north-of-the-49th-parallel-a-review-of-lotus-petals-in-the-snow As the reviewer, Caitlyn Dwyer, notes...there is a wide variety of topics and styles in the anthology, and no particular ideological agenda. "The volume as a whole feels like a Canadian conversation, with women across the Buddhist spectrum reaching out to peers, offering wisdom, pooling experiences, creating a baseline of storytelling and teaching that can be used to build community." The one thing Dwyer forgot to mention is that everyone...