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Reflections of the Dhamma

Culled from the Buddha's teaching, contemporary literature, and the author's own life lessons, this book is a gently humorous, powerful yet sweet gathering of story-poems, offered as a help when read or recalled at the time when they are most needed. Those practicing meditation may find refreshment, joy and a challenge to apply their practice in daily life; others may find an observant and empathetic voice in these lines.

In India I came upon a beggar woman
covered in dust and grime
seated at the side of the road.
Someone had given her a plate of food
which had attracted a mangy and growling mad dog.
He too was hungry
And without hesitation she shared
her only food with him.
He ate and then lay down at her feet.

Locked in their respective kammas
there was still room for kindness.
And if I could speak her language
(I spoke unilingual affluence
and she all the dialects of abject poverty)
I would beg her to tell me
how her heart can shine so brightly
beneath the dust of her life.

Ian McCrorie has traveled the world, studied with renowned teachers, lived as a recluse in meditation, and returned to the householder?s life. He and his wife live in Ottawa, Ontario.

Slowing down and attending
to just this breath allows
the reality of Now to reveal its nature.

Published by: Pariyatti Press
Publication Date: May 2003
Softcover , 116 pages
ISBN: 1-928706-17-7

Dr. Paul Fleischman examines the factors involved in cultivating that elusive human quality: inner peace.

The author holds up examples of people who have inspired him in his personal quest for harmony and happiness. Life sketches of such diverse exemplars as Helen and Scott Nearing, the Shakers, Walt Whitman, Gandhi, John Muir, Thoreau and Rabindranath Tagore demonstrate that it is a dispassionate equipoise in the face of everyday suffering that leads to inner peace. His ultimate example is an autobiographical account of his own experience with his practice of Vipassana.

The final chapter of the book is a compelling appeal to all people to walk the path of peace as a way of healing the earth itself.

300 pages
Published by Vipassana Publications of America
ISBN 1-928706-25-8

The Quiet Mind is a classic (and true) story of a spiritual odyssey. John Coleman, a CIA agent in Asia in the 1950's, is forced to resign when his cover is blown. He embarks on a vigorous pursuit of a different sort: a quest for spiritual truth.

Coleman travels through India, Burma, Japan and Thailand and encounters such legendary teachers as Krishnamurti, Maharishi, D.T. Suzuki and Sayagyi U Ba Khin. His search for peace of mind and liberating insights comes to fruition in Yangon (Rangoon) under the tutelage of the great Vipassana meditation master U Ba Khin.

First published in 1970, The Quiet Mind has been out of print for many years; this new edition will be welcomed by a new generation of seekers and those already familiar with it.

Published by: Pariyatti Press
Publication Date: November 2000
Softcover , 203 pages
ISBN: 1928706061

When the first ten-day Vipassana meditation course came to a close at Alabama's Donaldson Prison in 2002, twenty men were faced with the possibility of a new chapter in their lives. Many have life sentences and most have been deeply acculturated to the life of violence and abuse that is all too common in prisons. In letters written during a four-year period after this course, 15 inmate-meditators offer direct and intimate access to their thoughts, struggles, dreams and triumphs after taking part in this intensive, voluntary program. Corrections officers, wardens, judges and others ask: "Can this program really reform such hardened inmates? Will the changes last?" These letters will help you decide for yourself if their transformations are real or not.