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Three Billion Heart Beats follows the journey of the Buddha, through the eyes of a 16 year old girl.Eva is born with a congenital heart defect. Growing up without a mother, and with her father mostly absent while transitioning between prison and rehab, her heart defect is not the only thing that makes her special. Throughout her upbringing, Eva becomes increasingly aware of the nature of human suffering. During boarding school, it is the deterioration of her father that spurs her to search for answers. Her reluctance to accept the status quo of unhappiness takes her on an epic journey from the U.S. East Coast, to the concentration camps of Auschwitz and the slums of Mumbai. During encounters with various people along the way, each providing her with their unique gems of wisdom, she unknowingly follows the path of the Buddha. Will her newfound knowledge enable her to help her father or perhaps humanity as a whole? One thing she knows for sure: Every heart beat counts.
About the author
Mark Stoffels was born in the Netherlands in 1983. He first became interested in Buddhism working in Thailand. Having observed the benefits of meditation and Buddhist philosophy in real life, he developed the idea to share his learnings in a fictional novel. Having previously lived in Thailand, India, Brazil and Mexico and having worked in many more countries around the globe, Mark currently lives in Panama, together with his wife Paula and two daughters, Benthe and Sophie.
