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How can a contemplative practice be a vehicle for social transformation? This examination of how we face suffering identifies five psychological territories, or 'Edge States'―altruism, empathy, integrity, respect, and engagement. These embody our strength of character. Moreover, it is where our true potential lies. Only when we stand at the brim of these edges do we open up to the full range of our human experience and discover who we really are. Yet each of these states can also cause personal and social suffering: altruism may be pathological; empathy may turn to anguish, integrity to moral suffering, and respect to irreverence; while engagement can lead to overwork and exhaustion. How can we avoid these traps and balance these opposing forces? In these pages, will readers will find a practical guide to help them cross the threshold of change and overcome fear with the aid of Zen traditions and mindfulness practices.
About the author
Joan Halifax is a Zen priest, Buddhist teacher, and anthropologist. She has lectured on the subject of death and dying at academic institutions around the world, including Columbia University, the University of Miami School of Medicine, and the University of Naropa. In 1990 she founded the Upaya Institute and Zen Center, a center for Buddhist studies and social action located in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She is also the founder of the Project on Being with Dying which has trained hundreds of health care professionals on how to deliver contemplative care to the dying. Her books include
The Fruitful Darkness: A Journey Through Buddhist Practice, Simplicity in the Complex: A Buddhist Life in America, and
Being with Dying: Cultivating Compassion and Wisdom in the Presence of Death.
