Every year, Melvin McLeod and the editors at Shambhala Sun cull the best magazine pieces and book excerpts for one of the most thought-provoking Buddhist anthologies around. The 2012 edition of The Best Buddhist Writing continues the streak with a diversity of voices and visions that offer a wonderful entry point to modern Buddhist wisdom.
The anthology effortlessly weaves different strands of Buddhist thought and practice--Tibetan, Zen, Theravada and Mahayana traditions--and varying degrees of awareness, from the novice practitioner to renowned spiritual masters like Thich Nhat Hanh and the Dalai Lama. Callie Bates writes with great emotional discernment of her cancer diagnosis in "The Purple Wig," describing how Buddhism provided a critical support network and helped ground her in the event. Barry Boyce gets right to the heart of Chogyan Trungpa Rinpoche's crazy wisdom and almost dangerous charisma in a short memoir of Shambala Sun's guiding spirit, "Ocean of Dharma." "Wide Awake" offers an energetic take on the Buddhist way from Noah Levine that adds a healthy dose of punk D.I.Y. ethos to the path of liberation.
The Best Buddhist Writing 2012 is admirable in the breadth of voices it offers and the cohesive way the pieces are pulled together. For long-time practitioners, sympathetic fellow travelers and those just beginning an inquiry into the Buddhist way, this anthology provides good writing and deep wisdom to engage, entertain and maybe even plant a first foothold on the path to enlightenment. --Donald Powell, freelance writer