Kindness: A Treasury of Buddhist Wisdom for Children and Parents

by Sarah Conover, Valerie Wahl (Illustrator)

Overview

"Kindness is packed with excellent tales that will surprise and delight readers while introducing them to the diversity of religious traditions." ―John Green, Booklist

Following the Buddha through his various transformations, these clarified, often humorous narrative journeys open the ancient masters profound and gentle teachings to persons of all ages, religions, races, and ideological persuasions. Over and over this marvelous book tells us, "let go of your anger, your fear, your greedy desire. Embrace gladness. Follow the path." And the stories themselves, simply as stories, form a wondrous pageant of elephants, monkeys, monks, and men working through foolishness toward wisdom and delight. This collection of traditional Buddhist tales leads us to the kind of implicit understanding of ourselves and others that only stories can provide.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781558965683
Publisher:	Unitarian Universalist Association
Publication date:	06/02/2010
Pages:	182
Product dimensions:	8.90(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	11 - 14 Years

About the Author

Sarah Conover has written six books on world wisdom traditions and the spiritual education of families. Her interests lie in building bridges of understanding between people of differing world cultures and wisdom traditions. As a former high-school teacher, she strived to bring multicultural perspectives to her students by collaborating with other educators worldwide. She was the recipient of two U.S. State Department grants that brought U.S. teachers to the Middle East to initiate classroom collaborations between students in the two regions. Sarah lives in Spokane, Washington, where she teaches creative writing and Buddhist meditation.

Valerie Wahl is a graduate of Washington State Universitywhere she studied Fine Art. She is the illustrator of Kindness: A Treasury of Buddhist Wisdom for Children and Parents and Ayat Jamilah: Beautiful Signs: A Treasury of Islamic Wisdom for Children and Parents.

Read an Excerpt

Birdsnest

Long ago in China, there lived a monk who perched in a certain tree every day to meditate. No matter if the tree swayed in fierce winds and rain, the monk settled himself comfortably, high up in the tree. Because of this, he was nicknamed “Birdsnest” by the village folk nearby.

Many of these villagers passed beneath the monk while hunting or while gathering wood in the forest. And after a time, they grew used to the monk. Some began to stop and talk of their concerns with Birdsnest. They liked the things he had to say, and soon Birdsnest became known for his kind and thoughtful words.

After more years, the monk’s wise reputation spread throughout the province. Visitors from distant cities hiked to the remote forest for advice. Even the governor of the province decided that he too would like to visit Birdsnest to discuss matters of importance. So, one spring morning, the governor set off to find him. After traveling several days, he at last located Birdsnest’s tree in the dense forest. The monk sat calmly, high in the topmost branches, enjoying the warmth and the bird songs of spring.

Looking up, the governor shouted, “Birdsnest! I am the governor of this province and I have come a great distance to speak with you. I have a most important question.” The governor waited for a reply but heard only the pleasant sounds of leaves stirring in the breeze. The governor continued, “This is my question. Tell me Birdsnest, what is it that all the wise ones have taught? Can you tell me the most important thing the Buddha ever said?” There was a long pause—just the soft rustle of leaves again.

Finally, the monk called down from the tree. “This is your answer governor. Don’t do bad things. Always do good things. That’s what all the Buddhas taught.”

But the governor thought this answer far too simple to have walked two days for! Irritated and annoyed, the governor stammered, “Don’t do bad things; always do good things! I knew that when I was three years old, monk!”

Looking down at the governor, Birdsnest replied with a wry smile. “Yes, the three- year-old knows it, but the eighty-year-old still finds it very difficult to do!”

Table of Contents

To The Young Reader

Preface

Stories and Sayings

Birdsnest

The Mustard Seed

The Elephant and the Wind: A Jataka Tale

The Monk’s Heavy Load

When the Horse Runs Off

The Noble Ibex: A Jataka Tale

Heaven and Hell

Many Elephants

The Worth of Cherry Blossoms

The Span of Life

Teaching a Thief

Anger

Gifts for the Robber

The Quarrelsome Quails: A Jataka Tale

Two Teachers and Tea

The Buddha and the Brahmins

The Broom Master

The Old Teacher’s Test: A Jataka Tale

Prince Dighavu

A Man, Two Tigers, and a Strawberry

The Dung Beetle: A Jataka Tale

Castles of Sand

The Mice Who Taught the Monk to Smile

The Monkey King: A Jataka Tale

Mr. Kitagaki

Great Joy the Ox: A Jataka Tale

The Thief Within

The Prince and the Monster: A Jataka Tale

Perfecting Patience

The Party

The Art of Attention

The Scared Little Rabbit: A Jataka Tale

Sources of Sayings

Story Sources

Further Resources for Children

Editorial Reviews

"Many American children know the parable of the mustard seed told in the New Testament. Few, however, have been exposed to the equally compelling Buddhist story of the mustard seed. In this parable, the Buddha tells a woman who has lost her child to seek out mustard seeds from families that have not been exposed to death. In doing so, the woman learns the universality of grief. Thirty-one such stories have been masterfully adapted and translated by Conover to transmit the soft, lyrical voice of the originals. These include Jataka tales, stories of the Buddha in past incarnations, which are widely read and retold to Buddhist children throughout the world. Populated with sticky-haired dragons, verbose monkeys, and strange-looking monks, and illustrated in pleasant, sepia-tone pictures contributed by Valerie Wahl, Kindness is packed with excellent tales that will surprise and delight readers while introducing them to the diversity of religious traditions." ―John Green, Booklist

From the Publisher

"Most of these 32 stories are only a few pages long, and the longer ones seem drawn out. Wry, rather than humorous, many are less-known Jataka tales. The traditions of India, Japan, and Tibet are well represented, while China and other Buddhist-influenced countries are not. Although many of these stories resemble fables, their level of language as well as the parablelike meanings demand skillful readers. Oblique as many tales are, readers must be good interpreters, alert to implications. The vocabulary ("asceticism," "gratification," "enlightenment") in the "Young Reader" introductions signals is level of sophistication. The narrative style is sometimes arch ("sprite," "thee"), sometimes moralizing. The dozen full-page illustration are fine line drawings, whose realistic style helps ground these spiritual anecdotes. Each story is preceded by a wise "saying," providing attractive and accessible nuggets of Buddhist thought. Sources for sayings and stories appear in a valuable annotated bibliography. this is not a complete introduction to the religion, but its ethos, much as a collection of parables would be for Christianity. Although there are several similar compilations in print, the growth of Buddhism in the U.S. might provide a demand for this one, too." -Patricia Lothrop, School Library Journal

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