The Buddha's wife
Subtitle: her story and readers companion ; the path of awakening together
By: Janet Surrey, PhD, and Samuel Shem, MD
Contributors: Shem, Samuel
Publisher: Atria Books; Beyond Words
Published: 2015
Place of publication: New York; Hillsboro, Oregon
Language: eng
Number of pages: 283
ISBN-13: 9781582704180; 9781476710198
Subjects: Religious life; Buddhism; Women; SELF-HELP / Spiritual; RELIGION / Buddhism / General (see also PHILOSOPHY / Buddhist); SOCIAL SCIENCE / Women's Studies
Description: "What do we know of the wife and child the Buddha abandoned when he went off to seek his enlightenment? For the first time, The Buddha's Wife brings this rarely told story to the forefront, offering a nuanced portrait of this compelling and compassionate figure while also examining the practical applications her teachings have on our modern lives. Princess Yasodhara's journey is one full of loss, grief, and suffering. But through it, she discovered her own enlightenment within the deep bonds of community and "ordinary" relationships. While traditional Buddhism emphasizes solitary mediation, Yasodhara's experience speaks of the Path of Right Relation, of achieving awareness not alone but together with others. The Buddha's Wife is comprised of two parts: the first part is a historical narrative of Yasodhara's fascinating story, and then the second part is a reader's companion filled with life lessons, practices, and reflections for the modern reader. Her story gives readers a relational path, one which speaks directly to our everyday lives and offers a doorway to profound spiritual maturation, awakening, and wisdom beyond the solitary, heroic journey"--