Living As a River: Finding Fearlessness in the Face of Change Hot

Bodhipaksa is “a Buddhist teacher and author living in New Hampshire, but originally from Scotland.” He got his name when he joined the Western Buddhist order. It means “wings of enlightenment.” He runs a Buddhist organization called Wildmind and publishes meditation CDs.
In addition, he says, “I teach meditation and Buddhism in prison. That’s an incredibly satisfying thing to do.” This indicates that his is not merely a dry practice.

In this attractive book, he compares life itself to the flow of a river. If we let go of the idea of permanence and let ourselves drift in a consciously guided way, we can free ourselves from attachment. It’s a useful and inspiring metaphor. The author says “Energy simply flows through us, just as water and other elements do. And an individual organism is just an eddy in this larger flow of energy. A living being, seen this way, is a self-organizing vortex of energy and matter, not separate in any real way from the surrounding flow of elements.”

Living as a River explores ordinary meditation practice, even driving a car as a form of meditation. It is written in a poetic style that should lead a practitioner of Buddhism to access deeper meanings and utilize them for his or her own path. However, the author considers himself a “skeptical Buddhist” so his teaching offers a thoughtful approach to those who are not committed to that faith.
The subtitle of the book is “Finding Fearlessness in the Face of Change.” That strikes me as a challenge that would resonate with all of us in these times when it seems that spiritual concepts take second place to worldly concerns, and worldly concerns often engender a sense of fear for the present and the future. Bodhipaksa says, “I hope that as a result of engaging with this book, you will start to see yourself differently—start to see yourself, even if just for brief periods, as more fluid and dynamic that you normally think you are.” That is certainly an appealing idea for all spiritually-minded beings. Reason enough to buy the book and take up the challenge.