BOOKS and CDS OF TALKS
Copies of "In the Lap of the Buddha"
and CD's of Retreat Talks are available at retreats and
meditation groups. If you would like a listing of CDs, please
e-mail retreats@gavinharrison.net
for pricing and shipping information.
IN THE LAP OF THE BUDDHA
Gavin’s book, In the Lap of the Buddah is also available
at bookstores everywhere
Forward to In the Lap of the Buddha by Joseph
Goldstein:
I first met Gavin Harrison in Johannesburg, South Africa,
in 1981. From that beginning meditation weekend, Gavin
has become a longtime student, friend, and colleague whose
special gifts now shine so profoundly through this book.
Through an extraordinary journey of suffering, shared in
these times by so many others, Gavin has forged an understanding
infused with wisdom and compassion. It is a wisdom
grounded in the meditation practice of the Buddha’s teachings,
and a compassion born from his own great open heart.
How do we cope with the trauma of abuse, with the onslaught
of disease, or with the simple tribulations of our daily
life? And in the midst of it all, how can we connect
with the purity of awareness that remains our unfailing
refuge? In the Lap of the Buddha points
us to the inner strength and courage we all have, although
sometimes overlook.
A deeply personal odyssey gave birth to this book.
A timeless wisdom emerges from it. I am grateful to
Gavin for this gift of Dharma. Only someone who lives
the teachings could have written it.
JOSEPH GOLDSTEIN
Barre, Massachusettes
New Year, 1994
Reviews for In the Lap of the Buddha:
Gavin Harrison’s path is the straightforward heartfelt
examination of the ground beneath his feet.
Each step enters directly the healing he seeks.
With penetrating mindfulness, Gavin Harrison uncovers
the roots of suffering and the path to wholeness.
The healing he seeks, though stimulated by fearsome
childhood abuse and an HIV+ diagnosis, is in truth
the healing we all seek. Gavin has taken what
is called ‘the high path with no railing’ to discover
the healing we all long for.
-Stephen Levine, author of Healing into Life
and Death
|
…Courageous and articulate testimony… This is a
powerful presentation by an effective writer who
uses Buddhist teaching and meditation practice to
effect a triumph of the human spirit. Highly
recommended for libraries whose patrons need books
to help them cope with the universal experience
of human suffering.
-Library Journal, July, 1994
|
…White South African Gavin Harrison’s loving manual
casts light on the application of meditation to
real-life conditions like HIV and AIDS, memories
of childhood sexual abuse and the less dire fear
of daily life. The heartfelt prose ring true,
as do the parallels between the lives of contemporary
Americans and the life of Siddartha Gautama; and
Harrison’s life itself, here documented, convincingly
makes the case that Buddhist meditation practices
are not a path from life but rather a road into
and through it.
-Publishers Weekly, July 11, 1994
|
…A fresh, authentic integration of Buddhist fundamentals
with the lessons learned from a life in which pain
has been the primary teacher… This is not a book
to be feared… (It is) a near-heroic inquiry into
turning fearsome hindrances into helpers, which
he modestly calls ‘making our experience workable…’
There are many, many things to admire in the book.
-Inquiring Mind, 1995
|
…There is a wonderful, gripping quality to the writing
when Harrison is describing his own experience,
a sense of the human heart opening to life… Harrison
has written an instructive manual that can be consulted
by new practitioners, as well as by those facing
immediate crises.
-Tricycle: The Buddhist Review
|
This wonderfully wise and warm book brings the timeless
teachings of the Buddha to life, reminding us that
every challenge, every trial, is grist for the mill
of awakening to the compassionate heart of our own
true nature. The authenticity and deep humanity
of Gavin Harrison shine out from every page of this
book. It is truly a jewel.
-Joan Borysenko, author of Minding the Body,
Mending the Mind
|
|
