In The Dharma of Poetry, John Brehm shows us how poems can be a source of wisdom and an entry into spiritual practice. He helps us understand how poems open up new ways of thinking, feeling, and being in the world that anyone engaged in spiritual practice - or wishing to live a more mindful life - might want to emulate. Brehm holds open the practice of mindfully entering a poem, with an alertness, curiosity, and open-hearted responsiveness that is very much like the attention we cultivate in meditation.

A standalone book that also serves as a companion to the author's acclaimed anthology, The Poetry of Impermanence, Mindfulness, and Joy, this collection of lively, elegantly written essays offers in-depth explorations of twenty remarkable poems. It also offers poetry-related meditations and writing prompts that invite readers to directly engage with the poems and ideas discussed in the book, and expand their own practice of poetry. Additional resources include an essay titled "How to Lead a Poetry and Dharma Discussion" and a list of poetry resources for further exploration.
Dharma of Poetry: How Poems Can Deepen Your Spiritual Practice and Open You to Joy, John Brehm, Wisdom Publications, Hardcover, 2021, 184 pp, $15.95

John Brehm is the author of three books of poetry, Sea of Faith, Help Is on the Way, and No Day at the Beach. His poems have appeared widely in journals and anthologies, including Poetry, The Sun, The Gettysburg Review, The Writer's Almanac, Plume, Best American Poetry, The Norton Introduction to Literature, and many others. He is the editor of The Poetry of Impermanence, Mindfulness, and Joy and the associate editor of The Oxford Book of American Poetry. He lives in Portland, Oregon, and teaches poetry and meditation classes in Portland and in Denver, Colorado. He can be found online at johnbrehmpoet.com.

CONTENTS: Dharma of Poetry
Introduction			vii
PART ONE
1.	Poetry as a Spiritual Practice		3
2.	The Sacred Pause: Frost, Ryokan, Wright		11
	Meditation: Walking/Stopping		25
3.	Seeing Clearly: Buson		29
4.	Elizabeth Bishop and the Art of Self-Forgetfulness		33
	Meditation: Space and Timeless Awareness		49
5.	Intimate Attention: Saigyo		53
6.	Listening: William Stafford and Denise Levertov		57
	Meditation: Mindfulness of Sounds		65
7.	Mirror Poems: Rexroth, Ammons, Issa, Zagajewski, Frost, Komunyakaa		67
	Meditation: Entering the Poem		87
8.	Sympathetic Joy: Chuang Tzu		91
9.	Cautionary Tales: Kay Ryan and Ellen Bass		99
10.	Wisdom and Compassion: Walt Whitman		109
	Meditation: Sit Like a Tree		117
PART TWO
	How to Lead a Dharma and Poetry Discussion		121
	Writing Prompts
	1:	Making Friends with "Ordinary" Objects	134
	2:	Accepting What Comes	136
	3:	Seeing from a Nonhuman Perspective	138
	4:	Dissolving the Sense of a Separate Self	140
	5:	The Sacred Pause	142
	Epilogue		145
	Acknowledgments		147
	Poetry Resources		149
	Credits		151
	Index		155
	About the Author		167