Avalokitesvara is a great bodhisattva from the Mahayana tradition who embodies the ideals of compassionate interaction. The East Asian translation of the name, 'Guan Yin' (Jp. Kannon; Kr. Kuaneum), reflects this compassion as the characters translate roughly to "one who perceives the cries [of the world]." In one of the many forms in which she is represented, Guan Yin is shown with one thousand eyes and one thousand arms, so that she/he may not only see and be aware of all the forms of suffering in the world, but also have the means to skillfully help in a way that fits each individual's needs.

This book arose from a yearning to work towards that goal among monastics and other leaders in Buddhist communities. In our experience at University of West--about as diverse a Buddhist environment as one can find, with ordained and lay students from numerous countries and traditions filling the classrooms and walking the hallways--we often encountered people who asked what was taught in all those M.Div. classes. When hearing about some of the chaplaincy training, nearly all of them either told a story of how they could have used such training or described how they really wished such aspects were included as a part of Buddhist monastic/leadership training in general.

As a Buddhist community leader--or even a concerned community member--we may have read many sutras, practiced thousands of hours of meditation, or become well versed in Buddhist philosophy, but that does not prepare us for every situation we will face. It is very natural that people turn to a spiritual or religious community in times of trouble, and when such a person comes our hearts may fill with compassion and want to do whatever we can to ease their suffering. However, our beautifully diverse world also brings forth a countless array of problematic situations. One individual may struggle with clinical depression. Another might have serious financial hardships. Or maybe we are wondering how to best get the children and youth in our community more involved. Abrahamic training in the West includes many of these aspects and there are plenty of books from Abrahamic perspectives which help accentuate that knowledge in various ways. However, conversations with Buddhists in the West show that both such training and resources are often lacking.

Of course, this book will not provide all the answers you need for every situation. It is simply one guidebook; it is a beginning, created from many of the issues we heard people struggling with in their communities, inspired by the compassion of so many wonderful hearts caring for others around them. This book simply aims to provide some brief passages of guidance on how to handle issues, necessary background information, practical tips on what you can do, and information about further resources. There were so many topics to include and cover, and, unfortunately, we could not make this book encompass everything. There are other issues we had hoped to include but that did not make it into the present work for various reasons (e.g., sleep disorders, chronic pain, creating a social media presence for your community, crisis caregiving, creating and managing youth groups, etc.). It is our hope that this volume will not be the one and only resource, but the just the beginning.

A Thousand Hands: A Guidebook to Caring for Your Buddhist Community, Nathan Jishin Michon and Daniel Clarkson Fisher (editors), Sumeru Press, Paperback, 384 pages, $34.95

Nathan Jishin Michon is a PhD student at the Graduate Theological Union, studying Buddhist caregiving. He is ordained as both an interfaith minister and a Buddhist minister and primarily practices in both the Thai forest and Shingon traditions. He previously worked for three years as an editor for Fo Guang Shan, earned his MDiv at University of the West, and MA in Comparative religion at Western Michigan University. Nathan also trained in Peace and Conflict Studies at the European Peace University in Austria and interned at related organizations, such as Peace Action Training and Research Institute of Romania (PATRIR) and Peace Revolution in Thailand.

Daniel Clarkson Fisher is a documentarian and writer whose work has appeared in outlets that include Alter-Net, Religion Dispatches,Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, Patheos, Lion�s Roar, Inquiring Mind, Turning Wheel Media, and Buddhadharma: The Practitioner�s Quarterly. He established and served as the first chair of the Master of Divinity in Buddhist Chaplaincy program at University of the West. In addition, he has served as adjunct faculty for Antioch Education Abroad�s Buddhist Studies program in Bodh Gaya, India, and Adjunct Faculty in Chaplaincy at Hartford Seminary. A dedicated environmental educator, he was trained and certified as a Climate Reality Leader by Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and the Climate Reality Project in 2012, and completed the Aldo Leopold Foundation�s Land Ethic Leader Program in 2014. He now lives in Toronto, Canada with his wife Stephanie Lyn, who contributed two chapters to this volume. Visit him online at danielclarksonfisher.com.