In this book a teacher of insight meditation offers personal testament, healing words, and wise instruction to help meet the suffering that comes with catastrophic life events. Speaking openly about his own struggles with memories of childhood sexual abuse and with the HIV diagnosis he received in 1989, Gavin Harrison reveals how compassion offers refuge and help for all who suffer from similar crises of body, heart, and spirit. Among the topics covered are:

• Dealing with fear, anger, and self-hatred


• Working with difficult relationships


• Confronting physical pain and the fear of death


• Transforming the legacy of sexual abuse


• The question of karma and "Why me?"


• Grappling with issues of faith, freedom, hope, and miracles


• Basic insight meditation instructions, plus guided meditations for forgiveness, compassion, and equanimity
  

In the Lap of the Buddha, Gavin Harrison, Shambhala Publications, 304 pages, $29.95

Gavin Harrison (1950 - 2018) was the author and poet of Petals and Blood: Stories, Dharma and Poems of Ecstasy, Awakening and Annihilation, and In the Lap of the Buddha. He was a recipient of the "Unsung Heroes of Compassion Award," presented to him by His Holiness the Dalai Lama for "kindness and quiet dedication to others." His teachings of Awakening were rooted in the Buddhist Insight Meditation Tradition. He lived on the Big Island of Hawai'I, was a student of Yoga, Tai Chi and Qi Gong and his passions included ocean swimming, hiking and growing fruit and vegetables. He was a USA fundraiser for The Woza Moya Project and The Group of Hope supporting AIDS orphans in KwaZulu, South Africa.