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The late Venerable Sayadaw U Pandita, a Buddhist monk for 83 years in Burma (Myanmar), was one of the world's foremost authorities on Satipatthana Vipassana, (mindfulness) meditation, with thousands of students worldwide, and a guiding figure to many senior leaders in his country's long struggle for freedom, democracy, and peaceful coexistence. In Wisdom for the World, the Venerable Sayadaw (45 days before he passed away at 95 years old), delivers his final teaching through this remarkable series of dialogues with his first western student and friend of nearly 40 years, Alan Clements.
Merging classical Buddhist wisdom with visionary insights about modern life, these timeless conversations illuminate the requisites of living with love, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Especially relevant in Burma today, this book fosters hope for a country still convulsing from decades of dictatorship, and in a world increasingly fraught with trauma and complexity.
Essentially, Wisdom for the World provides the psychological and spiritual guidance -- the mindful intelligence -- for anyone desiring to surmount intolerance, hatred, and discrimination, in whatever form it takes.
Wisdom for the World and Mindful Advice to My Nation, Alan Clements, World Dharma Publications, Paperback, 126 pages, $12.95
Alan Clements was among the first Westerners to ordain as a Buddhist monk in Burma, where he lived in a monastery practicing mindfulness meditation for nearly five years, before being expelled from the country in 1984 by the dictatorship, with no reason given. Leaving the monastic life, Clements returned to the West, becoming a spiritual maverick, journalist, and human rights activist engaged in Burma's nonviolent struggle for freedom while speaking up for political prisoners worldwide. Clements co-authored The Voice of Hope with Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi - the former political prisoner and Nobel Peace Laureate. In addition, his books include, Burma: The Next Killing Fields, and Revolution of the Spirit, both with forewords by the Dalai Lama and endorsed by 8 Noble Peace Laureates and former President Jimmy Carter. He's also written Instinct for Freedom and A Future To Believe In: 108 Reflections on the Art and Activism of Freedom. Clements has been interviewed on ABC National, Talk to America, CBC, VOA, BBC, the New York Times, Time and Newsweek magazines, the Sydney Morning Herald, Utne Reader, Yoga Journal, and scores of other media worldwide. He also delivered a keynote at Amnesty International's 30th Year Anniversary at the John Ford Theater in LA. You can learn more about Alan's work on his website: www.AlanClements.com.
Contributing editor Fergus Harlow is a long time assistant to Alan Clements and World Dharma.
INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................9 BIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................12 - Requisites for Reconciliation ..........................................................................17 - The Dhamma Protects those who Protect the Dhamma. ...............................29 - The Dhamma of Reconciliation and the SQ Revolution .................................40 - Looking for the Dhamma You Find it in Yourself ............................................53 - It's Important to Be a True Human Being .......................................................80 A CONVERSATION WITH SAYADAW U PANDITA, 1996 ...............................87 PHOTOGRAPHS ............................................................................................110
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