Second Edition
Just As You Are: Buddhism for Foolish Beings
Publisher : Woodsmoke Press; Second edition (20 Dec. 2023)
ISBN-10 : 0993131786
ISBN-13 : 978-0993131783
Want to know more about what we do and why? Buy Kaspa & Satya’s book, the perfect introduction to the Buddhism of Bright Earth Buddhist Temple. Order from your local independet book shop, get your copy here at the temple. Also available on Amazon: Kindle (US, UK etc) or paperback (US, UK etc).
Just As You Are is a clear and warm introduction to the Pure Land Buddhism of the Bright Earth Buddhist Temple. It outlines Bright Earth’s three themes of ecological, engaged and everyday Buddhism, and it introduces simple practices that connect us to our environment, that encourage us to speak up for justice, and that help us to make positive changes in our ordinary lives. This book has an important message: that we are all loveable just as we are, and that when we come to believe this we become kinder towards ourselves, towards all sentient beings and towards the Earth.
A sincere, humble, and intimate record of the transformative encounter with Other Power. Satya and Kaspa deftly interweave stimulating reflections on Pure Land thought and history with poignant, personal testimonies that beckon us into a space of deepening awareness and profound connection.
Nagapriya, author of The Promise of a Sacred World: Shinran’s Teaching of Other Power
This book offers a rich patchwork of articles sharing not just the fundamentals of Pure Land Buddhism, but also the lived experiences of practitioners. I particularly appreciate the way in which it interweaves the ground of ideas, practice and lifestyle with personal anecdotes from members of the Bright Earth group…. the picture painted in this book is religiously well informed and at the same time deeply embedded in the real worlds of environmental action, psychological therapies and social action. I would certainly recommend this book to anyone wanting to know more in particular about the Bright Earth tradition, but also to those seeking to broaden their understanding of Buddhism in its breadth and depth.
Caroline Brazier, Jodo Shinshu priest and author of The Other Buddhism.
I was a fan of the first edition of Just as You Are: Buddhism For Foolish Being but I think the second edition really hits the sweet spot in explaining the form of Buddhism Kaspa and Satya practice in their temple. It continues to introduce readers to Pure Land Buddhism but with more detail about its history, and expanding beyond an introduction to Pure Land to include new spiritual influences from their study with Bright Dawn and the Reverends Gyomay and Koyo Kubose…. Their dedication to this three-fold structure of an everyday, engaged, and ecological Buddhism is a rare combination that answers the needs of the world right now with sound Buddhist teachings that they write about with a bright passion.
Wendy Shinyo Haylett, founder & host of the podcast, Everyday Buddhism: Making Everyday Better, and author of Everyday Buddhism: Real-Life Buddhist Teachings & Practices For Real Change.
Just as You Are is a warm, accessible introduction to the practices of Pure Land Buddhism and a delightful glimpse into the life of two committed practitioners who not only teach the path, but live it. The writing is both honest and clear, personable and open, and it paints a compelling picture of the practices of Pure Land Buddhism and of temple living – or, short of that, of a life dedicated to the dharma. Satya and Kaspa are trustworthy guides, and those interested in exploring Pure Land Buddhism and its devotional practices do well to entrust themselves to their guidance.
Vanessa Zuisei Goddard, author of Still Running: The Art of Meditation in Motion.
What the authors have done in this book is show the way toward attentive compassion – compassion towards others but also, and maybe more importantly, towards oneself. I laughed out loud at the idea of the validation of our foolish, bombu nature.
Terrance Keenan, Zen Monk, Artist and Writer and the author of Zen Encounters with Loneliness.
The introduction to daily practice is succinct and blessedly clear. The book uses the upaya of personal experience to draw one in to the value and meaning of spiritual experience, and then lays out the actual day-to-day practice itself so that a reader will know exactly what they are getting into and why. This is so useful.
I have a statue of the seated Buddha on my altar. In his left hand he holds the fire of the Dharma, as though to say atta dipa, you are the light itself. His right hand is raised, palm out, in the universal gesture of peace, saying don’t be afraid. The authors also hold up their hands, palms out, saying to readers, don’t be afraid. It’s okay. There is no distance between us.
Satya and Kaspa’s living of their Buddhist faith has been an inspiration and a support to me for many years. Just As You Are reminds me of why: it offers a beautiful and accessible meditation on the ‘Other Power’ understanding of our human nature that guides and illuminates their work. What does fulfilling this nature really ask of us? Just As You Are offers a grounded touchstone to living out our own stumbling replies to this question, one that centralises kindness, honesty and humour.
Mat Osmond, Writer and Arts Lecturer.