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Virtuous Heart: Twelve Buddhist Stories to Awaken and Inspire
"Virtuous Heart: Twelve Buddhist Stories to Awaken and Inspire," offers a beautiful selection of ancient wisdom tales of the Buddha updated for our times. In these stories, Buddha is incarnated as the devoted elephant, the patient ox, the compassionate snake, the sorry sun, and more, to teach humans about devotion, kindness, honesty, loyalty, forgiveness, compassion, humility, and self-sacrifice. These beautiful stories appeal to the soft heart within each of us—the virtuous heart that radiates truth, beauty, love, and connection in its care for all beings on this fragile earth.
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"In this evocative retelling of these classic Buddhist morality tales, each fable starts with the relatable, all-too-human cravings of the villain—a twist that makes all the more touching the transformations wrought by the compassion of the awakened animal teachers. Pairing Leza Lowitz’s deft prose with the delicate brushstrokes of Amanda Giacomini’s illustrations, these stories are tuned to delight seekers of all ages." —Anne Cushman, Author of "The Mama Sutra"
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"These simple, beautifully written and illustrated folk tales, based on stories from the Pali scriptures, are among some of the oldest recorded stories in the world. If you are not already familiar with them—as I wasn’t—I promise you will find them delightful. While charming in their own right, they also embody everyday wisdom (the Buddha reportedly used them to illustrate his teachings) that will inspire all of us, of any age or spiritual back- ground, to endeavor to become our best selves."
—Nina Zolotow, co-author of "Yoga for Healthy Aging: A Guide to Lifelong Well-Being" and Editor-in-Chief of the “Yoga for Healthy Aging” blog
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"VIRTUOUS HEART will make you remember the wisdom of animals with very human lessons you’ll never forget. So powerful, resonant and needed today!"
—Jennifer Pastiloff, author of "On Being Human: A Memoir of Waking Up, Living Real, and Listening Hard"
***
"In this evocative retelling of these classic Buddhist morality tales, each fable starts with the relatable, all-too-human cravings of the villain—a twist that makes all the more touching the transformations wrought by the compassion of the awakened animal teachers. Pairing Leza Lowitz’s deft prose with the delicate brushstrokes of Amanda Giacomini’s illustrations, these stories are tuned to delight seekers of all ages." —Anne Cushman, Author of "The Mama Sutra"
***
"These simple, beautifully written and illustrated folk tales, based on stories from the Pali scriptures, are among some of the oldest recorded stories in the world. If you are not already familiar with them—as I wasn’t—I promise you will find them delightful. While charming in their own right, they also embody everyday wisdom (the Buddha reportedly used them to illustrate his teachings) that will inspire all of us, of any age or spiritual back- ground, to endeavor to become our best selves."
—Nina Zolotow, co-author of "Yoga for Healthy Aging: A Guide to Lifelong Well-Being" and Editor-in-Chief of the “Yoga for Healthy Aging” blog
***
"VIRTUOUS HEART will make you remember the wisdom of animals with very human lessons you’ll never forget. So powerful, resonant and needed today!"
—Jennifer Pastiloff, author of "On Being Human: A Memoir of Waking Up, Living Real, and Listening Hard"
73 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 22, 2019
4 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
Leza Lowitz
33 books71 followersI'm a California girl living in Tokyo, where I write and run a yoga studio. For over two decades, I've been charting my quest in twenty books in many genres. I hope I'm just getting started.
I’m interested in ideas of identity and history. How is culture shaped, and how are we shaped by it? All of my books deal with notions of finding home.
"Up from the Sea," my debut Young Adult novel in verse about the March 11, 2011 Japan tsunami, is just out from Crown Books for Young Readers/Penguin Random House. It's about making a home within yourself when the only home you've ever known is destroyed. Named a #1 YA pick by BUZZFEED:http://www.buzzfeed.com/farrahpenn/ya...
My memoir, "In Search of the Sun" charts my quest for motherhood across two decades, two continents, and two thousand yoga poses. Its about creating connection and family--finding a home in each other, and in the world.
"Jet Black and the Ninja Wind," a YA adventure I co-wrote with my Japanese husband, is about a biracial girl seeking home across cultures. Her mission is to save her ancestral home and its ancient treasure.
Then there's the poetry. "Yoga Poems: Lines to Unfold By" deals with finding a home in one’s body. "Yoga Heart: Lines on the Six Perfections" charts the path to finding a home in the spirit.
I often write with my husband, the Middle Grade novelist Shogo Oketani (author of J-Boys, Kazuo's World, Tokyo, 1965 (translated by Avery Udagawa) about five fifth graders growing up during the first Tokyo Olympics). Building a bridge from East to West, we’ve collaborated on a book about kanji, a collection of poetry by a pacifist Japanese soldier, and the Jet Black trilogy in progress. Other couples finish each other’s sentences. We try to finish each other’s books.
Other Stuff people ask about: My writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Huffington Post, Yoga Journal, Shambhala Sun, The Best Buddhist Writing, The Japan Times, Art in America, and the San Francisco Chronicle, among others.
I've been fortunate to have received some literary awards, including the APALA Asia Pacific Award in Young Adult Literature, a SCBWI Work-in-Progress Fiction Honor grant, a PEN Syndicated Fiction Award, The PEN Josephine Miles Award for Poetry, individual grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the California Arts Council. Shogo and I received The U.S.-Japan Friendship Commission Award from Columbia University for the Translation of Japanese Literature. I've also received the Benjamin Franklin Award for Editorial Excellence, and three Pushcart Prize nominations.
I have a B.A. from U.C. Berkeley and an M.A. in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University. I've taught writing and literature there and at the University of Tokyo. I teach yoga and meditation internationally.
I love reading, dogs, and chocolate--preferably all at the same time. Thanks for stopping by.
I’m interested in ideas of identity and history. How is culture shaped, and how are we shaped by it? All of my books deal with notions of finding home.
"Up from the Sea," my debut Young Adult novel in verse about the March 11, 2011 Japan tsunami, is just out from Crown Books for Young Readers/Penguin Random House. It's about making a home within yourself when the only home you've ever known is destroyed. Named a #1 YA pick by BUZZFEED:http://www.buzzfeed.com/farrahpenn/ya...
My memoir, "In Search of the Sun" charts my quest for motherhood across two decades, two continents, and two thousand yoga poses. Its about creating connection and family--finding a home in each other, and in the world.
"Jet Black and the Ninja Wind," a YA adventure I co-wrote with my Japanese husband, is about a biracial girl seeking home across cultures. Her mission is to save her ancestral home and its ancient treasure.
Then there's the poetry. "Yoga Poems: Lines to Unfold By" deals with finding a home in one’s body. "Yoga Heart: Lines on the Six Perfections" charts the path to finding a home in the spirit.
I often write with my husband, the Middle Grade novelist Shogo Oketani (author of J-Boys, Kazuo's World, Tokyo, 1965 (translated by Avery Udagawa) about five fifth graders growing up during the first Tokyo Olympics). Building a bridge from East to West, we’ve collaborated on a book about kanji, a collection of poetry by a pacifist Japanese soldier, and the Jet Black trilogy in progress. Other couples finish each other’s sentences. We try to finish each other’s books.
Other Stuff people ask about: My writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Huffington Post, Yoga Journal, Shambhala Sun, The Best Buddhist Writing, The Japan Times, Art in America, and the San Francisco Chronicle, among others.
I've been fortunate to have received some literary awards, including the APALA Asia Pacific Award in Young Adult Literature, a SCBWI Work-in-Progress Fiction Honor grant, a PEN Syndicated Fiction Award, The PEN Josephine Miles Award for Poetry, individual grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the California Arts Council. Shogo and I received The U.S.-Japan Friendship Commission Award from Columbia University for the Translation of Japanese Literature. I've also received the Benjamin Franklin Award for Editorial Excellence, and three Pushcart Prize nominations.
I have a B.A. from U.C. Berkeley and an M.A. in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University. I've taught writing and literature there and at the University of Tokyo. I teach yoga and meditation internationally.
I love reading, dogs, and chocolate--preferably all at the same time. Thanks for stopping by.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 24, 2019
This is a lovely book. Each story seems so simple yet with each reading another layer of teachings are revealed. Beautiful!
October 14, 2019
Excellent collection of twelve Buddhist stories. An inspiration read. The author frames up the stories nicely and the illustrations are great. Well worth the read.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews