As usual for me, the podcast-length version condensing the essence of the author's viewpoint is more compelling than the book-length version, in this case because it goes into meditation and Buddhism in too much depth and loses my interest.

Take a slow breath and literary walk with you her and I wouldn't be surprised if your similar gifts come to the fore.I remember opening the FedEx package with my brothers just before we started digging, and pulling out some kind of plastic container.

As I get older, it seems like there are always at least a couple of people I care about who are dealing with unsolvable suffering. In bed at night, I would hook up to a black backpack and let the cloudy liquid flow straight into my body, like water irrigating a potted plant. We’d like to share these details and nuances to allow better understanding and application of Thay’s teachings.I take a moment to look at the picture: A large ceramic vase, overflowing with white and pink flowers. As we took turns digging the grave, one of my uncles reached into the hole and pulled out a golf ball with a red stripe across it, caked in dirt.

I’m moaning and moving around, trying to find a position that doesn’t hurt, but there’s no place to go. Soon I’m recounting details that seem beyond memory, like the exact shape of the fingered grooves in the steering wheel. She doesn't shy away from uncomfortable topics, so read at your own pace and take breaks when you need to.

At the hospital, a man at the reception area directed me to her room, then stopped me before I set off to find it. SISTER DANG NGHIEM, MD, ("Sister D") was born in 1968 in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive, the daughter of a Vietnamese mother and an American soldier.