A Path for Parents (What Buddhism Can Offer) - Softcover

Sara Burns, a practitioner and mother of two children, interviewed twenty other parents for her book. Their combined personal experience as well as Burns' own insightful voice on how to continue to spiritually develop while raising children illuminate the book. Burns notes that by consciously developing and nurturing one's own spiritual life, even in the midst of parenting challenges, one is also able to have a positive effect on the spiritual life of the children. For instance, responding to children with patience rather than irritation sets up a harmonious environment for the entire family that also models classic Buddhist principles of engagement. Burns offers many anecdotes of family life that ring very true from the perspective of parents, and provides simple tools and tips to parents in the last chapter, such as stress reduction for playground duty through mindful breathing and relaxation. --Mandala Magazine, 2007

This is the second volume in our new "What Buddhism can offer" series which is looking at how Buddhism can help us in our daily lives. It is unique in that it is not about being a good parent but about spiritual growth through parenting. Of course, positive loving parenting is hopefully a consequence of this but this is not the primary focus of the book. As alluded to above, the focus of the book is the parents' spiritual growth and well-being as opposed to being directly child-focused which is something of a new departure. It is easy to connect with based on numerous interviews with personal stories and experiences. It includes extracts and reflections for fathers and also for parents with teenagers as opposed to focusing solely on mothers with very young children, which is often the limitation of similar books. It is practical and experience based. It is broadly relevant across religions and spiritual beliefs - anyone with an interest in spiritual growth could engage and connect with the book.