Foreword

In a world full of suffering, with people desperate to find the meaning of life they struggle through each day, a word which brings peace and happiness is always a most precious gift. This book – A Handful of Leaves - is filled with such words in that it shows the way to find peace in the midst of the turmoil of our inner lives. Supawan Green teaches Tai chi and Buddhist meditation, and in both she shares directly from her own experience to bring people to know for themselves the way to the peace of a still mind. The great strength of this book is that it is based on the lived reality of actual experience, not merely on academic research or book learning. It is the sincere conviction of her own experience which carries the reader through and gives him or her a taste of the reality of the still mind.

It is also a book which is not afraid of saying things which may challenge those within the established religions, especially Buddhism and Christianity. I don’t think we need to be offended by such a frank expression of a point of view. It is only by the open sharing of our true thoughts and feelings that we will be able to reach any kind of lasting understanding. Christians may not agree with everything that this book says about Christianity, but that should not prevent them from learning from the different perspective Supawan Green brings to their own religion. In particular, it should not prevent them from learning from the wonderful teaching of the four foundations of awareness which is explained here with the clarity and vividness of personal experience.

Supawan Green is a lay-woman who has gone deeply into her own religious tradition of Buddhism. As a wife and mother, she knows how difficult it is for people in the ordinary occupations of life to make time for spiritual disciplines such as meditation. Nevertheless she has persevered and so is an excellent guide for others in a similar situation. I myself have greatly benefited from her encouragement on the spiritual path and in my practice of meditation as a Christian. I hope many others will be similarly inspired by this book.

Brother Nicholas Alan

The Society of Saint Francis