Synopses & Reviews
Ruth Denison was one of the great innovators in the early years of Buddhism in the West. In this portrait of her extraordinary life, from a youth in Nazi-dominated Germany to the center of the counterculture in the sixties and seventies, Boucher captures Denison& #39; s distinctive voice and the journey of her remarkable spirit. < br=""> < br=""> & quot; A] stirring yet unsentimental spiritual biography.& quot; < br=""> & mdash; Bernadette McGrath, Dragonfly Review < br=""> < br=""> & quot; Denison] brought a strongly feminine, body-centered approach to spiritual practice at a time when this was regarded as radical if not subversive . . . Boucher& #39; s life repeatedly intersects with Denison& #39; s, making this a dual tale of development and discovery and, therefore, doubly compelling.& quot; < br=""> & mdash; Whitney Scott, Booklist< br=""> < br=""> & quot; Dancing in the Dharma skillfully conveys Ruth Denison& #39; s full humanity: her formidable gifts and charm and her puzzling contradictions . . . A] riveting and deeply rewarding portrayal of a great teacher.& quot; < br=""> & mdash; Shane Snowdon, Turning Wheel< br=""> < br=""> & quot; Author and Denison student Sandy Boucher gives an intimate portrait.& quot; < br=""> & mdash; Shambhala Sun< br=""> < br=""> Sandy Boucher, a leading spokesperson on women and Buddhism, is the author of several books, including Discovering Kwan Yin (Beacon / 1341-2 / $13.00 pb), Opening the Lotus (Beacon / 7309-1 / $16.00 pb), and Turning the Wheel (Beacon / 7305-9 / $21.00 pb). She lives in Oakland, California.
Synopsis
What was it about Ruth that drew me back, year after year, for almost three decades? Sandy Boucher asks herself early in Dancing in the Dharma. Delving into Denisons dramatic and sometimes tragic past, Boucher examines the life of this beloved and controversial teacher to try to understand what shaped her and informed her teaching.
In the great movement of Buddhism to the West, Ruth Denison pioneered and innovated with her own quintessentially female and unique way of teaching the Dharma. She was the first Buddhist teacher to lead an all-womens retreat and the first teacher to use movement and dance to train her students in mindfulness. As Sharon Salzberg, cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society, remembers, The wisdom, and the emptiness side of things, were very clear in her. She expressed all that very, very well.
Catching the unique charm of Ruths voice in vivid scenes and anecdotes, Boucher tells the gripping story of Ruths youth in Nazi-dominated Germany, her years in Hollywood in the sixties and seventies as a participant in the counterculture, her world travels to study with the major spiritual teachers of the twentieth century in Asia and Europe, and her flowering as a Buddhist teacher. Along the way, Boucher also addresses the hard question of how to continue to learn from a spiritual teacher while responding to that teachers complex personality.
Synopsis
Ruth Denison was one of the great innovators in the early years of Buddhism in the West. In this portrait of her extraordinary life, from a youth in Nazi-dominated Germany to the center of the counterculture in the sixties and seventies, Boucher captures Denison's distinctive voice and the journey of her remarkable spirit.
About the Author
Sandy Boucher, a leading spokesperson on women and Buddhism, conducts retreats that combine meditation with writing, exploring the compassionate teachings of the Celestial Bodhisattva of Compassion, Kwan Yin. She is the author of eight books, including Hidden Spring: A Buddhist Woman Confronts Cancer; Discovering Kwan Yin, Buddhist Goddess of Compassion; Opening the Lotus, A Woman's Guide to Buddhism; and Turning the Wheel: American Women Creating the New Buddhism. She lives in Oakland, California, with her partner.