Widening Circles, livre ebook

The life story of one of the most revered environmental and spiritual leaders of our time

In Widening Circles, well-known eco-philosopher, Buddhist scholar, and deep ecology activist /teacher Joanna Macy recounts her adventures of mind and spirit in the key social movements of her time. Macy’s autobiography reads like a novel as she relates her multi-faceted life experiences and reflects on how her marriage and family life enriched her service to the world.

Macy’s formative years with an abusive father and oppressed mother set her on an irrevocable path of self-definition and independence. A short-lived stint with the CIA exposed Macy firsthand to the Cold War’s darkest threats: the construction of the hydrogen bomb and the building of the Berlin Wall. With three children in tow, Macy and her husband traveled with the Peace Corps to Africa, India, and Tibet, where her encounter with the Dalai Lama and Buddhism led to Macy’s life-long embrace of the religion and a deep commitment to the peace and environmental movements.

Joanna Macy was one of those rare people who, in the words of a Rilke poem, could genuinely claim to “live my life in widening circles / that reach out across the world.” In this absorbing, and sometimes thrilling memoir, the unique synthesis of spiritualism and activism that defined Macy’s contribution to the world are illuminated by the life- events and experiences that paved her uncommon path.

THE GIFTS AT THE START

1. The Farm

2. Montaigne's Tower

3. The Cross

4. Walking Out

THE HOLE IN THE CENTER

5. The Cold War

6. The Wheel

FALLING IN LOVE WITH MY WORLD

7. Turning South

8. The Tibetans

9. Train to Pathankote

10. Africa

FASHIONING MY TOOLS

11. My Country, My Self

12. Mother of All Buddhas

13. The Blessing

14. Family Journey

15. Tashi Jong

MOVING INTO DEEPER WATERS

16. Bridge Over the Charles

17. North Anna

18. Sri Lanka

19. Persona Non Grata

THE WORK THAT RECONNECTS

20. Shambhala Warriors

21. Wild Goose

22 Tibet

23. The Poison Fire

WIDENING CIRCLES

24. The Elm Dance

25. Bodh Gaya

APPENDIX A

Glossary of Buddhist Terms

APPENDIX B

An Ethic of Nuclear Guardianship: Values to Guide Decision-Making on the Management of Radioactive Materials