The Engaged Spiritual Life: A Buddhist Approach to Transforming Ourselves and the World

A Buddhist meditation teacher offers a new path to transformation—within ourselves and within the wider world—that integrates spiritual wisdom and social action
 
By the time Donald Rothberg was in his early twenties, he knew he had two vocations. He wanted to dedicate himself to justice and social change, and he wanted to commit himself to exploring the depths of human consciousness—to an awakening of our deeper spiritual nature. It has been his life's work, as an activist, organizer, writer, and teacher, to bring these two paths together and to reveal how deeply they require one another.

The Engaged Spiritual Life is the fruit of this work. Skillfully weaving together basic spiritual teachings, real-life examples, social context, and exercises, Rothberg provides a clear, thorough, and compelling guide for those interested in connecting inner and outer transformation. At the core of the book are ten spiritual principles and associated practices that will enable readers to engage all the parts of their lives—whether personal, interpersonal, or political—into a seamless whole.

Donald Rothberg is one of the major teachers and writers on socially engaged Buddhism in the United States. He is a meditation teacher on the Spirit Rock Teachers' Council in northern California and has been an organizer, teacher, and board member for the Buddhist Peace Fellowship. Rothberg also directs the Socially Engaged Spirituality program at the Saybrook Graduate School in San Francisco. He has published essays in Tricycle, Turning Wheel, and The Journal of Humanistic Psychology among others. He lives in Berkeley, California.