New edition of FWBO Puja Book now available

Windhorse Publications, for many years the FWBO's principle publisher, have just released their new and updated edition of the FWBO Puja book. Among other things the translation of the Heart Sutra has been revised and the typeface made easier to read for shrine-room use. Also, for the first time, it is available in paperback.

Copies may be ordered via your local FWBO Centre or directly from Windhorse – both hardback or paperback . In Australia and New Zealand, contact Windhorse Books Australia.

Their website also carries extracts from the book, notably the Introduction, where Dhammadinna has beautifully written -

"Imagine a world without colour, beauty, poetry, myth, celebration, or ritual. Such a world would be a very dull, drab, dead world indeed. Such experiences are essential to human life; they cultivate our emotions, refine our senses, and enrich our imaginations. Poetry, symbol, myth, and ritual carry us – as Shelley suggests in his Defence of Poetry – 'to regions of light and fire, where the winged faculty of calculation dare not ever soar'. We cannot live in the realm of rational thought alone. To feel fully and vibrantly alive, we must feel in touch with all the different aspects and levels of our being.

"Buddhism is a spiritual tradition, and as such speaks to us in our wholeness. Its various practices can help us to bring into being a harmony of body, speech, and mind. Throughout its history, therefore, many forms of ceremony and ritual have been developed. These range from the simplest recitation of a few verses to the most complex andd lengthy rituals".

Highly recommended. Those interested in an introduction to the Puja as practiced in the FWBO will find several relevant talks at FreeBuddhistAudio.