Refuge in the Storm is a collection of 24 essays by Buddhist chaplains, spiritual leaders, psychotherapists, medical providers, and scholars who share their perspectives on crisis counseling, be that personal or global crisis.

We begin with a poem by Mushim Ikeda, “Five Irises for Mary Oliver.” One line in particular might resonate with you:

We aren’t always reduced to our entangled thoughts, our anguish.

Praying with my friend this morning, he said Thank you, he asked Help– we bow down and rise up.

Crisis is a disruptive event or relationship. A disaster, per the definition published by the American Red Cross, is “an event of such destructive magnitude and force as to dislocate, injure, or kill people, separate family members, and damage or destroy homes.” Disasters produce a ripple effect– the numbers of people affected on a fundamentally spiritual level is far greater than the number of people killed or injured.

When faced with crisis or disaster, how do we lean in to Buddhist tenets to help us emerge from it?

Continue reading “Refuge in the Storm: Buddhist Voices in Crisis Care (ed. Nathan Jishin Michon)” →