Standing At The Edge

"Joan Halifax is a clearheaded and fearless traveler and in this book...she offers us a map of how to travel courageously and fruitfully, for our own benefit and the benefit of all beings." —From the foreword by Rebecca Solnit Standing at the Edge is an evocative examination of how we can respond to suffering, live our fullest lives, and remain open to the full spectrum of our human experience. Joan Halifax has enriched thousands of lives around the world through her work as a humanitarian, a social activist, an anthropologist, and as a Buddhist teacher. Over many decades, she has also collaborated with neuroscientists, clinicians, and psychologists to understand how contemplative practice can be a vehicle for social transformation. Through her unusual background, she developed an understanding of how our greatest challenges can become the most valuable source of our wisdom—and how we can transform our experience of suffering into the power of compassion for the benefit of others. Halifax has identified five psychological territories she calls Edge States—altruism, empathy, integrity, respect, and engagement—that epitomize strength of character. Yet each of these states can also be the cause of personal and social suffering. In this way, these five psychological experiences form edges, and it is only when we stand at these edges that we become open to the full range of our human experience and discover who we really are. Recounting the experiences of caregivers, activists, humanitarians, politicians, parents, and teachers, incorporating the wisdom of Zen traditions and mindfulness practices, and rooted in Halifax's groundbreaking research on compassion, Standing at the Edge is destined to become a contemporary classic. A powerful guide on how to find the freedom we seek for others and ourselves, it is a book that will serve us all.

The Buddhist approach to death can be of great benefit to people of all backgrounds—as has been demonstrated time and again in Joan Halifax’s decades of work with the dying and their caregivers. Inspired by traditional Buddhist teachings, her work is a source of wisdom for all those who are charged with a dying person’s care, facing their own death, or wishing to explore and contemplate the transformative power of the dying process. Her teachings affirm that we can open and contact our inner strength, and that we can help others who are suffering to do the same.

For most people who seek to create — whether they are artists, writers, or businesspeople — the daily task of immersing themselves in their creative work is both a joy and a profound challenge. Instead of stepping easily into the creative state, they succumb to chronic procrastination and torturous distraction. In Standing at Water’s Edge, psychologist Anne Paris calls on her extensive experience in working with creative clients to explore the deep psychological fears that block us from creative immersion. Employing cutting-edge theory and research, Paris weaves a new understanding of the artist during the creative process. Rather than presenting the creation of art as a lonely, solitary endeavor, she shows how relationships with others are actually crucial to creativity. Shining a light on the innermost experience of the artist as he or she engages with others, the artwork, and the audience, Paris explores how our sense of connection with others can aid or inhibit creative immersion. She reveals a unique model of “mirrors, heroes, and twins” to explore the key relationships that support creativity. Paris’s groundbreaking psychological approach gives artists valuable new insight into their own creative process, allowing them to unlock their potential and finish their greatest projects.

Surveys the stand-up comedy of the 1970s, citing the contributions of celebrity comics, from George Carlin and Richard Pryor to Robin Williams and Andy Kaufman, in an account that also evaluates the roles played by such clubs as Catch a Rising Star, the Improv, and the Comedy Store.

Takes readers on a journey of contemporary US history using primary sources and artifacts.

Robert Jarman lived in Hempstead County, in what was known as the “wilds of Arkansas.” Hearing of the war coming to Arkansas, Robert and his three friends soon joined the 4th Arkansas Infantry, Confederate States of America, having to leave their families and sweethearts behind. The war took the four friends through the battles of Elkhorn Tavern (Pea Ridge) in Arkansas; Farmington, Mississippi; Richmond, Kentucky; and Murfreesboro, Tennessee (Stones River), all in 1862. Having volunteered to defend their homes in Arkansas, they ended up fighting their first four battles in four different states. Standing on the Edge of Time brings out the many hardships and the suffering the soldiers endured on the campaigns and long marches sometimes through the worst weather conditions. Hundreds of historical facts are included, giving a unique view of the Civil War as rarely seen.

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 Altruism is a step beyond ordinary generosity. It entails self-sacrifice or physical risk. It is when our impulse to serve others overrides our fear and our instincts of self-preservation. #2 Around the world, people are constantly acting out of unadulterated altruism to help one another. #3 Altruism is defined as an act of selflessness that is about benefiting others, free of expectation of an external reward, and free of internal rewards like higher self-esteem. But most of us are merely human, and it’s very human for us to feel some sense of fulfillment from serving others. #4 Altruistic joy is a nourishing quality of mind that Buddhism agrees with. It is considered to be a truly nourishing quality of mind, and it takes joy in the good fortune of others.

The Buzzing Bee Once, we left the patio door open, a bee flew in. It hit the window repeatedly trying to get out. We could hear it buzzing from the top to the bottom of the window. It saw the beauty outside and worked very hard trying to get out, but we knew that its effort was futile! If it were a fly, we would have used the swatter and ended its misery. However, since it is a beneficial insect, we opened the door and chased it out. All of a sudden, four important lessons came to mind: 1. Hard work alone may not be able to solve our problem. 2. Often the solutions come from doing it another way-thinking outside the box. 3. Sometimes the Almighty sees us in our predicament and shows us a way out. 4. I believe that it is our mission in life also to show some struggling people the lessons we learned and the opportunities we saw and show them a way out. Two roads diverge in the woods, and I took the one less traveled, and that has made all the difference.-Robert Frost, 1920 Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you've got anyway.-Mother Teresa (19101997) Any fool can count the seeds in an apple, Only God can count the apples from one seed!-Dr. Robert H. Schuller