Tales of Freedom: wisdom from the buddhist tradition

Vessantara, a senior member of the Western Buddhist Order is much in demand as a teacher, and is know particularly as a storyteller. In this book he draws on stories from a variety of Buddhist traditions, beginning with a modern tale about how unhelpful motivations can cause us to lose our freedom. He then tells a variety of traditional Buddhist tales, such as the story of Kisa Gotami's search for the mustard seed and the story of the Zen master who bounds fearlessly into a ferocious tiger's cave. Each story is accompanied by a lively and extensive commentary in which Vessantara shows us how we can break out of our self-imposed mental prisons and become wise and compassionate.

About the Author
Preface
PART 1: HOW FREEDOM DISAPPEARS
1 All at Sea
PART 2: EARLY BUDDHISM
2 A Quest in the Houses of the Dead
3 Venturing into the Forest
4 Beyond Bargaining
PART 3: TIBETAN BUDDHISM
5 Exchange is No Robbery
6 Do You Understand the Words or the Meaning?
7 Who Have You Got to Lose?
PART 4: ZEN BUDDHISM
8 Facing the Tiger
9 A Small Glass of Wine
10 What Shall We Do with the Drunken Samurai?
Conclusion
Notes and References
Index