Like the thousand-armed Bodhisattva of compassion, the followers of dharma are reaching out in all directions to heal the world. Throughout this issue of Inquiring Mind you will find evidence of what our featured artist Kazuaki Tanahashi calls “global heart.”

Thich Nhat Hanh (interviewed by both Ram Dass and former California Governor Jerry Brown) opens the issue and sets the waves of compassionate action into motion. The first crest is seen in Fran Peevey and Tova Green’s touching gift to the women of Yugoslavia, followed by the clear arising of bodhichitta in the work of Bernard Glassman and the Zen Community of New York with homeless and unemployed people. An entire ocean of compassionate action can be seen through Alan Senauke’s inspiring history and reflection on the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, an expanding presence in Western Dharma circles.

The waves of compassionate action continue to arise, producing other visions and ways of working: Sala Steinbach’s explorations of diversity issues, Terry Vandiver’s power of presence in Guatemala, and Christina Desser’s imaginative Migratory Species Project. The healing power of the Buddhist sangha is enormous, and these are a few ways that it is manifesting in the world. Just follow the waves…

A note about the articles and poems that are missing from this archived issue:

For budgetary reasons, we are focusing on archiving Inquiring Mind’s original articles, interviews and poetry. For the most part, we are leaving out anything that was adapted or excerpted from a book or other publication.

That’s why the following article and poems are NOT in the archive:

An excerpt adapted from By Life’s Grace: Musings on the Essence of Social Change, by Fran Peavey (New Society Publishers, 1994)

“The World Filled Up” by Pablo Neruda, translated by Ben Belitt, reprinted from Five Decades: Poems 1925–1970 (Grove/Atlantic, Inc., 1994)

“The Colonel,” by Carolyn Forché reprinted from Country Between Us (HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 1982)

If you wish that these were available here, email us (archive-at-inquiringmind.com) and, perhaps, consider making a donation to help us continue growing and expanding the archive.