Open Hearted

Combining humor, academics, pop culture, movie references, and personal insight, Cheryl Barnes-Neff has written a book unique in modern Buddhist literature. Not a historical or educational tome, and not an instructional manual, the book takes the reader on a journey that touches on the past, present, and future of the author. Even in an analysis of an obscure Buddhist sutra, Barnes-Neff finds a nugget of wisdom to apply to her daily life. The book draws upon an extensive bibliography that may send the reader to the library, or even to discover some of the volumes may already be on their bookshelf, ready to be re-explored with fresh eyes. Barnes-Neff inspires what education can be: an exploration of the self through the stories, ideas, and practices of a long line of Buddhist teachers all the way back to the Buddha himself.