According to a new study, the hallowed practice of bedtime reading is falling by the wayside — and that some quarter of a million children in the UK do not own a single book. This is a terrible shame, as regular bedtime stories have been shown to increase children’s performance in school, and are also awesome and can help create strong lifetime bonds, both with literature and with parents. Read More
“Endless Path is for students of Buddhism, Dharma teachers, and anyone with an interest in viewing one’s journey through life as an opportunity for spiritual awakening.”
We seem to need stories to come to a deeper understanding. Myth is the highest level of story. It’s story in which the nature of one’s identity is revealed or may get revealed. It’s the story in which we’re all embedded, which is the story of identity. Isn’t that the highest story? Myth to me is a story that touches on the nature of identity: who we are, where do we come from—that’s myth. —Rafe Martin
Rafe Martin was born into the perfect training ground for a storyteller. He grew up immersed in told stories, hearing his father’s tales of flying dangerous rescue missions in the Himalayas during World War II, fairy tales read aloud by his mother, and his Russian-Jewish relatives telling entrancing...
And for those of you who’ve been patiently waiting—the Tricycle interview has now been translated into Dutch!
Perhaps the Buddhist jatakas can help return us now, when it is so very much needed, to a vision of our place and role in the multileveled universe of all living beings.
Who knew my picture book (and illustrator, Susan Gaber’s) of the Brave Little Parrot was up and running on-line as video?
This video is part of the curriculum for Grandpa’s Indian Heritage Summer Camp and was produced by The Association of Indian Immigrants.
Awards
Endless Path: Awakening Within the Buddhist Imagination: Jataka Tales, Zen Practice, and Daily Life, published by North Atlantic Books, has just been announced as winner in Category 5: Storytelling Collections for the 2011 Storytelling World Resources Award
An article by Rafe on Zen and motorcycling , “Riding Through the Gateless Gate,” is the closing piece in the Summer 2011 issue of Buddhadharma: The Practitioner's Quarterly, which goes on sale May 24th. Don’t miss it! This issue includes a nice review in Book Briefs on Rafe’s most recent book, Endless Path, as well:
...Martin brings to the discussion an important awareness of how jatakas help cultivate a Buddhist vision of the universe.
Storytelling at the Renaissance School . . .
“Students were mesmerized by this special guest as he shared a sampling of his stories through the ancient, but timeless, art of storytelling.”
Read about Rafe’s recent visit to the Renaissance School in Shelburne, Vermont. Some great photos of children reacting to his stories.
Are you interested in Zen and Storytelling?
In this interview Rafe speaks with Brother (Eric) Wolf about the Art of Spiritual Storytelling. Eric has done other terrific interviews with many well-known storytellers. Listen to Rafe’s interview on Brother Wolf’s website, recorded live at the end of the 2010 National Storytelling Festival, where Rafe was a featured teller.
Endless Path: Awakening Within the Buddhist Imagination: Jataka Tales, Zen Practice, and Daily Life, published by North Atlantic Books, has just been announced as winner in Category 5: Storytelling Collections for the 2011 Storytelling World Resources Award
The Banyan Deer is a moving story of compassion that highlights courage, triumph, and the meaning of wisdom. Suitable for all ages.
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