Kindling Hope: Daily Passages from Darkness Into Light

As humans we have the exceptional abilities to learn and to choose. This book is filled with insight and encouragement: to be kind, to be ethical, to be forgiving, to be loving. A slight shift in perspective takes us from despair to hope; a slight alteration in outlook, and the world changes. We have the potential to grow beyond our greatest aspirations.

This gentle book provides the peace, solace and support for living joyfully in our current world. It reminds us that hope is never far; we can find it within ourselves. With each passage, we are invited to enter a life of joy, and to sometimes shift perspectives. With each passage, readers are given a vantage point to allow us to break free from our dead ends.

A collection from renowned Buddhist teacher, Zhen-Ru, these short passages and musings invoke the stillness needed for everyday contemplation. Available for the first time in English, each of these passages is offered with the goal of helping the reader access the compassion, understanding and gratitude that is needed to hold space for each other, and for the earth.

Selections in translation for over six years, the Amrita Translation Foundation of Buddhist monks and nuns, who hope to preserve the essence of Zhen-Ru's teachings, conveying her insights to the everyday applications of readers.

Kacy Lin is a translator who specializes in the translation of Buddhist works from Mandarin to English. She holds a Master's degree in Psycho-Spiritual studies from the University of Toronto, and has dedicated many years to the translation and practice of Buddhist teachings. Kacy's deep understanding of both Buddhist philosophy and Western spirituality has enabled her to translate and render Zhen-Ru's complex teachings with clarity and precision, making it accessible to a global audience, and fostering a greater cross-cultural understanding and a deeper appreciation for Buddhist spirituality. In addition to her translation work, Kacy practices Spiritual Care and spiritually integrated counseling in hospitals around the Greater Toronto Area, providing guidance and support to those who are undergoing difficult life transitions.

Based on Prince Edward Island, Amrita Translation Foundation is a group committed to creating a happier, more peaceful world. By preserving and translating Zhen-Ru's work, Amrita aims to make this collection of Buddhist teachings more accessible to a wider audience. To ensure the highest level of accuracy, this team of monastic translators has dedicated their lives to the study and practice of Buddhist teachings. They are educated and trained in the Five Great Treatises curriculum, a rigorous Buddhist curriculum with roots tracing to the Tibetan and ancient Indian Nalanda traditions.

Zhen-Ru was born into a family of educators. As a child, she began thinking deeply about existential questions. After extensive reading and research, she was determined to raise her consciousness by instilling the Buddha's teaching into her own life. Despite being top of the class in her youth, she left the traditional education system and traveled extensively throughout Asia, studying and learning from great Buddhist teachers.