Memoir: The Best of 30 Years

Spiritual practice demands openness, honesty, and self-awareness -- precisely the qualities of outstanding first-person writing. Here you'll find some of the finest original personal stories from the Shambhala Sun's 30 years. These stories and more are collected in March 2009 issue; just click on a title to read further. (To preview the entire issue, click here.)

Allen Ginsberg: Vomit of a Mad Tyger

An exclusive autobiographical talk by the late poet and cultural icon Allen Ginsberg, narrating his spiritual journey from Blake to the Buddha.  

Gretel Ehrlich: Our Imperfect Paradise

Gretel Ehlich describes how life in the high mountains of Wyoming followed its necessary course on the day the London transit system was bombed.

 

Rick Bass: Daughter Time

"The time of childhood is going to go fast," says Rick Bass. "I'm doing what I can to slow it down. There's still time for me to learn some of what they see and know and feel."

 

Barry Boyce: A Memorable Ass-chew

“In my virginal, pre-ass-chew state,” writes Barry Boyce, “I was thick-headedly oblivious to the danger, my mind racing past that minor detail. Now, like a guard dog’s bite, the ass-chew snaps me out of it and back to sensibility.”

Natalie Goldberg: Meeting the Chinese in St. Paul

A season devoted to the koans of the ancient Chinese Masters gave Natalie Goldberg a taste for the stripped-down, naked truth of things. As she searched Minnesota for an elusive rhinoceros, a simple truth revealed itself: I’m broken and I’m free.

 

For more of the Shambhala Sun's "30 Great Years" special anniversary features, click here.