Books by Satish Kumar

The Buddha and the Terrorist

by Satish Kumar

“A challenging story, beautifully written, most pertinent and relevant to our time.” —Deepak Chopra

Not every book will change your life, but any book can. Not every discussion will make a difference, but a conversation can change the world.

In this timely retelling of an ancient Buddhist parable, peace activist Satish Kumar has created a small book with a powerful spiritual message about ending violence. It is a tale of a fearsome outcast named Angulimala ("Necklace of Fingers"), who is terrorizing towns and villages in order to gain control of the state, murdering people and adding their fingers to his gruesome necklace. One day he comes face to face with the Buddha and is persuaded, through a series of compelling conversations, to renounce violence and take responsibility for his actions.

The Buddha and the Terrorist addresses the urgent questions we face today: Should we talk to terrorists? Can we reason with religious fundamentalists? Is nonviolence practical? The story ends with a dramatic trial that speaks to the victims of terrorism—the families whose mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters Angulimala has murdered. It asks whether it is possible for them to forgive. Or whether it is even desirable.

No one can read The Buddha and the Terrorist without thinking about the root causes of terrorism, about good and evil, about justice and forgiveness, about the kind of place we want the world to be, and, most important, about the most productive and practical way to get there.

Elegant Simplicity: The Art of Living Well

by Satish Kumar

“A profound and accessible guide to an ecological civilization of peace, material sufficiency, and spiritual abundance for all.” ―David Korten, international-bestselling author of When Corporations Rule the World
Consumerism drives the pursuit of happiness in much of the world, yet as wealth grows unhappiness abounds, compounded by the grave problems of climate change, pollution, and ecological degradation. We’ve now reached both an environmental and spiritual dead-end that leaves us crying out for alternatives.
Elegant Simplicity provides a coherent philosophy of life that weaves together simplicity of material life, thought, and spirit. In it, Satish Kumar, environmental thought leader and former monk, distills five decades of reflection and wisdom into a guide for everyone, covering: The ecological and spiritual principles of living simply Shedding both “stuff” and psychological baggage Opening your mind and heart to the deep value of relationships Embedding simplicity in all aspects of life including education and work Merging science and spirituality for a coherent worldview.
Elegant Simplicity is a life guide for everyone wanting off the relentless treadmill of competition and consumption and seeking a life that prioritizes the ecological integrity of the Earth, social equity, and personal tranquility and happiness.
“Satish Kumar embodies the elegance of simplicity . . . follow his path to make your life simple, elegant, and inspiring.” ―Deepak Chopra, New York Times–bestselling author
“In this moving and eloquent book, Satish Kumar takes us through his own journey to a simpler, happier life with a low ecological footprint.” ―David Suzuki, award-winning geneticist, author, broadcaster, and environmental activist
AWARDS SILVER | 2019 Foreword INDIES: Body, Mind, Spirit BRONZE (Tie) | 2020 Living Now Awards: Enlightenment / Spirituality

Spiritual Ecology The Cry of the Earth (2nd Edition)

by Thich Nhat Hanh, Winona LaDuke, Brian Swimme, Joanna Macy, Wendell Berry, Mary Evelyn Tucker, Vandana Shiva, Satish Kumar, Thomas Berry, Bill Plotkin, John Stanley, Sandra Ingerman, Chief Oren Lyons, Chief Tamale Bwoya, David Robert Loy, Sr. Miriam MacGillis, Susan Murphy Roshi, Geneen Marie Haugen, Eleanor O'Hanlon, Jules Cashford, Pir Zia Inayat-Khan, Fr. Richard Rohr, Shephali Patel, Lyla June Johnston

The Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh was asked what we need to do to save our world. "What we most need to do," he replied, "is to hear within us the sound of the earth crying.”

Our present ecological crisis is the greatest man-made disaster this planet has ever faced—its accelerating climate change, species depletion, pollution and acidification of the oceans. A central but rarely addressed aspect of this crisis is our forgetfulness of the sacred nature of creation, and how this affects our relationship to the environment. There is a pressing need to articulate a spiritual response to this ecological crisis. This is vital and necessary if we are to help bring the world as a living whole back into balance.

The first edition of this book (published in 2013) fostered the emergence of the "Spiritual Ecology Movement," which recognizes the need for a spiritual response to our present ecological crisis. It drew an overwhelmingly positive response from readers, many of whom are asking the simple question, "What can I do?"

The 2016 expanded edition offers new chapters, including two from younger authors who are putting the principles of spiritual ecology into action, working with their hands as well as their hearts. It also includes a new preface and revised chapter by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, that reference two major recent events: the publication of Pope Francis's encyclical, "On Care for Our Common Home," which brought into the mainstream the idea that "the ecological crisis is essentially a spiritual problem"; and the 2015 Paris Climate Change Conference, which saw representatives from nearly 200 countries come together to address global warming, including faith leaders from many traditions.

And, in Autumn 2021, we have issued a new edition, with a new updated preface from editor Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, who has also rewritten his chapter, “The Call of the Earth.”

Bringing together voices from Buddhism, Sufism, Christianity, and Native American traditions, as well as from physics, deep psychology, and other environmental disciplines, this book calls on us to reassess our underlying attitudes and beliefs about the Earth and wake up to our spiritual as well as physical responsibilities toward the planet.

"It's hard to imagine finding a wiser group of humans than the authors represented here, all of them both thinkers and do-ers in the greatest battle humans have ever faced. AN EPIC COLLECTION!" —BILL MCKIBBEN, founder 350.org

Spiritual Ecology is a superb collection of thoughtful pieces by people who have gone deep to understand our relations with the Earth. It comes at a crucial time for humanity." —BARRY LOPEZ, landscape photographer and author Arctic Dreams (winner National Book Award), Of Wolves and Men, Crossing Open Ground, About This Life

"THIS BOOK PROVIDES FRESH THINKING about the spiritual approaches of consciously and consistently making the right choices, each of us within our respective sphere of influence. As the world works towards a new global climate agreement in 2015, it is in our interest and in the interest of future generations to reflect on how we can individually and collectively contribute to addressing climate change by making our economies and lifestyles more sustainable, because solving climate change can help solve many of the issues the earth currently faces. Climate change is therefore both a challenge and an opportunity. I hope this book inspires and energizes many readers eager to rise to the greatest challenge ever to face humanity by realizing the transformative opportunities we have in front of us." —CHRISTIANA FIGUERES, Former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

Soil, Soul, Society A New Trinity for Our Time

by Satish Kumar

In the first US edition of Satish Kumar's classic book, we rediscover how our spiritual and social well-being connects to that of our planet.

Internationally-respected peace and environment activist Satish Kumar has been gently setting the agenda for change for over 50 years. As 350.org founder Bill McKibben says, "There is no one on the planet better-equipped to make you think and rethink how you're living and how you might change."

The age of sustainability is grounded on the knowledge that we ourselves are very much part of nature; that what we do to nature we in fact do to ourselves; and that the earth has a soul, which we share. Drawing on the example of Rabindranath Tagore, Kumar advocates living with awareness that our personal choices have political and poetic resonance. In this book, he inspires readers with the knowledge we are all leaders and can create change in our structures and mindsets for lasting peace and a sustainable culture and society. Celebrating an emerging global consciousness that reveres nature, the book explores how, as a global society, we need to embrace diversity and be aware of our role as pilgrims on this earth. Joyful and heart-centered, Satish Kumar reminds us that to bring about change in the world, we must embody the change we wish to see.