Banyen Books ~ Branches of Wisdom

Satish Kumar discusses his new book, Radical Love: From Separation to Connection with the Earth, Each Other, and Ourselves. Satish Kumar, peace-pilgrim, life-long activist, and former monk, has been inspiring global change for over 50 years. Aged 9, Satish renounced the world and became a wandering Jain monk. Then in his 20s, he undertook a pilgrimage for peace, walking for two years without money from India to America for the cause of nuclear disarmament. Now in his 80s, Satish has devoted his life to campaigning for ecological regeneration, social justice, and spiritual fulfillment. In 2022 he received the Goi Peace Award.

Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, one of the foremost living Buddhist nuns known for having lived twelve years in a remote Himalayan cave, discusses Reflections on a Mountain Lake: Teachings on Practical Buddhism. Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo is a bhikṣuṇī in the Drukpa Lineage of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. At the age of twenty she traveled to India, becoming one of the first Westerners to be ordained as a Buddhist nun. The international bestseller Cave in the Snow chronicles her twelve years of seclusion in a remote cave. Deeply concerned with the plight of Buddhist nuns, she established Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery in India. In 2008 His Holiness the Twelfth Gyalwang Drukpa, head of the Drukpa Kagyu lineage, gave her the rare title of Jetsunma (Venerable Master).

Angela Sterritt discusses her book, Unbroken: My Fight for Survival, Hope, and Justice for Indigenous Women and Girls. Angela Sterritt is an award-winning journalist, writer, and artist. Sterritt has worked as a journalist for close to twenty years and has been with the CBC since 2003 as a host and television, radio, and digital reporter. She is a proud member of the Gitxsan Nation and lives on Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh territories, Vancouver, Canada.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Mark Nepo is joined in conversation with Joel Fotinos on his new book, Falling Down and Getting Up. Mark Nepo is a poet and philosopher who has taught in the fields of poetry and spirituality for over 50 years. A New York Times #1 bestselling author, he has published over 25 books, including The Book of Awakening, Surviving Storms, and Finding Inner Courage, and has recorded more than a dozen audio projects. Mark has been interviewed several times by Oprah Winfrey as part of her Super Soul Sunday TV show, and was interviewed by Robin Roberts on Good Morning America. As a cancer survivor, Mark devotes his writing and teaching to the journey of inner transformation and the life of relationship. His work has been translated into more than 20 languages. Joel Fotinos is the Founder, Vice-President, and Editorial Director of St. Martin’s Essentials, the successful new body/mind/spirit imprint of the St. Martin’s Publishing Group. Prior to that, Joel was a Vice-President and Publisher of the TarcherPerigee imprint at Penguin Random House, and a Marketing Manager at the San Francisco office of HarperCollins. He is the author of several books, including The Prosperity Principles, which have been published in more than 14 languages. He is a recipient of Science of Mind magazine’s “Spiritual Hero of the Year” award.

Join Radhule Weininger, PhD, MD, and Michael Kearney, MD, as they share teachings from Radhule's new book, 'Heart Medicine: How to Stop Painful Patterns and Find Peace and Freedom–at Last'. Radhule Weininger, MD, PHD, is a clinical psychologist, psychotherapist, and meditation teacher. She leads weekly and monthly meditation groups in Santa Barbara and leads retreats in both the United States and internationally at La Casa de Maria Retreat Center, Spirit Rock, Insight LA, the Esalen Institute, the Garrison Institute, and she is the author of Heartwork: The Path of Self-Compassion. Michael Kearney is a physician specializing in Hospice and Palliative Medicine, with over 35 years experience. He lived in Ireland, England, France, and Canada before moving to the United States in 2001. He currently lives in Santa Barbara, California, where he is a founding partner of Palliative Care Consultants of Santa Barbara. Michael Kearney is married to psychologist, meditation teacher, and author Radhule Weininger, PhD. They teach and write together and share six adult children between them.

David Richo, bestselling author of How to Be an Adult in Relationships, joins Banyen for a conversation on his book To Thine Own Self Be True: Shakespeare as Therapist and Spiritual Guide. David Richo, PhD, is a psychotherapist, teacher, writer, and workshop leader whose work emphasizes the benefits of mindfulness and loving-kindness in personal growth and emotional well-being. He combines Jungian, poetic, and mythic perspectives in his work with the intention of integrating the psychological and the spiritual. He is the author of numerous bestselling books including How to Be an Adult in Relationships and The Five Things We Cannot Change.

Renowned Zen teacher Roshi Joan Halifax joins Banyen for a discussion of In a Moment, in a Breath. Joan Halifax, PhD, is a Buddhist teacher, anthropologist, and writer. Her books include The Human Encounter with Death (with Stanislav Grof), Being with Dying, and Standing at the Edge. She is a Founding Teacher in the Zen Peacemaker Order of Roshi Bernie Glassman and the late Sensei Jishu Holmes, and is a Soto priest and teacher. She founded The Ojai Foundation, an educational center, in 1979, and Upaya (a Buddhist study center) in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1990. She has been on the faculties of Columbia University, the University of Miami School of Medicine, the New School for Social Research, The Naropa Institute, and the California Institute for Integral Studies. Halifax is a distinguished invited scholar of the U.S. Library of Congress, and the only woman and Buddhist on the Tony Blair Foundation’s Advisory Council. Joan Halifax has worked with dying people since 1970. In 1994, she created the Project on Being with Dying as a way to train healthcare professionals in contemplative care of the dying.

Jeff Brown, author of Soulshaping, discusses his new book Humanifestations: On Trauma, Truth, and Transformation. Jeff Brown is the author of 8 popular books: Soulshaping, Ascending with Both Feet on the Ground, Love It Forward, An Uncommon Bond, Spiritual Graffiti, Grounded Spirituality, Hearticulations, and Humanifestations. He is the producer of the award-winning spiritual documentary Karmageddon, which features Ram Dass, Seane Corn, Deva Premal and Miten. Jeff’s short writings have touched millions of souls worldwide and have been shared on social media by the likes of LeAnn Rimes, Alanis Morrissette, Fergie, Chrissy Metz, Jason Silva, and Amanda De Cadenet. Jeff is the founder of Soulshaping Institute and Enrealment Press. He lives in Canada with his wife, poet Susan Frybort.

Amit Goswami, PhD, and Valentina Onisor, MD, join Banyen for a conversation on Quantum Integrative Medicine: A New Paradigm for Health, Disease Prevention and Healing. Dr. Amit Goswami, celebrated Theoretical Quantum Physicist, is a revolutionary amongst a growing body of scientists who have ventured into the domain of the spiritual in an attempt both to interpret the seemingly inexplicable findings of curious experiments and to validate intuitions about the existence of a spiritual dimension of life. A prolific writer, teacher, and visionary, Dr. Goswami has appeared in the movies What the Bleep do we know!?, Dalai Lama Renaissance, and the award winning documentary, The Quantum Activist. He is the author of several bestselling books, including The Quantum Doctor and The Self-Aware Universe. Valentina Onisor, MD, is a practicing physician specializing in family medicine, who integrates various systems of alternative medicine (acupuncture, Ayurveda, naturopathy, and aromatherapy) into her medical practice. She is a co-author (along with Dr. Amit Goswami) of the recently released books, Quantum Spirituality and The Quantum Brain as well as of the upcoming books, The Awakening of Intelligence, Quantum Integrative Medicine, and The Quantum Science of Love and Relationships.

Thomas Moore, bestselling author of Care of the Soul, joins Banyen for a conversation with Q&A on his book The Eloquence of Silence. Thomas Moore, PhD, is the author of over 30 books, including the number one bestseller Care of the Soul. He holds a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Syracuse University and degrees in music composition. Thomas Moore is a teacher and sought after international lecturer. He has been a psychotherapist for over 40 years. His work brings together spirituality, mythology, depth psychology, and the arts, emphasizing the importance of images and imagination.