"This book is a concise, witty, and intelligible way to understand Buddhism." —bell hooks, author of All About Love

From Andrea Miller — an editor and staff writer at Lion's Roar, the leading Buddhist magazine in the English-speaking world — comes a diverse and timeless collection of essays, articles, and interviews. Miller, whose writing is by turns earnest and irreverent, unadorned and lyrical, talks to Buddhist teachers, thinkers, writers, and celebrities about the things that matter most and she frames their wisdom with her own lived experience.

In Awakening My Heart, we hear Tina Turner on the power of song, Ram Dass on the importance of service, Jane Goodall on the compassion that exists in the natural world, and Robert Jay Lifton on the darkest deeds of humanity — and how to prevent such things from ever happening again. Moreover, Miller — with her gently probing questions — gets to the bottom of the friendship between Zen master Bernie Glassman and Hollywood's Jeff Bridges and she takes a playful look at the difference between Michael Imperioli, the serious Buddhist practitioner, and the unhinged mobster character he played in The Sopranos.

Insight teacher Gina Sharpe coaches Miller on how to start facing the racism that exists even in the most liberal communities, while Robert Waldinger, a Zen priest and the leader of the world's longest running study of human happiness, teaches her the key to being truly happy. Miller also brings the wisdom of a thirteenth-century Zen text into her very own galley kitchen and takes a look at animals through a quirky dharma lens. Finally, she goes on retreat with two of the world's most beloved contemporary Buddhist teachers, Pema Chödrön and Thich Nhat Hanh, and travels to India to follow in the footsteps of the Buddha himself.

"A lovely repast of stories and inspiring conversations with Buddhist masters and celebrities, reminding us to relax and smile. The good medicine of the dharma comes in a thousand forms" —Jack Kornfield

Andrea Miller is the deputy editor of Lion’s Roar magazine, formerly the Shambhala Sun. She's also the author of the board book The Day the Buddha Woke Up and the editor of three anthologies: Right Here With You, Buddha’s Daughters, and All the Rage. Miller has an MFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia, and her writing has appeared in a wide variety of publications, including The Globe and Mail, The Antigonish Review, Prairie Fire, The Best Women’s Travel Writing series, and Nimbus’s In the Company of Animals. Miller lives with her husband and two small children in Halifax.

Andrea Miller's profile page

"This book is a concise, witty, and intelligible way to understand Buddhism."

"A natural reporter, Andrea Miller is a keen listener and an astute observer—not only of the subjects of her reporting but also of her own mind, and that's what you want in a contemplative journalist. These lovely pieces span a huge, eclectic range from rock stars and actors to gurus and birds. There is joy in these pages, and the stories here will cause you to love life, and people, all the more."

"A lovely repast of stories and inspiring conversations with Buddhist masters and celebrities, reminding us to relax and smile. The good medicine of the dharma comes in a thousand forms"

"Andrea Miller is one of contemporary Buddhism's most original and arresting voices. Awakening My Heart has that rare combination of insight and empathy that distinguishes the very best spiritual literature. It is an inspiring, expansive, and probing exploration of what it means to be alive and practicing the dharma today."