“Like Dr. Seuss, Josh Bartok has mastered the art of reaching directly into a child’s heart and mind, translating a profound teaching on love into playfully whimsical rhythm and rhyme. The ability to inspire children—to really connect and awaken young hearts—is rare. And Demi’s paintings are amazingly detailed; warm, inviting and fun to explore! Together, Bartok and Demi have created one for the ages. This is truly wonderful!”
Description
If Dr. Seuss were drawing on classical Buddhist texts for inspiration, this is what he’d write—with playful yet traditional illustrations by the award-winning artist behind The Empty Pot, whose books have sold half a million copies. Destined to be a classic.
An instant classic, this book will help children (and their parents) learn patience and to see the good in everyone—including themselves! It will also help children meet difficult circumstances, such as being sick, doing chores, and not getting everything they want—and help them overcome low self-esteem and negative self-talk.
I See You, Buddha is based on a chapter in the Lotus Sutra, one of the most influential Buddhist texts worldwide—a classical scripture that has inspired a whole genre of works, especially in Japan, known as Lotus Literature. The Lotus Sutra teaches the way of the bodhisattva—a being engaged in compassionate, enlightened activity in the service of all—by offering examples of what this activity might look like in the world. One such model in the text is Bodhisattva Never Disrespectful (or Never Disparaging), who, despite troubling encounters with and even harsh treatment from others, bows down respectfully to everyone, recognizing their Buddha nature and honoring their own journeys along the bodhisattva path to enlightenment—whether they know they’re future buddhas or not!
Reviews
“I truly love this book—I fell in love with it from the very first page. The illustrations are stunning and the author’s gentle yet profound words go straight to the heart. Children will immediately understand how, right here and now, they can start being kind to others as well as to themselves. I’m an adult—and I benefited tremendously from this book. It’s become one of my favorites.”
“I wish I’d had this book when I was small and the world was so . . . big. It would have meant so much to me to have received this message as a child. Beautiful and touching—a balm for the heart.”
“A magical book. Poetic, playful, and psychologically adept.”