A gathering of cranes Book

Foreword In China, cranes have long been a symbol of wisdom and longevity. Expressions like 'heavenly crane (tian-he) or 'blessed crane' (xian-he) describe the role of the crane as the symbol of wisdom. The death of a Taoist priest is said to be yu-hua or 'turning into a feathered (crane)'. The animals themselves are prudent and non-aggressive. They are peaceful and quiet in nature and behave firmly and calmly. They always live in harmony. They are brave in the face of danger and never yield to violence. It is in this spirit that the nine teachers interviewed in this book are presented. Each teacher, in their own unique way, exemplifies these attributes of wisdom, gentleness, and openness. Each one, though originally from the East, has chosen to make their home in and their teachings available to the West. In this way, they are creating a new approach which blends the wisdom and harmony of the East with the forthrightness and open-mindedness of the West. It is this blending, this sharing from the heart, this new child of Eastern and Western parents, that this book is all about. The wisdom and teachings presented here are often extremely ancient yet completely up-to-date. They are as useful for today's problems as they were for those of ancient China and do not demand any religious conversion to utilize them.