Stumbling Toward the Buddha

What do you learn, when you revisit long-held assumptions about your past? When Dawn Downey examines essays she wrote in 2014, she gains insights into the workings of her mind. Her old resentments shapeshift into empathy. She recognizes a relationship with the natural world that she'd kept hidden from herself. She transcends the artificial binaries of death vs life and you vs me. Downey invites us to linger over our own memories and marvel as they take on new meaning under our gentle attention. The 10th Anniversary Edition is updated with an Introduction, Author's Notes, Afterword, Glossary, and Playlist.

INTRODUCTION. Dawn Downey had no idea she was writing a book. She divorced her husband. She criticized her brother. She worked for a boss from hell. None of those circumstances became essays in Stumbling toward the Buddha, but they were pivotal to its creation. The book-to-be manipulated events so the author would gain necessary insights

PART I INNOCENCE. What turns an innocent child into an adult whose relationships and career path are stymied by nameless fears? Downey connects the dots beginning with roaches, mice, and a razor strop.

PART II  TRANSCENDENCE. Downey eclipses time and space in the Ozark Forest, Second Baptist Church, and The Forest Way Monastery.

PART III GRACE. the author finds acceptance with her relationships and with her place in the web of life.

AUTHOR'S NOTES. The decade between 2014 and 2024 transformed the author's mindset and writing voice.

AFTERWORD. Downey discovers the depth of her subconscious nod to the white gaze in her early writing.