Book excerpt: Wise and witty, heartfelt and profound, this second volume in an annual series brings together the year's most notable prose and verse inspired by the power and insight of Buddhist practice. Compiled by the editors of Shambhala Sun , North America's oldest and most widely read Buddhist magazine, the collection offers a lively array of styles, perspectives, and concerns of contemporary Buddhists. The twenty-five talented contributors include familiar favorites as well as some surprising voices who will delight and enlighten the reader, with pieces ranging from personal memoir, adventure travelogue, prison journal, and poetry, to advice for practitioners and wisdom teachings of the masters. Among this year's outstanding selections are: * Natalie Goldberg looks at the complex and troubled relationship with the two most important men in her life: her father and her Zen teacher. * The Dalai Lama explains Buddhism's signature doctrine of emptiness. * Dharma teacher Gaylon Ferguson writes on issues of self-worth and social justice for people of color. * Journalist Joan Duncan Oliver reflects on her struggle with twin addictions: "a drink and a man." * Thich Nhat Hanh offers personal meditations to help us lead a more wholesome and mindful life. * Cognitive psychologist Eleanor Rosch discourses on mind, meditation, and the creative process. * Peter Matthiessen ponders the longing for adventure as he travels the Antarctic. * Zen teacher John Tarrant tells how he applied a famed koan as his mother was dying. Contributors: Faith Adiele * Geoffrey Shugen Arnold * Rick Bass * Edward Espe Brown * Michael Carroll * Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche * Peter Coyote * John Daido Loori * H. H. the Dalai Lama * Scott Darnell * Gretel Ehrlich * Gaylon Ferguson * Norman Fischer * Gehlek Rimpoche * Natalie Goldberg * Joseph Goldstein * Jeff Greenwald * Erik Hansen * Sam Harris * Joan Duncan Oliver * The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche * Barbara Rhodes * Lewis Richmond * Eleanor Rosch * Andrew Schelling * Gary Snyder * John Tarrant * Thanissaro Bhikkhu * Thich Nhat Hanh * Claude Anshin Thomas * Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche * Francisco J. Varela