"Were it not for the Buddhadharma, says Charles Johnson in his preface to
Turning the Wheel, "I'm convinced that, as a black American and an
artist, I would not have been able to successfully negotiate my last half
century of life in this country. Or at least not with a high level of
creative productivity." In this collection of provocative and intimate
essays, Johnson writes of the profound connection between Buddhism and
creativity, and of the role of Eastern philosophy in the quest for a free
and thoughtful life.
In 1926, W. E. B. Du Bois asked
African-Americans what they would most want were the color line miraculously
forgotten. In Turning the Wheel, Johnson sets out to explore this
question by examining his experiences both as a writer and as a practitioner
of Buddhism.
He looks at basic Buddhist principles and
practices, demonstrating how Buddhism is both the most revolutionary and
most civilized of possible human choices. He discusses fundamental Buddhist
practices such as the Eightfold Path, Taming the Mind, and Sangha and
illuminates their place in the American Civil Rights movement.
Johnson moves from spiritual guides to spiritual
nourishment: writing. In essays touching on the role of the black
intellectual, Uncle Tom's Cabin, and Ralph Ellison, Johnson uses
tools of Buddhist thinking to clarify difficult ideas. Powerful and
revelatory, these essays confirm that writing and reading, along with
Buddhism, are the basic components that make up a thoughtful life.
