Sitting in the Flames

As reviewed by New York Times best-selling author Ellen Tanner Marsh, In clear, heartfelt prose, DeVore describes a brave and unflinching confrontation with his past, made necessary in order for him to have a more meaningful future. War, he realized, isnt just one mans experienceits the sum total experience of an entire country. To stop wars, he argues, we must understand them and why we seem to need them. The gut-wrenching brutality experienced by American soldiers in Vietnam was for many the beginning of a lifelong personal struggle. Unlike many veterans, who were unable to cope after returning to civilian life, John DeVore moved with facility from success as an Army officer to success in corporate America. Nevertheless, like many other veterans, the war haunted DeVore and finallyin a process he narrates in this bookcompelled him to make a commitment to free himself and our country from the addiction to war. Joel Andreas, author of Addicted to War: Why the U.S. Cant Kick Militarism John DeVores important book chronicles the remarkable transformation of a professional soldier to a spiritual warrior of peace. A must-read for those interested in exploring the possibilities of a less violent global future. Manfred B. Steger, professor of politics and government, Illinois State University; research fellow, Globalization Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa DeVore offers a simple explanation of the interconnectedness of his Western cultural conditioning, globalization, the reality of war, his civilian and military careers, and his search for spiritual roots. He certainly is a living example of the fearlessness and desire to help others that can begin to emerge through willingness to work with personal emotional turbulence, fear, anger, pride, envy, selfishness, ignorance, etc., on a daily basis. His story really helps us experience that it is possible to turn bad things to good things. Ringu Tulku, internationally recognized teacher and author of Daring Steps Toward Fearlessness, Path to Buddhahood, Lazy Lama Series, Comment on Gampopas Jewell Ornament of Liberation, Mind Training, The Boy Who Had a Dream, and A Perspective on Living and Dying. Ringu Tulku was born in Eastern Tibet in 1952 and was a professor of Tibetan studies for seventeen years. He travels extensively, teaches at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, and is director of seven meditation centers in Europe, the United States, and India. His home is Gangtok, Sikkim, in India, and his Bodhicharya website is www.bodhicharya.org.

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