What do you think?
Rate this book
Hidden Spring: A Buddhist Woman Confronts Cancer
Hidden Spring is the first book to demonstrate in moment-to-moment detail how Buddhist meditation and practice can help us cope with the ordeal of life-threatening disease. In 1995, Sandy Boucher - a well-known Buddhist and feminist writer - was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer. In vivid prose, she describes her year-long encounter with the disease, and reveals how meditation techniques and understanding of Buddhist principles prepared her to meet the mental and physical challenges of her illness.
This intimate account of the development of a Western Buddhist meditator is a triumphant tale of the human spirit in its struggle with mortality, and a guide for anyone looking for strength and comfort for their own struggles.
This intimate account of the development of a Western Buddhist meditator is a triumphant tale of the human spirit in its struggle with mortality, and a guide for anyone looking for strength and comfort for their own struggles.
224 pages, Paperback
First published May 9, 1997
14 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 24, 2011
If applied Buddhism works for a cancer patient going through chemo, it can work for other forms of suffering. The key is sangha or community.
December 9, 2015
Summary:
The novel Hidden Spring: A Buddhist Woman Confronts Cancer is by primarily Buddhist and feminist author: Sandy Boucher, whom also wrote Opening the Lotus, Turning the Wheel, and many more, most directly correlating with Buddhism. This particular novel, Hidden Spring, follows Boucher has she deals with her diagnosis of stage three colon cancer. It follows her through Boucher through her discovery of Buddhism and meditation, and how it helped her to deal with the mental and physical difficulties that the cancer brought.
Review:
Buddhism has always been the subject of those seeking an internal spiritual outlook, as well as the peace of mind. It is often portrayed with various symbols, including the white lotus, which symbolizes peace and purity. These symbols, and the name Buddhism itself often is thought of as a rather tranquil and peaceful religion, however throughout the book, Boucher describes the challenges she experienced in achieving this spiritual peace. I like how Boucher described so much more about the difficulties she experienced, rather than simply her achievements as Buddhism is in fact, not always an easy religion to follow. She describes her difficulty in clearing her mind, and focusing solely on her breathing during meditation, which took her almost three years to master. For Boucher, it was strange and difficult to understand and accept Buddhist perspectives and practices. However later she found that having a peaceful internal mindset, helped aid her through her battle with cancer.
Another thing I found interesting in the novel was the theme of homosexuality, which is uncommonly associated in novels regarding religion. Boucher, a homosexual herself, found that meditation and Buddhism actually helped her to repair her relationship with her partner, which was broken due to her being unable to accept her cancer diagnosis. I found this interesting, as most other novels regarding religion, don’t (or only briefly) touch upon the issue of homosexuality. Boucher being able to embrace her sexual identity whilst discovering Buddhism further shows the open mindedness of Buddhism, and why it is often considered more of a mental philosophy which involves regulation of the mind, as opposed to a religion which is bound by cultural and social practices.
A last thing I found interesting, was that many, almost all of the characters in Boucher’s autobiography are female, even including those at the meditation center. Although Boucher is known for her feminist views, I still found this interesting as in many other religions, major spiritual leaders and historical figures are primarily male. Even Jesus, one of the highest regarded spiritual leaders of the world, was prophesized to be male. Boucher’s portrayal of the female gender goes to further show how much less doctrinal based Buddhism is, as compared to many other major world religions. Boucher describes that the practice of meditation and Buddhism made her more open-minded towards her cancer and towards life in general. It is plausible that the open-mindedness of Buddhism is possibly the reason why females are generally equal to male, and have an equal chance at achieving their spiritual goal.
Rating: 4/5
I do think this book explored many major features of Buddhism and meditation through Boucher’s journey, instead of being simply just explaining what Buddhism is. This strong woman’s journey towards battling cancer gave us an insight on a Buddhist, not on simply Buddhism. It is really well written, and the key features of Boucher’s spiritual identity are incorporated well into the whole retelling of her cancer journey. On the flip side, some parts of the book progressed rather slowly, and at times were a bit boring, but overall, the novel was extremely insightful.
The novel Hidden Spring: A Buddhist Woman Confronts Cancer is by primarily Buddhist and feminist author: Sandy Boucher, whom also wrote Opening the Lotus, Turning the Wheel, and many more, most directly correlating with Buddhism. This particular novel, Hidden Spring, follows Boucher has she deals with her diagnosis of stage three colon cancer. It follows her through Boucher through her discovery of Buddhism and meditation, and how it helped her to deal with the mental and physical difficulties that the cancer brought.
Review:
Buddhism has always been the subject of those seeking an internal spiritual outlook, as well as the peace of mind. It is often portrayed with various symbols, including the white lotus, which symbolizes peace and purity. These symbols, and the name Buddhism itself often is thought of as a rather tranquil and peaceful religion, however throughout the book, Boucher describes the challenges she experienced in achieving this spiritual peace. I like how Boucher described so much more about the difficulties she experienced, rather than simply her achievements as Buddhism is in fact, not always an easy religion to follow. She describes her difficulty in clearing her mind, and focusing solely on her breathing during meditation, which took her almost three years to master. For Boucher, it was strange and difficult to understand and accept Buddhist perspectives and practices. However later she found that having a peaceful internal mindset, helped aid her through her battle with cancer.
Another thing I found interesting in the novel was the theme of homosexuality, which is uncommonly associated in novels regarding religion. Boucher, a homosexual herself, found that meditation and Buddhism actually helped her to repair her relationship with her partner, which was broken due to her being unable to accept her cancer diagnosis. I found this interesting, as most other novels regarding religion, don’t (or only briefly) touch upon the issue of homosexuality. Boucher being able to embrace her sexual identity whilst discovering Buddhism further shows the open mindedness of Buddhism, and why it is often considered more of a mental philosophy which involves regulation of the mind, as opposed to a religion which is bound by cultural and social practices.
A last thing I found interesting, was that many, almost all of the characters in Boucher’s autobiography are female, even including those at the meditation center. Although Boucher is known for her feminist views, I still found this interesting as in many other religions, major spiritual leaders and historical figures are primarily male. Even Jesus, one of the highest regarded spiritual leaders of the world, was prophesized to be male. Boucher’s portrayal of the female gender goes to further show how much less doctrinal based Buddhism is, as compared to many other major world religions. Boucher describes that the practice of meditation and Buddhism made her more open-minded towards her cancer and towards life in general. It is plausible that the open-mindedness of Buddhism is possibly the reason why females are generally equal to male, and have an equal chance at achieving their spiritual goal.
Rating: 4/5
I do think this book explored many major features of Buddhism and meditation through Boucher’s journey, instead of being simply just explaining what Buddhism is. This strong woman’s journey towards battling cancer gave us an insight on a Buddhist, not on simply Buddhism. It is really well written, and the key features of Boucher’s spiritual identity are incorporated well into the whole retelling of her cancer journey. On the flip side, some parts of the book progressed rather slowly, and at times were a bit boring, but overall, the novel was extremely insightful.
December 9, 2013
For my book review, I chose to read the book Hidden Spring, A Buddhist Woman Confronts Cancer by Sandy Boucher. When I first chose this book, I didn’t know what to expect. Firstly, I’ve never been gravely sick, much less be diagnosed with cancer so I wouldn’t know what her friends and family would be going through. Second, I’m not a a real Buddhist myself so I didn’t know what to expect. I was really eager to read this book because it excited me how religion could change someone’s life such a dire situation.
This book tells about a woman (Sandy Boucher) who lives in Oakland, who gets diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. The book spans over (about) a year, and tells about how she copes with life through these hard times. She explains the different meditation techniques and buddhist principals that helped her through her illness. She also explains how by having something that could comfort her, she was not too threatened by the news of her illness, or the illness itself. In the book, I really liked her quote, “Buddhist practice does not prevent anything, it does not shield us from anything. It softens and opens us to meet everything that comes to us.” The reason I like this quote is because it shows how she’s not too scared to face reality. Everything happens for a reason, and by applying Buddhist practices to her daily life, she has come to accept the fact that she has the illness. Not only that, she can still find comfort, strength and calmness through her times of troubles.
In the book, Sandy mentions her journey to find her spiritual self, and it wasn't easy for her. It was hard for her to get her mind around the teachings of Buddha, and it took time. She even spent three years mastering meditation! This book teaches people how to cope with life by turning to religion to calm yourself and it can even help you find strength. Overall, I would give this book a four out of five. I liked it, but some parts was really slow-moving so I found it a bit boring. But nonetheless this book was inspirational and helped me understand Buddhism and it’s impact on people.
This book tells about a woman (Sandy Boucher) who lives in Oakland, who gets diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. The book spans over (about) a year, and tells about how she copes with life through these hard times. She explains the different meditation techniques and buddhist principals that helped her through her illness. She also explains how by having something that could comfort her, she was not too threatened by the news of her illness, or the illness itself. In the book, I really liked her quote, “Buddhist practice does not prevent anything, it does not shield us from anything. It softens and opens us to meet everything that comes to us.” The reason I like this quote is because it shows how she’s not too scared to face reality. Everything happens for a reason, and by applying Buddhist practices to her daily life, she has come to accept the fact that she has the illness. Not only that, she can still find comfort, strength and calmness through her times of troubles.
In the book, Sandy mentions her journey to find her spiritual self, and it wasn't easy for her. It was hard for her to get her mind around the teachings of Buddha, and it took time. She even spent three years mastering meditation! This book teaches people how to cope with life by turning to religion to calm yourself and it can even help you find strength. Overall, I would give this book a four out of five. I liked it, but some parts was really slow-moving so I found it a bit boring. But nonetheless this book was inspirational and helped me understand Buddhism and it’s impact on people.
August 24, 2023
top non-fiction book 2003
April 23, 2017
I found it tragic that while the author speaks of buddhism, she casually recounts how her primary relationship has languished from neglect and her selfishness. The reviews oversell the book.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews