Sanctuary: A Meditation on Home, Homelessness, and Belonging

A singular work of poetic prose exploring otherness and belonging&;and what it means to be truly at home.Sanctuary: A Meditation on Home, Homelessness, and Belonging examines the interface between inner and outer sanctuary, and the ways they affect one another. &;Sanctuary&; is the home we can return to when our lives are under threat, where we can face what's difficult to love, and have a place where we can truly say, &;I am home&;&;and spiritual teachers often emphasize sanctuary&;s inner dimensions, that &;our true home&; is within. &;Homelessness,&; in turn, can be viewed as a forced experience or one in which there is a spiritual void in being or feeling home. Drawing from her life as a Zen Buddhist priest whose ancestors labored as slaves in Louisiana, Zenju Earthlyn Manuel explores the tension between oppression&;based on race, religion, ability, class, orientation, gender, and other &;ghosts of slavery&;&;and finding home within our own hearts. Through intimate personal stories and deep reflection, Manuel helps us see the moment when the unacknowledged surfaces as &;the time we have been practicing for,&; the epiphany when we can investigate the true source what has been troubling us. This insightful book about home and homelessness, sanctuary and refuge offers inspiration, encouragement, and a clear-eyed view of cultivating a spiritual path in challenging times.