Valerie Brown is a Buddhist-Quaker dharma teacher in the Plum Village tradition founded by Thich Nhat Hanh. Her books include Hope Leans Forward, which won the Nautilus Gold Award for Eastern Spirituality and Healing Our Way Home, written with Kaira Jewel Lingo and Marisela B. Gomez.
Valerie Brown
Recent Articles
No Birth, No Death
Through grief, Valerie Brown discovers there’s no beginning and no end. Like waves, we rise and fall—but we never leave the ocean of being.
Finding Myself in the Garden
Valerie Brown returns to gardening to recover her broken spirit, and discovers what really grows in a garden is love.
How to Avoid Burnout with the Middle Way
Valerie Brown on the importance of taking care of ourselves, while taking care of others.
The True Nature of a Flower
For Valerie Brown, her garden is a teacher of the dharma. In every bloom she sees impermanence, nonself, and nirvana.
What to Say When Someone Dies
Avoid pat expressions, says Valerie Brown. What a grieving person needs is loving presence.