We’re delighted to announce the release of Satyadasa’s unputdownable memoir, The Sound of One Hand, which is a tender account of one person’s ‘Dharma life’. What does it look like to live a contemporary Buddhist life, with a strong response to the Buddha’s teachings, as well as ambition, a partner, a sense of humour, one of the most interesting grandfathers imaginable, and a stump for a left hand?
Satyadasa self-published the book earlier this year, and we’re very pleased to be publishing the reprint. The Sound of One Hand is available in the UK and Europe now. It will be released in North America in April, but you can pre-order from our US distributors now. April will also see the worldwide release of the audiobook edition, read by the author. It will be Windhorse Publications’ first audiobook and we’re very excited about that!
Buy the paperback (UK & Europe)
Pre-order the paperback (US & Canada)
Listen to the podcast
Dhammamegha talks with Satyadasa about The Sound of One Hand in our latest podcast episode.
Praise for The Sound of One Hand
‘This beautifully written memoir goes surprisingly deep because it is so exceptionally honest….’ – Vishvapani Blomfield, Buddhist contributor to BBC’s Thought for the Day
‘…absolutely wonderful – there were times when I laughed out loud, it’s utterly delightful, very funny, touching, full of gorgeous details and wonderful characters.’ – Mimi Khalvati, poet and founder of The Poetry School
‘…both profound and moving as well as hilariously funny in places…. I recommend it wholeheartedly.’ – Vidyamala Burch OBE
Three reasons to read The Sound of One Hand
It’s hard to put down! Satyadasa used to be a journalist at the Old Bailey Court in London, and he takes the reader with him with poignant prose, character description and recall of dialogue.
It offers a unique insight into the development of Western Buddhism. Satyadasa’s grandfather was a grumpy scholastic Buddhist and Buddhism bored his mother to tears. One generation later, Satyadasa started hanging out with Buddhists and has made a life between an ideal of enlightenment and very human desires of expressing his ambition, having a girlfriend, and earning enough money to buy his own socks.
It’s a meditation on living with a visible limb difference. Born with only one hand – a congenital birth defect – Satyadasa chronicles the changes in how he’s related to his disability over the years: with innocence as an infant, by trying to prove himself as a boy, with shame as a young adult, and eventually softening and becoming more at peace with it and its effects on his life.
About the author
Satyadasa is a lawyer, health coach and member of the Triratna Buddhist Order since 2011. He teaches at the London Buddhist Centre, leads retreats and is currently the Buddhist tutor at Eton College. He lives with his family in East London.
New course based on Cyberloka
Prajnaketu, the author of Cyberloka: A Buddhist Guide to Digital Life, has put together a five-week course based on the book. If you’d be interested in taking the course, please contact your local Buddhist Centre.