Countless Sands presents engaging analyses of the diverse relationships between Buddhism and the environment that existed in medieval Asia. Recent years have witnessed a surge in publications across the humanities that advance powerful ethical and political arguments to account for the human failure to respond effectively to global climate change. While the contributors to this volume are attuned to this challenge, rather than present explicit political arguments, they pursue a subtler effort to historicize the environment as a site and subject of Buddhist practice while providing research grounded in rigorous analysis of complex and fragmentary sources. The volume thereby mitigates against the Orientalist, East-West binaries that have long informed the invocation of Buddhism in Euro-American environmental discourses. As the chapters collectively demonstrate, there was no singular, consistently “Buddhist” understanding of the natural world, but innumerable, varied engagements preserved in discrete texts, images, and artifacts. Through specific case studies, the authors consider such questions as: How did premodern Buddhists understand what we today call “the environment”? How did they think about their earth? How, when, and where did the various processes of the earth actually impinge on the practices of historical Buddhists? What kinds of “environmental imaginations” informed specific Buddhist practices? In so doing, the authors explore the connections between the ways in which historical Buddhist communities interacted with their environments and how they understood those environments. In the broader field of Buddhist studies, Countless Sands contributes to ongoing efforts to expand the locus of inquiry from textually based investigations of Buddhist doctrine to a broader examination of the complex and varied place of Buddhism in the lives of historical communities. The book furthers this broader process by casting it in environmental terms and will engage readers looking for models of thought-provoking historical analysis on environmental themes.

"Forgotten Earth Guardians" invites you on a journey back in time to uncover the enduring wisdom of ancient civilizations. This book delves into the secrets of long-lost societies, exploring how their insights, practices, and innovations can inform our lives today. From the whispers of the desert's nomadic tribes to the mysteries of megalithic structures that have stood the test of time, each chapter reveals a forgotten facet of human ingenuity and resilience. As you turn the pages, you'll find yourself immersed in the celestial wonders of ancient astronomy, the sacred knowledge of aquatic civilizations, and the healing power of earth-bound remedies passed down through generations. In "Forgotten Earth Guardians," you'll discover the lost libraries of ancient texts and the enduring power of oral traditions that continue to echo in our modern world. The book explores the environmental ethics of animistic beliefs, the precision of ancient calendars, and the governance models that once guided thriving civilizations. The book also celebrates the unsung heroes of ancient times—the silent guardians who shaped society from the shadows. From the agricultural techniques that sustained civilizations to the engineering feats that still baffle modern minds, the contributions of women and the role of spirituality in daily life are brought to light. As the final chapter unfolds, we are reminded of the importance of preserving knowledge, as the last scribes left behind the art of writing and record-keeping for future generations. "Forgotten Earth Guardians" is more than just a history book; it's a call to reconnect with the earth, to listen to the echoes of our ancestors, and to find guidance in the wisdom they left behind.

This collection of poetry is inspired by the author’s lineage as an Iñupiaq Eskimo woman with family from King Island and Mary’s Igloo, Alaska. The poems’ syncopated cadences and evocative images bring to life the exceptional physical and cultural conditions of the Arctic and sub-Arctic that have been home to her ancestors for tens of thousands of years, while the poems’ speakers refer to an indigenous identity that has become increasingly plural. The author’s perspective as a Native person affords her unique insight into the relationship with place and self, which she applies in her consideration of the arctic landscape and to questions of adaptation and resilience. Kane’s work refers to the Inupiaq oral tradition, and while in some poems she continues to revisit, rewrite, and revise traditional narratives that are suited to the lyric form, she moves beyond narrative retelling, honoring the legacy of imagination that has sustained Inupiaq people for millennia.