Lin Jensen is the founding teacher and senior teacher emeritus of the Chico Zen Sangha and the author of Together Under One Roof and Pavement. In this stirring collection of essays, he joins the chorus of those who have acted in defense of the Earth. As both a Buddhist and a student of deep ecology, Jensen puts his faith in a shared communal relationship with the planet, especially during these times of ecological devastation. The author likes the image of Buddha sitting cross-legged on the ground and rooted in the earth. It animates him when he sees hundreds of earthworms stranded on a road in his town. Feeling connected to them, he rescues as many as he can, knowing that the rest will probably perish. These slimy creatures have their role to play as nature's pre-eminent composters, and surely plants are pleased with them as beneficiaries of their labors.

After pondering the intangibles of the Four Noble Truths, Jensen salutes a group of writers who have harvested the wisdom of the natural world and passed on their Earth lineage to him: William Langland, Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, E.F. Schumacher, and Annie Dillard.

And at 87 years of age, he delights in adopting what he calls "a Buddhist economic heritage characterized by modesty and restraint." Jensen laments the progress that has covered the soil of Orange County with sidewalks, streets, parking lots, and endless buildings. In such an environment, it is hard to feel the dirt beneath one's feet as one's real home. His philosophy comes through in the following quotation:

"A Buddhist values the intimate and the small, measuring time not in years and weeks and days but in the moment at hand, measuring space not in miles nor yards but in the step now taken. He would know that to live his life he must do so here and now, an ancient and simple wisdom that accords with the inherent nature of earth's ecosystem."

We like Jensen's idea of viewing the natural world as a large loving family where our siblings are plants, water, dirt, air, and animals. We take care of each other and share what we have. We are one with each other and when a brother or sister is harmed or suffering, we feel the pain and do what we can to make things better. "We Are Family" is not just a great song title, it is a way of being in a world of connections and interdependence.