Twelve weeks of guidance for practicing nonviolence in everyday life.
One book.
Born from a clever idea – to make long term contemplative practice doable at home – this book brims with useful advice. You will be encouraged to prioritize the values of meditative life, like compassion and clarity, in the midst of your ordinary situation. Organized to be accessible to solo practitioners, pairs or partners, and groups, the framework makes the The Ongo Book practices highly adaptable."
– Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness and Real Happiness
The Ongo Book features:
Step-by-step instruction: Practices like mindfulness meditation, Nonviolent Communication, and more, made beginner-friendly, with rich depths to explore for even lifelong practitioners.
Direct action: Practices translate into nonviolent direct actions you can take in your everyday life and work.
A full three-month at-home retreat: Complete guidance for individuals, couples, and groups, made doable for busy schedules.
Online resources: A free companion website with recorded audio meditations, video teachings, and discussion forums.
Real world experience: Wisdom from the authors' lived understanding of practicing and sharing these teachings.
Optional one-on-one support: Live practice consultations with the authors available for individuals, couples, and groups.
I once asked Marshall Rosenberg, creator of Nonviolent Communication, what it would take for me to "really learn this stuff". His answer: "Practice, practice, practice." My Companion Workbook was written to offer practice in learning the NVC model, and now Jesse and Catherine take us further and deeper, providing practices to really get it in our bones, from the inside out. I highly recommend The Ongo Book as a way to take Marshall's suggestion to heart!"
– Lucy Leu, editor of Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life,
author of Nonviolent Communication Companion Workbook,
and co-founder of the Freedom Project
Ordering The Ongo Book online:
USA orders of 1-5 books: Order through powells.com (independent bookseller) or amazon.com (a small percentage of the sale goes to our nonprofit with the link below)
USA orders of more than 5 books: Order directly from ZENVC for discounts on books for groups
European orders: Order through Geweldloze Communicatie Webwinkel
United Kingdom orders: Order through Gayano Shaw at Giraffe Social Enterprises (click the button to email her)
Australia orders: Order through Kate Raffin at Heart Talk Matters (click the button to email her)
Orders from all other regions: Order through the Book Depository, which offers free worldwide shipping
For many years, in my own evolution and teaching, it has been very clear to me that, in order to actualize our spiritual evolution, we need the support of a community who share our vision and values. The Ongo Book provides a practical support for this vision."
– Robert Gonzales, Center for Living Compassion, Author of Reflections on Living Compassion
Take a look inside:
Click on the thumbnails below to see the pages:
In a hurried and harried world, here are some basic and potentially powerful ideas about how to remain stable and unrocked. My guess is they will become more valuable as our various external crises deepen, and some of the distractions on which we currently lean begin to show their shallowness."
– Bill McKibben, author of Deep Economy and co-founder of 350.org
About the Authors
CATHERINE CADDEN is an educator, storyteller, and dancer with over 25 years of experience in bringing innovative programs in nonviolence, mindfulness, and conflict transformation to people of all ages, on six continents. In 1997, she founded the TEMBA School, a visionary K–8 academic program which integrated nonviolent principles, mindfulness, art, and peace studies. In 2006, Catherine co-founded Play in the Wild! Initiations into Nonviolence for youth, families, and educators. Internationally recognized for her work, Catherine was a keynote speaker at the UNESCO Asia Pacific Education conference in 2012. Her work with her indigenous roots, elders, and teachers taught her to live interdependently with nature, which she shares with all who are willing to learn. She is a Center for Nonviolent Communication Certified Trainer and the author of Peaceable Revolution Through Education.
JESSE WIENS is the founder of ZENVC, an approach to the practice of Nonviolent Communication (NVC) that integrates meditation, mindfulness, and inner work. He has a passion for bringing Eastern and Western wisdom to bear on the problems of today, supporting individuals, couples, and communities to come back into wholeness. In this, he draws from his own Chinese-American heritage, seven years of living and practicing in Zen monasteries, and training with NVC founder, Marshall Rosenberg, and Center for Understanding in Conflict co-founder, Gary Friedman. Jesse is a Center for Nonviolent Communication Certified Trainer and a former volunteer with BayNVC’s Restorative Justice program at San Quentin State Prison. He is also a contributing author to A Thousand Hands: A Guidebook to Caring for Your Buddhist Community.
Together, Catherine and Jesse live their practice with each other in Beloved partnership, one day at a time. They support people around the world in the learning and real-world application of spiritual practices in a lively, experiential, and integrated way.
Using a wealth of wisdom and techniques from the many traditions they have explored, Catherine and Jesse have put together an impressively thorough and well-crafted program for spiritual development and well being. I am frankly amazed by their daring and skill."
– Norman Fischer, Zen priest, author of Experience: Thinking, Writing, Language and Religion and What is Zen?
Your order sustains our vision of nonviolence.
We have a vision of a world where everyone has access to the tools and teachings that The Ongo Book offers. We wrote this book so that anyone, anywhere, could gather with others to practice nonviolence, and have all the guidance and support they need to get started. Your order of The Ongo Book not only places this guidance and support in your hands, but makes it sustainable for us to donate copies to people and organizations who can help us advance this vision.
Questions?
Contact us. We'll be happy to help.
