Learning Love from a Tiger

Book excerpt: Learning Love from a Tiger explores the vibrancy and variety of humansÕ sacred encounters with the natural world, gathering a range of stories culled from Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Mayan, Himalayan, Buddhist, and Chinese shamanic traditions. Readers will delight in tales of house cats who teach monks how to meditate, shamans who shape-shift into jaguars, crickets who perform Catholic mass, rivers that grant salvation, and many others. In addition to being a collection of wonderful stories, this book introduces important concepts and approaches that underlie much recent work in environmental ethics, religion, and ecology. Daniel CapperÕs light touch prompts readers to engage their own views of humanityÕs place in the natural world and question longstanding assumptions of human superiority.