--- product_id: 13450640 title: "The Heart Of The Bitter Almond Hedge Sutra" brand: "thanissara" price: "VT4481" currency: VUV in_stock: true reviews_count: 6 url: https://www.desertcart.vu/products/13450640-the-heart-of-the-bitter-almond-hedge-sutra store_origin: VU region: Vanuatu --- # The Heart Of The Bitter Almond Hedge Sutra **Brand:** thanissara **Price:** VT4481 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Heart Of The Bitter Almond Hedge Sutra by thanissara - **How much does it cost?** VT4481 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.vu](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/13450640-the-heart-of-the-bitter-almond-hedge-sutra) ## Best For - thanissara enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted thanissara brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Full description not available ## Images ![The Heart Of The Bitter Almond Hedge Sutra - Image 1](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51RblNhv4gL.jpg) ![The Heart Of The Bitter Almond Hedge Sutra - Image 2](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51a4bFU3j3L.jpg) ![The Heart Of The Bitter Almond Hedge Sutra - Image 3](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41nZ5jP23jL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Buddhist poet calls us to love and to action *by L***N on Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2014* This beautiful book broke open my heart. Thanissara’s poetry rips the civilized veneer off the lives we are living and reveals them for what they are: a brutal lie we have--to our shame--grown accustomed to. A lie that started, at least in this epic poem, with the planting of a bitter almond hedge to keep “us” white settlers apart from “those” Africans.From this bitter hedge, South Africa’s cancerous apartheid system grew. But, as Thanissara gently points out, we can't simply point fingers at South Africa, because “the ultimate apartheid is the mind’s own division against the heart.” And that apartheid lives everywhere—everywhere we can destroy the earth without feeling; destroy each other without feeling; betray ourselves without feeling so that we can “get along.”Through the voices of bushmen, through images of wild Africa, through the heartless terrors of warfare, genocide, and ecocide upon which our modern lives are based, Thanissara makes us feel how much we have lost, and makes us grieve our own cold callousness. And then she calls us to wake up.“There is no suffering, no origin of suffering, no end of suffering, and no path,” the Buddha teaches. So “Allow the cries that tumble across/the peaceful vast veldt/of mountainous struggles/to flow through you. Let the hot sun melt your shield/as you walk the dusty street/of warm, black, skin softly smiles/where the boy with satchel and dreams/wanders the thin, wishful highway/of no jobs.” Is this so hard?It is the haunting images of this beautiful book that will stay with me. I love how Thanissara juxtaposes them—often heartbreakingly—with the words of the indigenous people who speak before each chapter. And I love how she ultimately calls us to courage: “Move beyond your walled pastimes/to join the Awakening./Time yourself out/from the needle of craving/and boogie down with intense/flamenco, disciplined passion/so we can crash the machine.“Soar over the edge/on the breath of our heart’s sorrow/and make a beloved circle/outside the wall/where the storehouse of untamed dreams/will decolonize our mind.” May we do so before it’s too late. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for the love of poetry *by C***M on Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2014* I find I keep reading the poem many times, in parts, as well an a long read of the whole of it. I encourage anyone interested in Buddhism, Africa, or how to mindfully practice with the ills of the worlds to see yet deeply into life's beauty, or for the love of poetry, to read this book. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ beautiful poetry. *by K***K on Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2015* beautifully written --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.vu/products/13450640-the-heart-of-the-bitter-almond-hedge-sutra](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/13450640-the-heart-of-the-bitter-almond-hedge-sutra) --- *Product available on Desertcart Vanuatu* *Store origin: VU* *Last updated: 2026-05-08*