The Short March to Wisdom
	Written by: Venerable Yung Dong and Marjorie Jacobs Published by: Buddha's Light Publishing ISBN: 0-9715612-5-7 5.5x8.5, 64 Pages, paperback Price: $8.00

Nothing teaches like a good story. In The Short March to Wisdom, Venerable Yung Dong and Marjorie Jacobs - a monastic and a lay devotee of Fo Guang Shan - offer 32 stories to delight and instruct. These stories, taken from old Buddhist writings but given a contemporary feel, are accompanied by several aids to study. For one, each story is accompanied by six questions. In lieu of a commentary, these questions can be used to open out the significance of the story for the reader. In addition, the book begins with a list of "General Ethical Concepts," as well as Buddhism's Five Precepts, Five Poisons, and Six Perfections. It is up to the reader to decide which story illustrates which concept. This interactive model ensures that the reader will gain the maximum possible benefit from the book.

Although drawn from Buddhist sources, these stories are in the spirit of Aesop's Fables or a good, short fairy tale. They can be read for fun or for instruction.

The question format makes the book suitable for use in a standard school classroom. Not only do the questions aid in interpretation, but the absence of a commentary steers clear of the perception that the stories are "teaching Buddhism." Rather, the reader must induce the meaning for him- or herself.