Since 1970, Banyen Books has sought to
represent the teachings and literature of the Great Wisdom Traditions of
Humanity; to offer the fruits of research and inspirations for continuing
discovery-a rich selection of the great books of the Human Adventure; and to
provide a meeting place of Reflection and Oasis, a "Watering Hole" for
travelers, students, seekers-for all of us curious and growing
humans.
Since 1987, Banyen Sound has offered the Word, the Sound, the Beat, the Melody-recordings of meditative, healing and sacred Music, as well as audios and videos on a wide spectrum of healing and integral themes. We also offer a variety of other tools, resources and events for the growth of contemplative skills, love and wisdom in our world.
he name "Banyen" refers to the banyan tree, a close ficus relative
of the Bodhi tree, under which we are told the Buddha realized his true nature
(with wonderful implications for all of us). I had been in India at "The
Immortal Banyan Tree" in whose shade it is said Lord Krishna first spoke the
Bhagavad Gita, the core scripture of Hinduism. In east Asia, banyan trees are
revered as sacred "community trees," indicating plentiful water below and
offering great and sheltering shade above. With their many aerial roots
extending to earth to form multiple trunks, they are often integral parts of
temples and shrines. In India, the sacred scriptures themselves are regarded as
the leaves of the Universal Tree. These scriptures also link trees, and in
particular the banyan, with Brahma itself-the immortal, innermost spirit of the
universe. In this way, the banyan can be seen as the Tree of Knowledge as well
as the Tree of Life. It is a symbol of The World Tree.
In 1970, I tried to connect with Gary Snyder and Nanao Sakaki, who, with Asian and American friends, were living in "Banyan Ashram," a naked, wild, eco-spiritual community on a tiny tropical island in the south of Japan. These ecological-and-spiritual connections formed the bridge to bring the "Banyan" out of the heavens into the leafy, moist soil and streets of Vancouver.
The changed spelling of "Banyen" arose from a juncture of traditions, as a kundalini yogi-cum-numerologist whom I trusted advised me to change the spelling so it would support Study and Wisdom more effectively. Why not? I thought… So, this marriage of streams birthed the name Banyen.
In the Beginning was Form and Void
on the face of the Deep, and psychic energies liberated by poetry, psychedelics,
lightshows at the Afterthought on Fourth Avenue, beachcombing at Long Beach,
learning to meditate, picking fruit, cooking at logging camps, being on the road
and on the street... losing family identity and finding cosmic familyhood,
awakening to the spirit.
The Golden Lotus Restaurant and Natural Food Store on Fourth Avenue at Bayswater was a hothouse for spiritual seekers, new vegetarians and spaced-out hippies grounding through good work. Banyen was born in a tiny book corner of the Golden Lotus. That lovely place was a connection to India, meditation and spiritual growth from 1967 to 1970. As its sun set, what was to become the Naam restaurant, Lifestream, Woodlands, Nature's Path, and Banyen Books arose.
After visiting the newly-opened Shambhala Booksellers in Berkeley in 1969-and spending three solid days there; and after going to India (as a student of the great meditation master Kirpal Singh), and asking everyone I met what were the greatest books they'd ever read, and making notes, combing bookstores, libraries and my friends' brains for a year, I was ready to make the leap, at age 21, into visionary entrepreneurship.
So, with some Whole Earth Catalogs, I Chings and other books left over from the Golden Lotus; with $1500 from selling half of its natural foods (which became the Naam); and with a loan of $2000 on the strength of my mother's will, I journeyed to Berkeley to Bookpeople, a cooperative hip wholesaler that had just opened, and I picked out five boxes of books to begin Banyen Books. (Bookpeople was our largest and best supplier for thirty years… until their demise in 2003.)
With the publication of Be Here Now (at the venerable price of $3.33!) in the spring of 1971, a renaissance of spiritual reading and practice began. It was like a Touch of Sun, and all of us seeds began to sprout. What was sprouting then is now giving shade, fruit, flowers, and new seeds to new generations.
Since 1970 Banyen Books has been in five locations: at 2739 West 4th from 1970 to 1973; at 2715 West 4th from 1973 to 1980; at 2685 West Broadway from 1980 to 1987; at 2671 West Broadway from 1987 to 2003; and at 3608 West 4th from 2003 to the present.
Thus have we heard. Long may the Good Medicine bring us health, friendliness, and may we live in compassionate community with all beings. May our Wounds be healed into Resources for our unique Creativities! May all Beings come to respect the Tender Web of Creation, and live in good relation with our Great Nature.
Banyen
Books, as its namesake the Banyan tree, is a living organism. It's an ongoing
act of magic; a covenant with the human community and with the earth
communities; an information and education service; an oasis of calm and welcome
for seekers and pilgrims; and a business-offering right livelihood and convivial
companionship for co-workers and their families; creating a safe place for minds
and hearts to open and for insight to deepen; and offering products for sale
which encourage the values of non-violence, truthfulness, love for all,
meditation and spiritual awakening, earthcare and earth wisdom, and healing,
holistic & visionary perspectives in arts, sciences, humanities, literature,
medicine, philosophy, ecology, and dishwashing.
As a bookstore seeking a balance between the "juicy"
experiential and the "dry" scholarly, Banyen stocks the best in world spiritual,
mystical, metaphysical and inspirational traditions-recognizing that seekers
come in all forms and find their connections through varying metaphors, levels
of depth, and practices. And as contemporary metaphors change, we seek to keep
connection with the Sources of Life, the Juice, through whatever current forms
it's being expressed, changing or renaming sections as needed-so the public can
count on us for:
Our
goal is to nurture the wisdom, compassion and healing potentials of the
community, insofar as possible for us, through consistently improving our skills
and services, and that the result of this shared accomplishment and commitment
shall be a staff that is nurtured, protected, and encouraged to develop their
own human capacities to the fullest. Our goal is that Banyen co-workers should
be well and fairly paid, have excellent extended health and other benefits, and
that they be able to thrive with a four-day workweek.
At Banyen, we "reduce, reuse & recycle" as much as possible, utilizing smart environmental and social criteria in decisions concerning supplies and consumables, heating, ventilation, materials, water and air quality, etc. It is an ongoing challenge to reduce our energy footprint (an energy audit is a sobering reality check!) and we are making progress where we can.
Since 2003 Banyen has owned its own building (once we pay off the mortgage, that is!) This long-cherished goal was achieved with the heaven-sent and very practical help of many, and particularly with a bequest from Jane Hooper, my co-heart, who passed on in 2001. The new store is about 5,500 square feet, including a staff garden area and porch, and my vision of a staff that loves to work together and whose lives flourish as they co-create the systems, services and celebrations of Banyen has come a long, long way. As of this writing in 2007, Banyen's staff of 30 offers itself as a vehicle of service, with Kindness, Insight, Fairness, and Beauty ever in our intentions. Great gratitude to all who read this. Thank you for helping us keep on keeping on!
A subtext of Banyen's goals is that Spirit, Human
Potentials, and Healing have a non-sectarian, non-religious (in the
organizational sense), and no-B.S. safe place to be honoured and celebrated in
our society; which by example and activity would empower individuals to live
more fully in their own "Original Medicine," their spiritual and healing
resources and capacities; with heart, hands, and mind aligned.
-- Kolin Lymworth ) ) )
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