Kindling Hope:
Daily Passages from Darkness into Light

Wake up each morning refreshed, free from digital overload or dopamine highs, with one book page at a time

Kindling Hope: Daily Passages from Darkness is your daily companion for inner clarity. It is a collection of reflections designed for individuals in today’s fast-paced world to ease stress, cultivate resilience, and maintain peace of mind from dawn to dusk through meditation with words, a page at a time.

Rooted in time-tested insights, yet modern in approach, each written piece distills centuries-old Buddhist wisdom into bite-sized reflections you can apply immediately in daily life.

Passage by passage, Kindling Hope gently brings to heart a message shared and endured for millennia: despite all odds, hope is never lost. It is within you, just waiting to be found. As the author puts it, “My dear, let us not despair.”

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Features

Kindling Hope is a go-to book when you need a moment to recenter, or simply to unplug and take a breather when things feel a little full.

Bite-sized daily reflections bringing the inspiration you need in just minutes

Rooted in lived experience, not just theory

Designed to easily fit into your morning or evening routine

Made to help you easily reduce screen time and create space for inner nurture

Daily Inspirations Specifically Attuned to Your Day-to-Day Challenges

All passages are thoughtfully crafted to echo the situations of your day. Whether you seek grounding in the morning, motivation during a low point, or a minute of peaceful reflection before bed, there is a page that speaks to your current vibe, offering a constant source of support as the hours flow by.

Bringing Back Pleasant Starts to Your Mornings

Helps you transition from awakening to a phone screen to beginning your day with the soothing inspirations of a book page, so that in each crack of dawn, you will be eased into a calmer, clearer, and more intentional start.

Navigating Strong Emotions with Heightened Awareness

When intense feelings arise, these passages create the inner space necessary for an inward look, helping you cope with these emotional currents with greater awareness, like holding a mirror to the mind.

Constant Companionship Against Low Points

In the face of tough moments, or simply an inexplicable feeling of void, this book offers a steady companionship that gently helps you reconnect with yourself, when taming oneself with fleeting highs of modern-day stimuli seems not to suffice.

Moments of Recovery Before Bed

Before you slide into rest at night, let a gentle dose of quiet reading become your evening ritual—easing the senses, untangling the thoughts, and guiding your mind to stillness.

Reviews from notable readers

“Whether read daily or thematically, let these words wash over you and renew your spirit.”

Sister Susan Kidd

CND, B.A., B.Ed, Masters of Divinity, UPEI Campus Minister & Chair of the Canadian Catholic Campus Minister’s Board of Governors

“Zhen-Ru’s translated poems are vital guides for our divided era, blending Buddhist-inspired imagery with urgent calls for solidarity. Her verses—carrying motifs of rivers reshaping landscapes and shared flames—map struggle into collective hope, and offer an antidote to polarization. This collection transcends cultural preservation, igniting dialogue on interdependence and inner resilience.

Amid escalating global tensions, her vision proves transformative. By framing personal cultivation as the root of societal healing, these works remind us that even fleeting kindness can bridge divides, merging lyrical wisdom with actionable truths for navigating crises.”

Darshan Mehta

MD, MPH, Physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, Medical Director for the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine & Associate Professor at Harvard School of Medicine

Excerpts

Strive

It's not always easy to do good.
In these moments, the heart must first change.

In gentle winds and bright skies
acts of kindness are
beautiful and warm.
In harsh winds and heavy rains
acts of kindness are
even more resplendent
like a rainbow after a storm.
Therefore,
one need not falter.
Oh,
doer of good,
continue!

A Forgotten Comfort

Summers in the north,
the wind carries the sweet smell of flowers,
softly skimming past mountains,
softly skimming past fields,
softly skimming past people.
How long since we've truly smelled the flowers,
and felt the gentle breeze brushing our face?

Living in buildings of concrete and metal,
with a computer as our partner,
do not forget nature's fresh air and warm sunlight—
they will comfort our heart.
Come outside.
Walk.

About the author

Born in Heilongjiang, China, Zhen-Ru felt deep sorrow over the cycle of life and death from an early age, constantly asking, “Why?” Her search for meaning led her to scholars, doctors, and books, but true understanding awaited her in Buddhism.

Determined to learn more, she journeyed across mountains and became a disciple of Tibetan Buddhist masters. Along the way, she met the late Master Jih-Chang, a renowned Taiwanese monk dedicated to teaching the Tibetan Buddhist path to ultimate happiness. Under his guidance, she became his foremost disciple, and he entrusted her with leading his followers.

Zhen-Ru’s words flow like a gentle stream, inspiring gratitude, love, and compassion. Though honored as a teacher, she remains a lifelong student, ever seeking truth.

In a world ripe with fear and uncertainty, she hopes peace and kindness will prevail.

“My dear, let us not despair.” – Zhen-Ru

Read Zhen-Ru’s full biography →

About Amrita Translation Foundation

Based on Prince Edward Island, Amrita Translation Foundation is a group of monastic translators committed to creating a happier, more peaceful world. It aims to preserve Buddhist scriptures and make them accessible to a wider audience. To ensure the highest level of accuracy, this team of monastic translators has dedicated their lives to the study and practice of Buddhist teachings. They are educated and trained in the Five Great Treatises curriculum, a rigorous Buddhist curriculum with roots tracing to the Tibetan and ancient Indian Nalanda traditions.

About Kacy Lin

Kacy Lin is a translator who specializes in the translation of Buddhist works from Mandarin to English. She holds a master’s degree in psycho-spiritual studies from the University of Toronto, as well as a bachelor’s in English literature (with minors in Buddhism and visual arts). She has dedicated many years to the translation and practice of Buddhist teachings.

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Kindling Hope:Daily Passages from Darkness into Light