An Interview with Lucinda Green

Lucinda T Green began meditating at the age of sixteen and never stopped. Having lived and studied in India and Sri Lanka, she founded Rocky Mountain Insight, a Buddhist Dharma and Vipassana center in Colorado Springs, CO. She is creator of The Enlightenment Deck, a set of artistic flashcards designed to transmit the teachings and support individuals in their spiritual practice, offering inspiration along the way. Audio recordings of her guided meditations are available through Spotify.

Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

This book is a compilation of talks that I gave as a Buddhist Dharma teacher. I did have to craft some chapters specifically for the book for it to complete its message and say everything I wanted to say. I recall the title being easy and straightforward. The book speaks about the Four Noble Truths, which includes the Eightfold Noble Path. Understanding and embodying these teachings leads to complete freedom from suffering. That is the promise given by the Buddha. So Pathway to Freedom is what the book is about. Additionally, I have a practical approach in sharing these teachings. How do you walk the path and live the teachings? How do you move from an intellectual understanding of the philosophy to the lived embodiment of the teachings? The subtitle invites this; Applying the Teachings of the Buddha.

How did it feel when you first saw your book cover? Or when you first held your book in your hands?

There is a story to the cover, so I was delighted to see it come to life. One weekend, while getting some R and R at Glenwood Hot Springs in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, I walked into a store and perused a turnstile of postcards. There was a stunning golden image of a very famous reclining Buddha statue in Thailand. I inquired about it and learned that the owner of the store had taken the picture during her travels in Asia. I immediately purchased it. Then, as I was considering what to do for the cover, that postcard came to mind. I contacted the photographer and asked for permission to use the image. She was delighted and only asked for a copy of the book in return. Wow! Magical.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

I am a writer and a teacher. It is standard fare for Dharma teachers to parlay their talks into book form. It was something I had been wanting to do for quite some time. I took an eight-month sabbatical from teaching and administering the organization I founded in order to write the book. I also had a deadline. I was serving on a panel presentation at a Women in Buddhism Conference and wanted to have the book in hand. Yay! Hooray! I did it!

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

I have been self-employed since 1974 and had a private practice in massage, polarity therapy mind/body/integration, and Transpersonal Counseling psychology over the years. I no longer practice therapy and have transitioned to spiritual direction as a Buddhist minister. My readers would not be aware that I am a major women’s basketball fan and attended 26 of 29 Collegiate Women’s Basketball NCAA Final Four Championships. I call these my secular pilgrimages! I teach a lot of silent retreats and this is my opportunity to yell and scream!

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

“Every Breath You Take” by Sting

How was working with Atmosphere Press? What would you tell other writers who want to publish?

One of the absolute best things about working with Atmosphere Press is that you, as a writer, get guidance and support every step of the way, from the production process to helping you market the book! Not only that, but you have final say over the editing, i.e., what stays and what goes, the cover and the title.

Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.