Written by a clinical psychologist and dharma leader (Surrey) and a psychiatrist (Shem), this book is in two parts. Part one is an intriguing story of Sidhartha's wife, Yasodhara, and what happens when her husband leves on his journey of discovery. The second half of the book uses this story of Yasodhara's response to Sidhartha's abandonment of her and their child, and the people who gathered around her, to structure a collection of practies to work on relationships and build community. This book seems influenced by Jean Baker Miller's relational theory of human relationships. It was an enjoyable read and I can see it being used as a workbook by a group.