A new collection of peaceful stories aims to awaken self-awareness and empathy.
GENEVA, Switzerland, -- The Cuco Azul Association is a group of professionals dedicated to the study of thought, philosophies, cultures, and comparative religions, focused on helping children to enrich their lives through meditation of body and mind. Their new picture book collection, Cuco Azul Meditates, is inspired by different spiritual and philosophical traditions from India, China, Tibet, and beyond to enhance self-knowledge in kids through meditation.
The goal of the Cuco Azul Meditates books (cuco azul means blue cuckoo in Spanish) is to foster development of emotional skills, encourage inner reflection and intentional living, and embrace traditions of other cultures. Through their teachings of the practice of meditation, the beautifully illustrated stories invite children to discover their inner world.
In The Buddhist Journey of Mani, young Mani embarks on a journey surrounded by nature, animals, and auspicious symbols of the Buddhist tradition. On her path to self-knowledge, Mani discovers how to overcome fear and ignorance through simple Buddhist teachings.
“Mani no longer felt fear, but a great curiosity mixed with the desire to know everything she found in her path. She was like an explorer ready to make great discoveries...She suddenly understood that everything was connected. She felt part of everything in the landscape: of the plants, the clouds, the wind and the animals.”
In The Rainbow Boy: A Story about Meditation and Inner Light, a young boy from the mountains named Tapi tries in vain to catch an elusive rainbow. When he learns from a blue cuckoo how to achieve his goal, Tapi understands that wisdom, self-confidence and meditation are the path to attaining greater self-knowledge.
In The Teachings of the River: A Zen Tale that Invites Us to Flow with Life, a farmer with three daughters wants to bequeath to his girls unencumbered lives. To his first daughter he gives freedom by not leaving her a house and farm with responsibilities. To his second daughter, he provides the ability to listen to the language of nature from the trees, instead of giving his forests with timber that requires much work and oversight. When his last daughter is bequeathed the water of the river, she comes to learn that the water and nature around it belong to everyone and that all must live in communion with it.
The Cuco Azul Association is a non-profit organization based out of Geneva, Switzerland. The group’s publishing arm promotes books and educational materials for children and adolescents to develop their mental and emotional skills. It also seeks to foster their creativity and cognitive abilities, promoting stories, philosophies and traditions that help children to develop self-awareness and empathy.
Contributing author, Mara A. Zanden specializes in the study of Bön and Buddhism in the West. Maya Alvisa is a professor and researcher at different universities in Buenos Aires with an expertise in the study of Asian history, religions and philosophies, especially in China and India.
Matías Gen Sui is a Buddhist monk of the Soto Zen-Deshimaru tradition, committed to social and educational projects. A Mindfulness Teacher MBSR, he was trained in childhood ecology at the European Institute of Perinatal Mental Health.
Cuco Azul distributes a portion of their books’ profits to solidarity projects aimed at providing access to comprehensive education to economically marginalized children. Currently, this focus is on a school in Siliguri, located in northern India at the foot of the Himalayas and which promotes meditation and the preservation of traditional Himalaya cultures.
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If you would like more information about the Cuco Azul Association and the Cuco Azul book series, please contact info cucoazul.org or visit https://cucoazul.org/ .
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