Editorial Reviews 
The author, Jim Bedard the.bedards@sympatico.ca , April 16, 1999 
What is true liberation?  
The minute I stepped onto the oncology floor at St. Michael's hospital, I knew that I was at an advantage in dealing with my illness. Before I became ill, I had no idea how Zen Buddhist practice was preparing me to deal with abominable suffering, despair, and the seemingly insurmountable challenges that accompany serious illness, but I soon found out. Lotus in the Fire is not only a cancer survivor book. If I were to claim victory over my illness because this body still functions, it would be a victory short lived. I know now, without a doubt, that this body will soon wither and die. What then is true liberation? My book, I hope, will help point the way to a path that will eventually free all beings from the imprisonment of ego delusion. Only then can we live in peace and realize a truth no illness can conquer. I pray that Lotus in the Fire will, in some small way, help those who read it realize that this life is an unequaled opportunity to deepen ourselves spiritually. 
May all beings find peace. 
Jim Bedard