With poetry and clarity, Nhat Hanh imparts comforting wisdom about the nature of suffering and its role in creating compassion, love, and joy – all qualities of enlightenment. Covering such significant teachings as the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, the Three Doors of Liberation, the Three Dharma Seals, and the Seven Factors of Awakening, The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching is a radiant beacon on Buddhist thought for the initiated and uninitiated alike. “Thich Nhat Hanh shows us the connection between personal, inner peace, and peace on earth.”                                     – His Holiness the Dalai Lama “Thich Nhat Hanh is a real poet.”                                    – Robert Lowell

    These remarkable early journals reveal not only an exquisite portrait of the Zen master as a young man, but the emergence of a great poet and literary voice of Vietnam. From his years as a student and teaching assistant at Princeton and Columbia, to his efforts to negotiate peace and a better life for the Vietnamese, Fragrant Palm Leaves offers an elegant and profound glimpse into the heart and mind of one of the world's most beloved spiritual teachers.

    Tenzin Palmo secluded herself in a remote cave 13,000 feet up in the Himalayas, where she stayed for twelve years. In her mountain retreat, she face unimaginable cold, wild animals, floods, snow and rockfalls, grew her own food and slept in a traditional wooden meditation box, three feet square. She never lay down.Tenzin emerged from the cave with a determination to build a convent in northern India to revive the Togdenma lineage, a long-forgotten female spiritual elite. She has traveled around the world to find support for her cause, meeting with spiritual leaders from the Pope to Desmond Tutu. She agreed to tell her story only to Vicky Mackenzie and a portion of the royalties from this book will help towards the completion of her convent.

    This is the 2,500-year-old good news contained in the Anapanasati Sutra , the Buddha's teaching on cultivating both tranquility and deep insight through full awareness of breathing. In this book, Larry Rosenberg brings this timeless meditation method to life. Using the insights gained from his many years of practice and teaching, he makes insight meditation practice accessible to modern practitioners.

    "If we lose ourselves every night, what chance do we have to be aware when death comes? Look to your experience in dreams to know how you will fare in death. Look to your experience of sleep to discover whether or not you are truly awake."This book gives detailed instructions for dream yoga, including foundational practices done during the day. In the Tibetan tradition, the ability to dream lucidly is not an end in itself, rather it provides and additional context in which one can engage in advanced and effective practices to achieve liberation.Dream yoga is followed by sleep yoga, also known as the yoga of clear light. It is a more advanced practice, similar to the most secret Tibetan practices. The goal is to remain aware during deep sleep when the gross conceptual mind and the operation of the senses cease. Most Westerners do not even consider this depth of awareness a possibility, yet it is well known in Tibetan Buddhist and Bon spiritual traditions.The result of these practices is greater happiness and freedom in both our waking and dreaming states. The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep imparts powerful methods for progressing along the path to liberation.

    For it is through the investigation of your own thoughts and feelings that you can awaken to clear insight and a happiness independent of conditions: the state of enlightenment.Through his expertise in both science and spirituality, meditation teacher Shinzen Young demystifies the principles of awakening hidden within the world's great spiritual traditions and shows you how to use them in your own life.Here, in an unequaled 14-CD course covering traditional teachings, scientific insights, and practical instructions, you will test for yourself the discoveries of the great wisdom traditions, including Buddhism, Christianity, Jewish mysticism, Sufism, Hinduism, shamanism, and many others.Why is single-pointed concentration so highly regarded on every contemplative path? How do you move beyond emotional/intellectual blocks and into a state of highest presence? Where do psychic powers and other mystical phenomena fit in the architecture of enlightenment? How do you know if your meditation practice is working?On The Science of Enlightenment, Shinzen Young elucidates these questions with precision and intelligence, demonstrating why he is regarded as one of the Western world's most articulate and understandable teachers of classical mystical experience.The search for awakening is not limited to a chosen few. It is a field open for you to investigate--once you possess the inner technologies to do so. Now you can begin that investigation with The Science of Enlightenment. Includes six complete guided meditation sessions.Learn More About: Six common traps on the path to awakening - and how to avoid them- Ancient mystical teachings in clear, modern language- Fascinating research about meditation and your brain-wave states, perceptual acuity, oxygen levels, and aging- How meditation enhances your learning, athletic performance, relationships, and emotional life- Why your body is the greatest mystical teacher- How to digest harmful mental blockages through inner work- Samadhi--your inner microscope for self-understanding- Inner healing techniques you won't learn in psychotherapy- What to do if you lack discipline- An expansive survey of awakening practices from their tribal roots to the Information AgeCourse objectives: Discuss the benefits of having a regular meditation practice- Recognize the similarities between the world's oldest and largest spiritual traditions in terms of practices of concentration and ideas of enlightenment- Utilize meditation practices that focus on relaxation, the body, thinking, the sense of self, expanding and contracting, and the sensory field- Describe the meaning of enlightenment and the Buddhist practices used to reach enlightenment- Summarize the Buddhist perspective on the self, the no-self, and how this is brought into meditation practice- Apply Western scientific knowledge to Eastern spiritual practices in order to understand the benefits of both- Identify the differences between reaching the source of consciousness/enlightenment, and the realm of power/new age phenomena

    That's the good news, teaches Pema Chödrön. For at the core of your most painful experiences, perhaps more than anywhere else, you will find the seeds of your awakening. On Noble Heart, this beloved American-born Buddhist nun shows you how vulnerability is your greatest spiritual resource on the path through life's difficulties. The noble heart, Ane Pema teaches, is one that sheds its armor, opening itself fearlessly to both heartache and delight. Using special meditations and traditional teachings, Pema Chödrön leads you, step-by-step, toward a full realization of your true strength, the strength that can come only through embracing the pain of your own experience. Noble Heart was recorded as it happened, within the peaceful shrine room of Gampo Abbey, Ane Pema's home on the cliffs of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Structured so that you can create your own retreat at home or at your meditation center, this complete curriculum brings you key teachings about how to recognize and cultivate the soft spot that is the gateway to your own noble heart. Here is the promise of the Four Limitless Ones—maitri (loving-kindness), compassion, joy, and equanimity—and down-to-earth advice about how to draw strength from them every day, in any situation. Here, too, are the treasured teachings about the Six Paramitas: the Buddha's own map of the journey to enlightenment. Learn how to connect with your innately unlimited friendliness, and how it can grow big enough to contain the entire world. With four complete meditations, unique heart teachings, and Ane Pema's trademark humor, Noble Heart invites you to discover for yourself the compassion and wisdom that have established her as a leading voice in American Buddhism. Includes more than nine hours of direct teachings from this revered acharya (master teacher), as well as a 48-page study guide. Highlights:The four great catalysts of awakening, and how to begin integrating them into your life today • The basic goodness that nothing can take away from you• Authentic Tibetan Buddhist chants for generating gratitude and compassion• Where to find and how to build your inner strength and trust• The maitri meditation that multiplies love• How the Three Noble Principles can enrich everything you do• Why you need your soft spot to awaken spiritually• When "don't know" mind is wiser than all the teachings in the world• The Three Lords of Materialism—and how to diffuse their power• The antidote to aggression• A melting practice you can use to undo isolation and anxiety

    His first book, Returning to Silence, emphasized the need to return to our original, enlightened state of being, and became one of the classics of Zen in America. In You Have to Say Something, selections from his talks have been collected to address another key theme of Katagiri's teaching: that of bringing Zen insight to bear on our everyday experience. "To live life fully," Katagiri says, "means to take care of your life day by day, moment to moment, right here, right now." To do this, he teaches, we must plunge into our life completely, bringing to it the same wholeheartedness that is required in Zen meditation. When we approach life in this way, every activity—everything we do, everything we say—becomes an opportunity for manifesting our own innate wisdom. With extraordinary freshness and immediacy, Katagiri shows the reader how this wisdom not only enlivens our spiritual practice but can help make our life a rich, seamless whole.

    Featuring the original Chinese as well as english translations and historical introductions by Burton Watson, J.P. Seaton, Paul Hansen, James Sanford, and the editors, this book provides an appreciation and understanding of this elegant and traditional expression of spirituality."So take a walk with...these cranky, melancholy, lonely, mischievous poet-ancestors. Their songs are stout as a pilgrim's stave or a pair of good shoes, and were meant to be taken on the great journey."--Andrew Schelling, from his Introduction

    Through experiential commentary, guided meditation, and practical advice, Lama Yeshe brings the reader a tantalizing taste of the blissful technology of tantra as well as its direct application to everyday living.

    Whether we have just begun our journey or are a practitioner with more experience, What is the Dharma? is an indispensable exploration of the Buddha's teachings as found in the main Buddhist traditions. Constantly returning to the question 'How can this help me?' Sangharakshita examines a variety of fundamental principles, including: karma and re-birth, nirvana and shunyata,conditioned co-production, impermanence, unsatisfactoriness and insubstantiality, ethics, meditation, and wisdom. The result is a refreshing, unsettling, and inspiring book that lays before us the essential Dharma, timeless and universal.

    

    

    

    He has been teaching students from around the world since 1990.“Being carefree, you can fit in anywhere. If you’re not carefree you keepon bumping up against things. Your life becomes so narrow, so tight; itgets very claustrophobic. Carefree means being wide open from within,not constricted. Carefree doesn’t mean careless. It is not that you don’tcare about others, not that you don’t have compassion or are unfriendly.Carefree is being really simple, from the inside. Dignity is not conceitbut rather what shines forth from this carefree confidence.”—Tsoknyi RinpocheTsoknyi Rinpoche’s teaching style embodies a vividness that is a playbetween himself and his audience. His immediateness includes gesturesand examples that entice us to understanding. Through guided meditationshe offers direct participation as a delightful enhancement to ourpractice. Simple, straightforward and profound, Carefree Dignity is abook that captivates our intellect while enriching our awareness.

    He offers meditations and other techniques to help listeners open to the higher qualities rooted in their own hearts.

    Zen training and practice may also enhance concentration and emotional balance, help reduce states of chronic and degenerative disease, allow inspiring glimpses of cosmic reality and ultimately lead to supreme spiritual fulfilment. This book gives an expert account of the origins and development of Zen, and then outlines a series of exercises that offer the reader both a spiritual appreciation of the practice and also an actual physical experience of Zen.Irrespective of religion or spiritual beliefs, The Complete Book of Zen allows every reader to explore their spiritual potential.

    These six are perfections because they give rise to complete enlightenment. Practice of them also insures the attainment of an excellent body and mind in the future and even more favorable conditions for effective practice than those we enjoy at present. Generosity leads to the enjoyment of ample resources, ethical discipline gives a good rebirth, patience leads to an attractive appearance and supportive companions, enthusiastic effort endows the ability to complete what is undertaken, fostering concentration makes the mind invulnerable to distraction, and wisdom discriminates between what needs to be cultivated and what must be discarded and leads to greater wisdom in the future.

    Taitetsu Unno--the foremost authority in the United States on Shin or Pure Land Buddhism--introduces us to the most popular form of Buddhism in Japan. Unique among the various practices of Buddhism, this "new" form of spiritual practice is certain to enrich the growing practice of Buddhism in the United States, which is already quite familiar with Zen and Tibetan traditions. River of Fire, River of Water is the first introduction to the practice of Pure Land Buddhism from a trade publisher and is written for readers with or without prior experience with it. The Pure Land tradition dates back to the sixth century c.e., when Buddhism was first introduced in Japan. Unlike Zen, its counterpart which flourished in remote monasteries, the Pure Land tradition was the form of Buddhism practiced by common people. Consequently, its practice is harmonious with the workings of daily life, making it easily adaptable for seekers today. Despite the difference in method, though, the goal of Pure Land is the same as other schools--the awakening of the true self. Certain to take its place alongside great works such as Three Pillars of Zen, The Miracle of Mindfulness, and Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind--River of Fire, River of Water is an important step forward for American Buddhism.

    Each chapter focuses on an event or person and demonstrates how a particular peacemaker vow is put into practice. Through these stories and Glassman's personal testimony we come to understand the essence of peacemaking.

    Ordained at twelve, he would eventually become the first Buddhist chaplain at an American university, the founder of a retreat center and monastery, and a bestselling author. Here, Bhante G. lays bare the often-surprising ups and downs of his seventy-five years, from his boyhood in Sri Lanka to his decades of sharing the insights of the Buddha, telling his story with the "plain-English" approach for which he is so renowned.

    Meditation for Beginners introduces you to this ancient art, and shows you, step-by-step, how it can help you feel truly alive and connected with the treasure each moment brings. In this complete video beginners' course, Jack Kornfield introduces you to the "insight" practice of meditation. Buddhist monks draw from this same tradition; anyone can use its principles to cultivate a profound inner calm and awaken to the truth behind the power of their presence. Four easy-to-learn meditations cover postures and breathing, beginner's mind, awareness practices, lovingkindness, and much more. Join this respected teacher and learn the time-honored secrets of mindfulness and inner freedom on Meditation for Beginners.

    Instead of suppressing anger, fear, and guilt, mindfulness welcomes all experience. Mindful Living is a special gift-boxed collection of this beloved Zen master's most popular audio sessions, with heartfelt advice on coming fully alive to yourself and the world. The set includes:The Art of Mindful Living--Thich Nhat Hanh shows you how to use mindfulness to welcome all aspects of experience, even the most challenging partsTeachings on Love--In the Buddhist tradition, genuine love comprises four qualities: loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and freedom, and here you will learn how to enrich relationships of every kind with these transcendent qualitiesTouching the Earth--Thich Nhat Hanh and Sister Chan Khong teach an ancient Buddhist practice to unify body and mind in an exquisite gesture of spiritual surrender

    The Udana is a collection of 80 short suttas, each beginning with a memorable incident that comes to the Buddha's attention and elicits from him inspired words expressing his insight into the event's deeper significance.

    The second section of the book describes the meditative process and the last section deals with mindful creative living. It is written in a dialogue form mostly and has a direct and succinct reading for readers as expressed by most who had read the book. It was self published by the author in 1992 and thereafter it has been reprinted five times.

    The most common division is that of three vehicles, each with a particular objective and vows. The Small Vehicle (Hinayana) leads the practitioner to liberation from samsara in an individual perspective. The vows, called "vows of individual liberation," are related to the Small Vehicle, that is, the various vows of monks or nuns (minor ordination and major ordination) and the vows of lay practitioners. The Great Vehicle (Mahayana) has the goal of obtaining full Awakening, the perfect Buddhahood, not in order to attain personal happiness but to gain the skills necessary to guide all beings to the cessation of suffering; the Bodhisattva vow is related to it. The Diamond Vehicle (Vajrayana) appears as a branch of the Great Vehicle. Its goal is identical, and its distinctive feature is that it makes use of methods well known for accomplishing results quickly. Many sacred commitments, called samayas, are contained in it. The purpose of this work is to present a clear exposition of the vow inherent in the second of these vehicles, the Mahayana. Many people have heard of the Bodhisattva vow; indeed, they have actually taken the vow, but have remained uncertain as to its exact nature and implications. Here, we will find precise answers to such questions as: what is a Bodhisattva; what is the Bodhicitta; what are the commitments of taking the vow; who may take it; how does the ceremony unfold; which precepts follow the vow; how does one purify transgression of the vow; and so on. The teachings transcribed here were given by Bokar Rinpoche in Bodhgaya in November 1995, during a seminar of study and meditation intended for Westerners. Some of these teachings were delivered during a long ceremony of taking the Bodhisattva vow, which occurred under the foliage of the Bodhi Tree, where the Buddha attained Awakening. Others are the results of private interviews. Bokar Rinpoche referred to several texts in delivering this teaching. - The Jewel Ornament of Liberation (Dhakpo Thargyen) by Gampopa - The Embellishment of Lapis-lazuli (Bedurya tratsom) by Khenpo Lodro Donyo, a commentary upon the preceding text, explaining that which is presented allusively or incidentally in Gampopa's text - The Treasury of All Knowledge, (Sheja zo) by Jamgon Lodro Taye, which notably clarifies the transgressions - A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life (Bhodhisattvacharyavatara) by Shantideva, the fundamental text illustrating the way of the Bodhisattva About the Author Bokar Rinpoche was born in Tibet in the year of the Iron Dragon (1940) into a nomadic family of horse, yak, goat, and sheep breeders. He was four years old when His Holiness Karmapa the Sixteenth, head of the Kagyupa school, recognized him as a tulku reincarnation of the previous Bokar Rinpoche. Educated first at the monastery founded by his previous reincarnation, he pursued his training in Tsurphu, the seat of the Karmapas. At a very young age, he took charge of the Bokar community in Western Tibet, not far from Mount Kailash, which is one of the most important sacred places of Hinduism and Buddhism. The Chinese invasion caused him to go into exile when he was in his twenties. After many hardships, he was able, with those who choose to follow him, to reach Mustang in Northern Nepal, and then India. In India he met Kalu Rinpoche. He became Kalu Rinpoche's chief disciple, and was called to succeed him as the head of the Shangpa Kagyu lineage one of the eight great original lineages through which Buddhism went from India to Tibet. Bokar Rinpoche twice accomplished the traditional three-year and three-month retreat in Sonada, the Indian monastery of Kalu Rinpoche located not far from Darjeeling. Bokar Rinpoche's remarkable qualities caused him to be chosen by Kalu Rinpoche to direct the retreat centers in Sonada, and by His Holiness the Sixteenth Karmapa to take charge of the retreat center of Rumtek, the new seat of the Karmapas in Sikkim, an Indian territory between Nepal and Bhutan. In Mirik, Bokar Rinpoche also founded a monastery and retreat center dedicated to Kalachakra practice. Those duties make him one of the main masters of meditation of the Kagyupa school. Bokar Rinpoche takes great care in the preservation and transmission of the Buddha's teachings in our difficult and troubled time. He strives to do so in three areas: - for exiled Tibetans, by directing studies and practice in his monastery in Mirik and by helping, as much as possible, the monasteries of Sonada and Rumtek. - for the Tibetans in Tibet, by reconstructing his monastery in Bokar, ordaining monks, and starting a retreat center. - for Westerners, by each winter conducting a seminar of apprenticeship for meditation especially designed for them.

    In each of more than thirty brief essays, Master Hsing Yun treats a specific moral or ethical issue, using quotations from the rich treasury of the Buddhist scriptures as a point of departure for his discussion. Among the topics he considers are control of the body and of speech, overcoming greed, ending anger, patience under insult, how to manage wealth, how to get along with others, what it means to practice Buddhism, and the blessings and joys of that practice. The Buddhist precepts are introduced as guideposts along this path of liberation, and friendship, gratitude, and service to others are presented as essential elements of a common quest to discover and to embody our innate goodness and humanity.

    They examine life on Earth, an issue which concerns all major religions, from two different starting points: the religious Buddhist and the natural science of the astronomer, largely concerned with physics.They discuss the use of natural science in its exploration of the physical world, its treatment of psychology and states of consciousness, and Buddhist ideas of cosmology; and how these concepts are in tune with each other. They also debate reductionism, one of the key factors that distinguishes the practice of scientific investigation against the pacifist, holistic and ecological world view that is inherent in Buddhism and its underlying philosophy.In the last chapter, the two protagonists discuss key issues of today and how they relate to these tenents: nuclear arms, ecology, AIDS, youth and education, the family, democracy, human rights, suicide, abortion, genetic engineering and organ transplants.

    As the principal consort of the eighth century Indian master Padmasambhava before he introduced tantric Buddhism to Tibet, Mandarava is the Indian counterpart of the Tibetan consort Yeshe Tsogyal. Lives and Liberation recounts her struggles and triumphs as a Buddhist adept throughout her many lives and is an authentic deliverance story of a female Buddhist master. Those who read this book will gain inspiration and encouragement on the path to liberation.

    Newly selected poetry from previously published and unpublished works, Timely Rain is the definitive edition of poems and sacred songs of the renowned Tibetan meditation master.

    Together, William Bodri and Lee ShuMei make sense of that seemingly conflicting information that exists today regarding the path to spiritual enlightenment. Each meditation technique is fully described as is the interrelationship between the different paths to enlightenment. The authors show how Buddhist techniques can be explained through Taoist principles, Christian techniques through Hindu principles, and so on. Each meditation technique is designed to help you attain samadhi, the crux of spiritual development. The authors explore the scientific basis behind each technique, developmental stages of accomplishment, and each path's effectiveness for entering samadhi. Especially useful is an extensive list of recommended references for the further study of individual techniques. An indispensable book for individuals searching to find the meditation technique that is best for them.

    This is possible for very few individuals. For the rest of us who must juggle work, family, friends, and deal with all kinds of emotions, ways to integrate our spiritual practice into daily life are much needed. This book gives us this guidance in a variety of situations so we can become more mindful about our daily life.

    With a lyricism and spiritual immediacy reminiscent of Thoreau and Emerson, in eighteen meditational essays Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano considers Buddhist themes through the prism of nature. The reflections captured in these satisfying literary explorations will appeal to all who appreciate contemplation of the natural world and our place in it.

    What are the peak experiences of enlightenment? How could these states profoundly enhance, and yet simplify, the workings of the brain? Zen and the Brain presents the latest evidence. In this book Zen Buddhism becomes the opening wedge for an extraordinarily wide-ranging exploration of consciousness. In order to understand which brain mechanisms produce Zen states, one needs some understanding of the anatomy, physiology, and chemistry of the brain. Austin, both a neurologist and a Zen practitioner, interweaves the most recent brain research with the personal narrative of his Zen experiences. The science is both inclusive and rigorous; the Zen sections are clear and evocative. Along the way, Austin examines such topics as similar states in other disciplines and religions, sleep and dreams, mental illness, consciousness-altering drugs, and the social consequences of the advanced stage of ongoing enlightenment.

    

    Part Two explores other Buddhist utopias and relates Buddhist utopianism to studies of European and American utopian writing. Steven Collins discusses these issues in relation to textuality, world history, and ideology in premodern civilizations, aiming to contribute to a new vision of Buddhist history that integrates the inside and the outside of texts.

    This book is designed for anyone wishing to communicate with Tibetans, either in Asia or in the West, and is suitable for beginners as well as for students familiar with the Tibetan language.  Learning Practical Tibetan begins with a simple but complete grammar so that you can immediately begin to form your own sentences. Using both Tibetan script and an easy-to-understand phonetic system, the book then presents useful vocabulary, phrases, and dialogues related to situations you might encounter with Tibetans: eating in restaurants, shopping, speaking to monks, traveling with pilgrims, or visiting a Tibetan doctor. The appendix provides helpful sections on Tibetan numbers, dates, telling time, festivals, religious terms, and an extensive vocabulary list. To help you learn how to pronounce Tibetan words correctly, mp3 files of Yanki Tshering reading Tibetan text found in Learning Practical Tibetan are available for download at this link: http://www.shambhala.com/learning-pra...

    140 illustrations, 120 in full color.

    It is the first in-depth explanation of Chinese Buddhism by Yin-shun, the greatest living master of the Chinese scholar-monk tradition. The master's broad scope not only includes the traditional Chinese experience but also ideas from the Tibetan monastic tradition. This is one of those rare classic books that authentically captures an entire Buddhist tradition between its covers.

    These dazzling paintings on cloth and other objects dating from the eleventh to the fifteenth century...are brought together here for the first time, and many of them are previously unpublished. The authors analyze style, iconography, provenance and date; the profound cultural ties between Tibet and eastern India as well as between Tibet and Nepal; and the painting techniques of the period.

    Portrays the spirit of the Tibetan people as they try to maintain their culture under Chinese rule.

    Original.

    These talks were originally recorded by Koun Ejo Zenji, Dogen's dharma sucessor, and probably edited by his disciples after Ejo's death.

    A chapter by Abbot John Daido Loori anchors the book and presents an introduction to this powerful practice.