Best of
Buddhism

2000

Be Free Where You Are


Thich Nhat Hanh - 2000
    It makes a thoughtful gift." —Branches of Light"Lovely and deeply helpful." —Light of Consciousness

The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya


Bhikkhu Bodhi - 2000
    The Samyutta Nikaya consists of fifty-six chapters, each governed by a unifying theme that binds together the Buddha's suttas or discourses. The chapters are organized into five major parts.The first, The Book with Verses, is a compilation of suttas composed largely in verse. This book ranks as one of the most inspiring compilations in the Buddhist canon, showing the Buddha in his full grandeur as the peerless "teacher of gods and humans." The other four books deal in depth with the philosophical principles and meditative structures of early Buddhism. They combine into orderly chapters all the important short discourses of the Buddha on such major topics as dependent origination, the five aggregates, the six sense bases, the seven factors of enlightenment, the Noble Eightfold Path, and the Four Noble Truths.Among the four large Nikayas belonging to the Pali Canon, the Samyutta Nikaya serves as the repository for the many shorter suttas of the Buddha where he discloses his radical insights into the nature of reality and his unique path to spiritual emancipation. This collection, it seems, was directed mainly at those disciples who were capable of grasping the deepest dimensions of wisdom and of clarifying them for others, and also provided guidance to meditators intent on consummating their efforts with the direct realization of the ultimate truth. The present work begins with an insightful general introduction to the Samyutta Nikaya as a whole. Each of the five parts is also provided with its own introduction, intended to guide the reader through this vast, ocean-like collection of suttas. To further assist the reader, the translator has provided an extensive body of notes clarifying various problems concerning both the language and the meaning of the texts. Distinguished by its lucidity and technical precision, this new translation makes this ancient collection of the Buddha's discourses accessible and comprehensible to the thoughtful reader of today. Like its two predecessors in this series, The Connected Discourses of the Buddha is sure to merit a place of honour in the library of every serious student of Buddhism.

A Youthful Diary


Daisaku Ikeda - 2000
    Excepts from Ikeda Diary 1949-1960. Ikeda is the third president of a global peace movement called Soka Gokkai International.

Toward a Psychology of Awakening: Buddhism, Psychotherapy, and the Path of Personal and Spiritual Transformation


John Welwood - 2000
    This is when a person reaches for the stars while forgetting about the goop on his shoes. Welwood, author of the popular Love and Awakening and Journey of the Heart has made a profession out of bringing East and West together, integrating the path to enlightenment with the techniques of psychotherapy. In Toward a Psychology of Awakening, Welwood integrates a series of his articles written over a period of 30 years in an attempt to explain the dynamics of psychologies East and West. The hope is that, combined, they can create a wholeness that encompasses the various levels of human experience. Since many of these articles were written for specialist readers, they won't have the verve and inspiration of Welwood's other books, but Welwood fans and enthusiasts of transpersonal psychology will be delighted to have all these ground-breaking articles together in one place. So go ahead and reach for the stars--just don't forget that you still have to slog through the mire with the rest of us. --Brian BruyaHow can we connect the spiritual realizations of Buddhism with the psychological insights of the West? In Toward a Psychology of Awakening John Welwood addresses this question with comprehensiveness and depth. Along the way he shows how meditative awareness can help us develop more dynamic and vital relationships and how psychotherapy can help us embody spiritual realization more fully in everyday life. Welwood's psychology of awakening brings together the three major dimensions of human experience: personal, interpersonal, and suprapersonal, in one overall framework of understanding and practice.

Indestructible Truth: The Living Spirituality of Tibetan Buddhism


Reginald A. Ray - 2000
    Indestructible Truth presents Tibetan Buddhism in its traditional form but also shows how the Tibetan traditions are applicable to the problems and challenges of modern life in the West.In Indestructible Truth, Tibetan Buddhism is introduced not as an exotic religion, but rather as an expression of human spirituality that is having a profound impact on the modern world. In addition, it presents the point of view of meditation and the practice of the spiritual life, paying special attention to contemplative practice and meditation as taught in the Kagyu and Nyingma schools.

The Way of Youth: Buddhist Common Sense for Handling Life's Questions


Daisaku Ikeda - 2000
    He addresses topics that include building individual character, the purpose of hard work and perseverance, family and relationships, tolerance, and preservation of the environment. Written from a Buddhist perspective, this collection of answers to life’s questions offers timeless wisdom to people of all faiths.

Eight Steps to Happiness: The Buddhist Way of Loving Kindness


Kelsang Gyatso - 2000
    

Great Eastern Sun: The Wisdom of Shambhala


Chögyam Trungpa - 2000
    These are the Shambhala warriors, people "brave enough not to give in to the aggression and contradictions that exist in society." A companion volume to Trungpa's classic Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior, Great Eastern Sun is an invitation for all people to discover their own goodness, which is always there, just as the sun is always rising. Trungpa had an uncanny grasp of the hang-ups and excuses that keep Westerners in their safe ego cocoons, and in Great Eastern Sun he entices us all out, to express our goodness and live a life on the edge of insecurity. The mindful life turns out to be one of detached but sacred existence, floating with the power of compassionate awareness. A genuine life is what Trungpa propels us to, and Great Eastern Sun is his lantern for guiding us down the path of genuine living. --Brian Bruya

Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha


Tara Brach - 2000
    It doesn’t take much--just hearing of someone else’s accomplishments, being criticized, getting into an argument, making a mistake at work--to make us feel that we are not okay. Beginning to understand how our lives have become ensnared in this trance of unworthiness is our first step toward reconnecting with who we really are and what it means to live fully. --from Radical AcceptanceRadical Acceptance“Believing that something is wrong with us is a deep and tenacious suffering,” says Tara Brach at the start of this illuminating book. This suffering emerges in crippling self-judgments and conflicts in our relationships, in addictions and perfectionism, in loneliness and overwork--all the forces that keep our lives constricted and unfulfilled. Radical Acceptance offers a path to freedom, including the day-to-day practical guidance developed over Dr. Brach’s twenty years of work with therapy clients and Buddhist students.Writing with great warmth and clarity, Tara Brach brings her teachings alive through personal stories and case histories, fresh interpretations of Buddhist tales, and guided meditations. Step by step, she leads us to trust our innate goodness, showing how we can develop the balance of clear-sightedness and compassion that is the essence of Radical Acceptance. Radical Acceptance does not mean self-indulgence or passivity. Instead it empowers genuine change: healing fear and shame and helping to build loving, authentic relationships. When we stop being at war with ourselves, we are free to live fully every precious moment of our lives.From the Hardcover edition.

As It Is, Volume II


Tulku Urgyen - 2000
    The unambiguous Buddhist perception of reality is transmitted in profound, simple language by one of the foremost masters in the Tibetan tradition. Dzogchen is to take the final result, the state of enlightenment itself, as path. This is the style of simply picking the ripened fruit or the fully bloomed flowers. Tulku Urgyen's way of communicating this wisdom was to awaken the individual to their potential and reveal the methods to acknowledge and stabilize that prospective. His distinctive teaching style was widely known for its unique directness in introducing students to the nature of mind in a way that allowed immediate experience. This book offers the direct oral instructions of a master who inspired admiration, delight in practice, and deep trust and confidence in the Buddhist way.

Kindness: A Treasury of Buddhist Wisdom for Children and Parents


Sarah Conover - 2000
    These stories form a pageant of elephants, monkeys, monks, and men working through foolishness toward wisdom and delight.

Wisdom Of Thich Nhat Hanh


Thich Nhat Hanh - 2000
    

The Hundred Verses of Advice: Tibetan Buddhist Teachings on What Matters Most


Dilgo Khyentse - 2000
    These hundred verses, studied for centuries by Tibetans and students of Buddhism, contain a complete survey of the Tibetan Buddhist path. Dilgo Khyentse's lively explication of each stanza brings to light subtleties and amplifies the richness of the words and their pertinence to our lives. These two venerable teachers advise us in relating to everyday difficulties such as loneliness, craving, family squabbles, competition in business, disagreements with neighbors, and betrayal by friends—as challenging to us as they have been to meditators for centuries.

The Quantum and the Lotus: A Journey to the Frontiers Where Science and Buddhism Meet


Matthieu Ricard - 2000
    Eventually he left his life in science to study with Tibetan teachers, and he is now a Buddhist monk and translator for the Dalai Lama, living in the Shechen monastery near Kathmandu in Nepal. Trinh Thuan was born into a Buddhist family in Vietnam but became intrigued by the explosion of discoveries in astronomy during the 1960s. He made his way to the prestigious California Institute of Technology to study with some of the biggest names in the field and is now an acclaimed astrophysicist and specialist on how the galaxies formed. When Matthieu Ricard and Trinh Thuan met at an academic conference in the summer of 1997, they began discussing the many remarkable connections between the teachings of Buddhism and the findings of recent science. That conversation grew into an astonishing correspondence exploring a series of fascinating questions. Did the universe have a beginning? Or is our universe one in a series of infinite universes with no end and no beginning? Is the concept of a beginning of time fundamentally flawed? Might our perception of time in fact be an illusion, a phenomenon created in our brains that has no ultimate reality? Is the stunning fine-tuning of the universe, which has produced just the right conditions for life to evolve, a sign that a “principle of creation” is at work in our world? If such a principle of creation undergirds the workings of the universe, what does that tell us about whether or not there is a divine Creator? How does the radical interpretation of reality offered by quantum physics conform to and yet differ from the Buddhist conception of reality? What is consciousness and how did it evolve? Can consciousness exist apart from a brain generating it?The stimulating journey of discovery the authors traveled in their discussions is re-created beautifully in The Quantum and the Lotus, written in the style of a lively dialogue between friends. Both the fundamental teachings of Buddhism and the discoveries of contemporary science are introduced with great clarity, and the reader will be profoundly impressed by the many correspondences between the two streams of thought and revelation. Through the course of their dialogue, the authors reach a remarkable meeting of minds, ultimately offering a vital new understanding of the many ways in which science and Buddhism confirm and complement each other and of the ways in which, as Matthieu Ricard writes, “knowledge of our spirits and knowledge of the world are mutually enlightening and empowering.” “The Quantum and the Lotus is a mind-expanding, eye-opening exploration of the exciting parallels between cutting-edge thinking in physics and Buddhism–a scintillating conversation any thinking person would delight in overhearing.” —Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence“The Quantum and the Lotus is the rich and inspiring result of a deeply interesting dialogue between Western science and Buddhist philosophy. This remarkable book will contribute greatly to a better understanding of the true nature of our world and the way we live our lives.” —His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Celestial Gallery


Romio Shrestha - 2000
    This impressive, high-quality production features White Tara, Green Tara, the Medicine Buddha, and many other celestials, while lending new meaning to the terms full-size and full-color. Four color printing with spot varnish throughout.

Awakening the Buddhist Heart: Integrating Love, Meaning, and Connection into Every Part of Your Life


Surya Das - 2000
    In AWAKENING THE BUDDHIST HEART Surya Das shows you how to reach inward and outward. By developing spiritual intelligence, a sense of compassion that helps us be more sensitive, more aware of our own feelings and the feelings of those around us, we become more intuitive; we relate better and love better. Cultivating spiritual intelligence and learning how to connect will improve our capacity for intimacy, making us better mates, friends, parents, and coworkers; it helps all of us to become more giving and brings us fulfillment, meaning, and love. With tremendous insight he explores specific ways in which we can more fruitfully relate to our own experiences as well as each other in today's fast-paced, complicated, and often confusing world.

You Are the Eyes of the World


Longchen Rabjam - 2000
    A breakthrough translation of an important Tibetan Buddhist text.

Living in the Light of Death: On the Art of Being Truly Alive


Larry Rosenberg - 2000
    These tough realities are not given much attention by many people until midlife, when they become harder to avoid. Using a Buddhist text known as the Five Subjects for Frequent Recollection, Larry Rosenberg shows how intimacy with the realities of aging can actually be used as a means to liberation. When we become intimate with these inevitable aspects of life, he writes, we also become intimate with ourselves, with others, with the world—indeed with all things.

Pure Meditation: The Tibetan Buddhist Practice of Inner Peace


Pema Chödrön - 2000
    On Pure Meditation, Pema Chödrön takes you step by step through this timeless and elegant meditative form. A straightforward, authoritative guide to an authentic Tibetan Buddhist meditation that has brought its practitioners relaxation, peace of mind, and deeper awareness for hundreds of years.

The Path of Emancipation


Thich Nhat Hanh - 2000
    It opens the doors to an awakened life." —Jack Kornfield, author of After the Ecstasy, the Laundry"Thich Nhat Hanh is one of the greatest teachers of our time. He reaches from the heights of insight down to the deepest places of the absolutely ordinary." —Robert Thurman, Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies, Columbia UniversityThe Path of Emancipation transcribes Thich Nhat Hanh's first twenty-one day retreat in North America in 1998, when more than four hundred practitioners from around the world joined him to experience mindfulness. This book deliberately preserves the tone and style of a retreat, including soundings of the bell, meditation breaks, and the question-and-answer sessions. This not only provides a genuine feeling of a retreat for those who have not had the chance to participate in one, but it also preserves this wonderful practice time for those who have attended. In The Path of Emancipation, Thich Nhat Hanh translates the Buddhist tradition into everyday life and makes it relevant and transforming for us all. Studying in-depth the Discourse on the Full Awareness of Breathing, he teaches how mindfulness can help us reduce stress, and live simply, confidently, and happily while dwelling in the present moment. When Thich Nhat Hanh discovered this discourse, he said,"I felt I was the happiest person in the world."

Buddha Nature: The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra with Commentary


Arya Maitreya - 2000
    Thus there is neither any reason for conceit in deeming oneself better than others nor any reason for self-contempt, thinking of oneself as inferior and unable to reach enlightenment. This seeing is obscured by veils which are removable and do not touch the inherent purity and perfection of the nature of the mind as such. The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra, one of the Five Treatises said to have been dictated to Asanga by the Bodhisattva Maitreya, presents the Buddha's definitive teachings on how we should understand this ground of enlightenment and clarifies the nature and qualities of buddhahood.Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye (1813-1899), the profoundly learned and realized master who compiled what are known as the "Five Great Treasures," wrote the outstanding commentary to the Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra translated here. Called The Unassailable Lion's Roar, it presents Maitreya's text as a background for the Mahamudra teachings in a way that is especially clear and easy to understand.Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche provided the annotations and the explanations on which the present translation is based. A renowned scholar and highly accomplished yogi, he is a living example of the ongoing tradition of oral transmission. He first visited the West in 1977 at the request of H.H. the Sixteenth Karmapa.Rosemarie Fuchs has been a student of Khen Rinpoche since 1978, and this translation was done upon his advice.

Destructive Emotions: A Scientific Dialogue with the Dalai Lama


Daniel Goleman - 2000
    The talk is lively and fascinating as these leading minds grapple with age-old questions of compelling contemporary urgency. Daniel Goleman, the internationally bestselling author of Emotional Intelligence, provides the illuminating commentary--and reports on the breakthrough research this historic gathering inspired.Destructive Emotions Buddhist philosophy tells us that all personal unhappiness and interpersonal conflict lie in the "three poisons" craving, anger, and delusion. It also provides antidotes of astonishing psychological sophistication--which are now being confirmed by modern neuroscience. With new high-tech devices, scientists can peer inside the brain centers that calm the inner storms of rage and fear. They also can demonstrate that awareness-training strategies such as meditation strengthen emotional stability--and greatly enhance our positive moods.The distinguished panel members report these recent findings and debate an exhilarating range of other topics: What role do destructive emotions play in human evolution? Are they "hardwired" in our bodies? Are they universal, or does culture determine how we feel? How can we nurture the compassion that is also our birthright? We learn how practices that reduce negativity have also been shown to bolster the immune system. Here, too, is an enlightened proposal for a school-based program of social and emotional learning that can help our children increase self-awareness, manage their anger, and become more empathetic.Throughout, these provocative ideas are brought to life by the play of personalities, by the Dalai Lama's probing questions, and by his surprising sense of humor. Although there are no easy answers, the dialogues, which are part of a series sponsored by the Mind and Life Institute, chart an ultimately hopeful course. They are sure to spark discussion among educators, religious and political leaders, parents--and all people who seek peace for themselves and the world.The Mind and Life Institute sponsors cross-cultural dialogues that bring together the Dalai Lama and other Buddhist scholars with Western scientists and philosophers. Mind and Life VIII, on which this book is based, took place in Dharamsala, India, in March 2000.

Buddha in Redface


Eduardo Duran - 2000
    What appears to be a consultation with a patient ends up being a meeting with his teacher, Tarrence. Tarrence proceeds to take the narrator into a dreamtime journey that melts the worldview held by the storyteller. The dream leads the narrator to a place in which the energy generated by ancient dreamers must be balanced. The lack of balance brought on by the power dreamers and their ceremony has resulted in the atomic bomb. New realms also give insights as to why the bomb was dropped on the Japanese. Throughout the story there are conflicts between western and aboriginal ways of knowing, the main protagonist being Carl, who is a psychiatrist.

Bodhisattva Ideal: Wisdom and Compassion in Buddhism


Sangharakshita - 2000
    The image of the Bodhisattva, one who wishes to gain Enlightenment for the sake of all beings, lies at the heart of much of Indian, Tibetan and Chinese Buddhism. For one wishing to follow this path, the development of inner calm and positivity that leads to true wisdom is balanced by a genuine and active concern for others which flowers into great compassion. Sustained by a deep understanding gained through meditation and reflection, the Bodhisattva is able to work tirelessly for the benefit of all. Sangharakshita places the ideal of the Bodhisattva within the context of the entire Buddhist tradition. Unfolding this vision of our potential, he demonstrates how we ourselves can move towards this ideal.

Cycle of Day and Night


Namkhai Norbu - 2000
    Central to Dzogchen, the Great Perfection, is contemplation-the immediate experience of the primordial state of the individual, the unconditioned nature of the mind. This nature of the mind transcends the specific contents of mind, the incessant flow of thoughts reflecting our social, cultural, and psychological conditioning. Based on the teaching by Garab Dorje, the first human master of the Dzogchen lineage, The Cycle Of Day And Night gives a translation of the author's Tibetan Text, together with a commentary drawn from the author's extensive oral explanations. Actual methods are given for entering into contemplation and integrating it with our activities during the 24 hour cycle of day and night. Midwest Book Review

The Garden: A Parable


Michael Roach - 2000
    Through a parable in which a young man is brought into a mystical garden by a beautiful embodiment of Wisdom, Roach presents the pantheon of great Tibetan teachers. The nameless seeker lured to the garden meets the dominant historical figures who have contributed fundamental teachings to Tibetan Buddhism, such as Tsong Khapa, the first Dalai Lama, and Master Kamalashila. Unique among works of Buddhism now available, The Garden is destined to become a classic for its lucid revelation of the secrets of the Tibetan tradition and for the wisdom Geshe Michael Roach evokes.

Being Upright: Zen Meditation and the Bodhisattva Precepts


Reb Anderson - 2000
    Reb Anderson first introduces us to the fundamental ideas of Zen Buddhist practice. Who was Shakyamuni Buddha and what was his central teaching? What does it mean to be a bodhisattva and take the bodhisattva vow? Why should we confess and acknowledge our ancient twisted karma? What is the significance of taking refuge in Buddha, dharma, and sangha? The author explores the ten basic precepts, including not killing, not stealing, not lying, not misusing sexuality, and not using intoxicants. A gifted storyteller, Anderson takes us to the heart of situations, where moral judgments are not easy and we do not have all the answers. With wisdom and compassion, he teaches us how to confront the emotional and ethical turmoil of our lives.

Sweet Zen: Dharma Talks from Cheri Huber


Sara Jenkins - 2000
    Offering the unusual perspective on the softness and sweetness to be discovered in the Zen path., which has long been associated with formality and even harshness, this book includes the traditional rigor of Zen practice, but is balanced and eased with ever-growing compassion for the self and for the suffering caused by the delusion that we are separate from all that is.

The Dalai Lama's Secret Temple: Tantric Wall Paintings from Tibet


Ian A. Baker - 2000
    There, on a willow-covered island in the middle of the lake, is a pagoda roofed Khang, or temple. During the brief reign of the Sixth Dalai Lama, who built the temple in the eighteenth century, unknown artists created a series of mysterious paintings on the walls of the temple's private chapel. Comparable in quality and ambition to the Sistine Chapel in Rome, these master-pieces of Tibetan art are reproduced for the first time in this extraordinary publication.The chapel was reserved exclusively for the Dalai Lamas as a place of meditation and spiritual retreat. For centuries the Lukhang murals, which illustrate the path to spiritual liberation, guided the Dalai Lamas in a form of mystical contemplation called Dzogchen -- the most secret practice in Tibet's Tantric tradition. Beyond their Tibetan origins, the murals display a universal spiritual vision. Merely to contemplate them, Tibetans believe, can open the mind to timeless spiritual truth.At the heart of this book are more than 150 color photographs of the murals and their temple, taken in the most difficult conditions by the American explorer-photographer Thomas Laird. Ian Baker's text, which places these remarkable works within their historical and cultural perspective, is augmented by accounts from other Tibetan sources. A special feature of the book is an introduction and quotations by Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet, as well as additional drawings from Buddhist texts.This treasure of Tibetan Buddhist spirituality is presented in a magnificent large-formatedition. The vivid detail, rich color, and awe-inspiring impact of this path to spiritual liberation can at last be experienced outside the Lukhang chapel.

Kuan-Yin: The Chinese Transformation of Avalokitesvara


Chun-fang Yu - 2000
    Y� explores this dramatic transformation of the (male) Indian bodhisattva Avalokitesvara into the (female) Chinese Kuan-yin -- from a relatively minor figure in the Buddha's retinue to a universal savior and one of the most popular deities in Chinese religion.

A Survey of Buddhism: Its Doctrines and Methods Through the Ages


Sangharakshita - 2000
    Now in its ninth edition.“The best survey of Buddhism.”— Dr Edward Conze

Eastern Wisdom: What Is Zen?/What Is Tao?/An Introduction to Meditation


Alan W. Watts - 2000
    Brand New! Tight spine, clear crisp pages, no writing, no tears, smokefree

The Buddha Speaks - A book of guidance from Buddhist scriptures


Anne Bancroft - 2000
    These selections from the Buddhist scriptures deal with the search for truth, the way of contemplation, life, and death, living in community, and many other topics, serving as an excellent introduction to the Buddha's teaching. Whether addressed to monks and nuns, householders, outcastes, or thieves, the Buddha's teachings are characterized by one main concern: conveying the reality of our bondage to suffering—and the supremely good news that liberation is possible. It is a concern as relevant for people today as it was for the people of north India a millenium and a half ago.

The Fourteen Dalai Lamas: A Sacred Legacy of Reincarnation


Glenn H. Mullin - 2000
    In this book, Mullin offers the life stories of all 14 Dalai Lamas in one volume.

Zen's Chinese Heritage: The Masters and Their Teachings


Andy Ferguson - 2000
    Andrew Ferguson moves chronologically through successive generations of Zen masters, supplementing their core teachings with history, biography, and poetry. The result is an organic understanding of the tradition's evolution as a religious, literary, and historical force. Capturing the austere beauty of the Zen masters' manner of teaching — their earthy style, humor, and humanity — Zen's Chinese Heritage is an intimate and profound human portrait of the enlightened Zen ancients, and an unprecedented look into the depths of this rich cultural heritage. The book includes a deluxe fold-out lineage chart of the Zen ancestors.

Transforming the Mind: Teachings on Generating Compassion


Dalai Lama XIV - 2000
    The Eight Verses on Generating Compassion are known in Tibetan as lojong - literally, transforming your mind. In this commentary on these teachings, the Dalai Lama shows us how to transform difficult situations into opportunities for spiritual growth. He also offers practical methods as to how to develop positive ways of thinking and compassion.

Tap Dancing in Zen


Geri Larkin - 2000
    This sequel to Stumbling Toward Enlightenment picks up her story several years later as she moves beyond the stage of dharma novice and begins to explore the Metta Sutra.

The Zen Fool Ryokan


Misao Kodama - 2000
    His works remain widely popular in Japan today, with their celebrations of everyday joys and sadness. This edition presents Ryokan's poetry in English alongside the original Chinese and Japanese versions, notes and a biographical essay.

Unborn: The Life and Teachings of Zen Master Bankei, 1622-1693


Bankei - 2000
    Using a hut in the nearby hills, he wrote the word Shugyo-an, or "practice hermitage," on a plank of wood, propped it up beside the entrance, and settled down to devote himself to his own clarification of "bright virtue."He finally turned to Zen and, after fourteen years of incredible hardship, achieved a decisive enlightenment, whereupon the Rinzai priest traveled unceasingly to the temples and monasteries of Japan, sharing what he'd learned."What I teach in these talks of mine is the Unborn Buddha-mind of illuminative wisdom, nothing else. Everyone is endowed with this Buddha-mind, only they don't know it." Casting aside the traditional aristocratic style of his contemporaries, he offered his teachings in the common language of the people. His style recalls the genius and simplicity of the great Chinese Zen masters of the T'ang dynasty.This revised and expanded edition contains many talks and dialogues not included in the original 1984 volume.

Eihei Dogen: Mystical Realist


Hee-Jin Kim - 2000
    Eihei Dogen: Mystical Realist is a comprehensive introduction to the genius of this brilliant thinker. This thirteenth-century figure has much to teach us all and the questions that drove him have always been at the heart of Buddhist practice.At the age of seven, in 1207, Dogen lost his mother, who at her death earnestly asked him to become a monastic to seek the truth of Buddhism. We are told that in the midst of profound grief, Dogen experienced the impermanence of all things as he watched the incense smoke ascending at his mother's funeral service. This left an indelible impression upon the young Dogen; later, he would emphasize time and again the intimate relationship between the desire for enlightenment and the awareness of impermanence. His way of life would not be a sentimental flight from, but a compassionate understanding of, the intolerable reality of existence.At age 13, Dogen received ordination at Mt. Hiei. And yet, a question arose: "As I study both the exoteric and the esoteric schools of Buddhism, they maintain that human beings are endowed with Dharma-nature by birth. If this is the case, why did the buddhas of all ages - undoubtedly in possession of enlightenment - find it necessary to seek enlightenment and engage in spiritual practice?" When it became clear that no one on Mt. Hiei could give a satisfactory answer to this spiritual problem, he sought elsewhere, eventually making the treacherous journey to China. This was the true beginning of a life of relentless questioning, practice, and teaching - an immensely inspiring contribution to the Buddhadharma.As you might imagine, a book as ambitious as Eihei Dogen: Mystical Realist has to be both academically rigorous and eminently readable to succeed. Professor Hee-Jim Kim's work is indeed both.

The Bodhisattva Vow


Sonam Rinchen - 2000
    Chandragomin's text discusses some of the most important features regarding the vow, such as from whom it should be taken, how one should prepare for receiving it, what constitutes transgressions of the vow, and how they should be purified. In clear and accessible terms, Geshe Sonam Rinchen explains how to take and then safeguard the Bodhisattva vow.

A Simple Path: Basic Buddhist Teachings by His Holiness the Dalai Lama


Dalai Lama XIV - 2000
    It offers an introduction to Buddhism and to the landscape and culture of Tibet. The text, based on lectures on the four noble truths given in London, lays out the fundamentals of the Buddhist path, showing us how we can develop our compassion and find happiness in any situation. The photographs show the context in which this profound teaching developed, from the landscapes and Tibetan people, to scenes of monastery life, prayer wheels and artwork.

An Awakened Life


Christopher Titmuss - 2000
    Titmuss, an internationally known teacher of insight meditation, argues that our societal obsessions with wealth, beauty, and fame have led us down a false path and created great suffering. His teachings urge us to question these values and rediscover our true nature. Inspired by the twentieth-century classic Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, Titmuss offers practical advice on such subjects as worklife, stress, understanding our feelings, communication, relationships, taking risks, the value of nonattachment, the nature of the self, and the sources of awakening. Excerpted from selected talks and writings, An Awakened Life offers liberating teachings that speak directly to the dilemmas of modern living.

Cutting Through Fear


Tsultrim Allione - 2000
    Yet, within the oldest teachings of Tibetan Buddhism lies a rich but hidden legacy of a teacher who was a powerful woman and legendary spiritual leader.On her first ever audio publication, Tsultrim Allione -- one of contemporary Buddhism's most experienced teachers -- draws from the spiritual transmissions of an 11th century Tibetan yogini that holds a special promise for anyone who has experienced difficult and even paralyzing emotions. Based on the traditional Tibetan visualization technique chod (literally "to cut"), this approach is adapted specifically for our times. This four-step solution for encountering, nurturing, and dissolving the delusion of difficult emotions is a timeless teaching -- which is still used in Tibet to treat mental and physical illness and as a path to enlightenment.We all encounter the "monsters" of fear, anger, and other difficult emotions in our lives, too often as a daily event. Now we have a rare and useful tool to stop fighting against them, and instead liberate them on the spot, with Cutting Through Fear.

Living And Dying In Zazen: Five Zen Masters Of Modern Japan


Arthur Braverman - 2000
    The deification of Zen teachers by their followers has been a problematic issue in American Zen; this book provides a healthy antidote, presenting four men and one woman who have lived and died in Zen within the rich context of their personal lives and their culture, so that we can fully understand what makes a Zen master in Japan.

Zen: The Supreme Experience: The Newly Discovered Scripts


Alan W. Watts - 2000
    Comprised of Watts' acclaimed (and never before published) radio transcripts, this remarkable volume offers unique insights that clarify Zen's essence. With wit and lucidity, he discusses the nature of the self and the mystery of existence, presenting Zen both from his standpoint as a scholar with a deep understanding of Judeo-Christian traditions and as a Westerner who found meaning in Buddhism.

The Path to Bodhidharma: The Teachings of Shodo Harada Roshi (Tuttle Library of Enlightenment)


Shodo Harada - 2000
    Shodo Harada Roshi is one such legend-he attained dharma transmission from Yamada Mumon Roshi and went on to become abbot of the Sogen-ji monastery in Okayama, Japan, where he has taught ever since. Now Zen students of all levels can glean from Harada's wisdom in this modern classic of Zen literature. With clear, accessible language, and a special section in which Harada answers real questions from Zen students, The Path to Bodhidharma deserves a place on the bookshelves of all students of Zen, philosophy, and life.

Buddhism is the clear mirror that reflects our lives


Daisaku Ikeda - 2000
    SGI President Ikeda at the first SGI-USA women's division meeting, Soka University of America, Calabasas, California, February 27, 1990.

Ordinary Wisdom: Sakya Pandita's Treasury of Good Advice


Sakya Pandita - 2000
    As in Aesop's Fables, Sakya Pandita uses proverbs and stories to address the basic question: "How are we to live peaceably with ourselves and with others?" This is the only available English translation of the Sakya Legshe--a book that reveals the heart of the Buddhist way of life.

The Tao of Contemplation: Re-Sourcing the Inner Life


Jasmin Lee Cori - 2000
    Aiming to help the reader to create a comtemplative lifestyle combined with the naturalness and joy of the Taoist way, this text discuses the need to create empty space in life,

Cave of Tigers: Modern Zen Encounters


John Daido Loori - 2000
    Cave of Tigers is a collection of edited manuscripts of dharma combats, between students at Zen Mountain Monastery in Tremper, New York, and Zen Master John Daido Loori, Roshi.

Enlightenment Unfolds


Kazuaki Tanahashi - 2000
    Dogen Zenji (1200-1253) is unquestionably the most significant religious figure in Japanese history. Founder of the Soto school of Zen (which emphasizes the practice of zazen or sitting meditation), he was a prolific writer whose works have remained popular for six hundred years. Enlightenment Unfolds presents even more of the incisive and inspiring writings of this seminal figure, focusing on essays from his great life work, Treasury of the True Dharma Eye , as well as poems, talks, and correspondence, much of which appears here in English for the first time.      Tanahashi has brought together his own translations of Dogen with those of some of the most respected Zen teachers and writers of our own day, including Reb Anderson, Edward Espe Brown, Norman Fisher, Gil Fronsdal, Blanche Hartman, Jane Hirschfield, Daniel Leighton, Alan Senauke, Katherine Thanas, Mel Weitzman, and Michael Wenger.

Roar of the Tigress: The Oral Teachings of Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennet: Western Woman and Zen Master


Jiyu Kennett - 2000
    The book was transcribed from papers given during her lifetime.

The Diamond Cutter: The Buddha on Managing Your Business and Your Life


Michael Roach - 2000
    Geshe Michael Roach, one of the great teachers today of Tibetan Buddhism, has richly woven The Diamond Cutter in three layers. The first is a translation of selections from the Diamond Sutra itself, an ancient text comprised of conversations between the Buddha and his close disciple Subhuti. Considered a central work by Buddhists throughout the world, the Diamond Sutra has been the focus of much interpretation over the centuries. In the second layer, Geshe Michael quotes from some of the best commentaries of the Tibetan tradition. In the main text, the third layer, he uses both sutra and commentary as a jumping-off point for presenting his own teaching. Geshe Michael gives fresh insight into ancient wisdom by using examples from his own experience as one of the founders of the Andin International Diamond Corporation, which was started with capital of fifty thousand dollars and which today has annual sales in excess of one hundred million dollars. Much of the success of Andin has come from applying the business strategies presented in The Diamond Cutter. Geshe Michael's easy style and spiritual understanding make this work of timeless wisdom an invaluable source for those already familiar with, and those unfamiliar with, Tibetan Buddhism. "From the Hardcover edition."

Like an Illusion: Lives of the Shangpa Kagyu Masters


Nicole Riggs - 2000
    This is the first English translation of biographies written between 500 and 1000 years ago. "Like An Illusion" includes the biographies of two accomplished women, the dakinis Niguma and Sukhasiddhi. The life stories then continue through the lineage, from Khyungpo Naljor, great yogi of the Shangpa Lineage, to Mokchokpa, Kyergangpa, on down to Jetsun Taranatha.