Best of
Zen

2005

Wisdom from Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life


Thich Nhat Hanh - 2005
    Commentaries, meditations, and personal anecdotes invite us to find joy in the moment, work for world peace, and sustain inner peace by turning the "mindless" into the mindful. 96 pages.

The True Dharma Eye: Zen Master Dogen's Three Hundred Koans


John Daido Loori - 2005
    This collection of three hundred main cases was first published in 1766 under the title Shobogenzo Sambyakusoku (Treasury of the True Dharma Eye: Three Hundred Cases), and was known to have provided the raw material for much of Dogen's better known Japanese-language Kana Shobogenzo. Dogen's collection of koans may come as a surprise to students of Zen as Dogen and the Soto school are generally known for the practice of shikantaza, or "just sitting," rather than for koan practice. Nevertheless, a careful study of Dogen's work reveals that he did use koans extensively in his writing and teaching, not only in the Kana Shobogenzo, but most of his other works as well. Zen students and scholars will find The True Dharma Eye to be a source of deep insight into the mind of one of the world's greatest religious thinkers, as well as the practice of koan study itself. Following the spirit of Dogen's pioneering efforts to carry the dharma across cultural divides, John Daido Loori Roshi, one of the West's most respected Zen teachers, has added his own verses and commentaries to each koan. The resulting volume presents readers with a uniquely contemporary perspective on Dogen's profound teachings and their relevance for twenty-first-century Western practitioners of Zen.

Calming the Fearful Mind: A Zen Response to Terrorism


Thich Nhat Hanh - 2005
    Teaching that we will only be safe when we acknowledge our real enemies, ignorance and violence, Nhat Hanh offers step-by-step instructions for calming the mind and looking deeply into our own misperceptions. He shows how compassion, deep listening, and mindful communication can conquer fear and terrorism. A valuable book for anyone who has felt possessed by anger and vengefulness, as well as those concerned about global terrorism, Calming the Fearful Mind shows how Nhat Hanh’s signature practices can help address the most challenging and emotions.

Warm Smiles from Cold Mountains: Dharma Talks on Zen Meditation


Reb Anderson - 2005
    Reb Anderson draws on over thirty years of experience as a Zen priest, exploring Buddhist yoga and psychology, and the relationship of wisdom and compassion to the personal, social, and ecological crises of our time. At once inspirational and practical, he bows to an ancient tradition as he helps us to forge a modern-day Buddhism that urges us "to sit still in the middle of all living beings."

Waking Up to What You Do: A Zen Practice for Meeting Every Situation with Intelligence and Compassion


Diane Eshin Rizzetto - 2005
    The question is: Are we there to meet it or not? Diane Rizzetto presents a simple but supremely effective practice for meeting every moment of our lives with mindfulness, using the Zen precepts as tools to develop a keen awareness of the motivations behind every aspect of our behavior—to "wake up to what we do"—from moment to moment. As we train in mindfulness of our actions, every situation of our lives becomes our teacher, offering priceless insight into what it really means to be happy. It's a simple practice with transformative potential, enabling us to break through our habitual reactions and to see clearly how our own happiness and well-being are intimately, inevitably connected to the happiness and well-being of everyone around us.

The Essence of Zen


Maggie Pinkney - 2005
    The inspirational thoughts contained in this book will help you see life through 'Zen eyes', freeing you from fruitless regrets, desires and anxieties - and helping you appreciate every moment of your life on earth.

Pure and Simple: The Extraordinary Teachings of a Thai Buddhist Laywoman


Upasika Kee Nanayon - 2005
    Evocative of the great Ajahn Chah, her teachings are earthy, refreshingly direct, and hard-hitting. In the twentieth century, she grew to become one of the most famous teachers in Thailand--male or female--all the more remarkable because, rarer still, she was not a monastic but a layperson. Her relentless honesty, along with her encouraging voice, is one reason so many contemporary Buddhist teachers recall Upasika Kee so fondly, and so often. With this book, readers seeking something reminiscent of the classic Mindfulness in Plain English can receive instruction on meditation practice as they become acquainted with the legacy of a renowned Buddhist figure. Pure and Simple, the first widely-available collection of her writings, will be gratefully received not only by those who knew Upasika Kee, but by anyone who encounters her for the first time in its pages.

Living Without Regret: Human Experience in Light of Tibetan Buddhism


Arnaud Maitland - 2005
    An introduction to Tibetan Buddhist teachings and how to aply them in our lives

Zen Stories: The Staff and Shout of the Venerable Ones


Tsai Chih Chung - 2005
    Collected and popularized by the immensely popular Chinese illustrator Tsai Chih Chung, the book includes over 100 Zen tales for the reader of today, bringing to life the spirit and philosophy of Zen through cartoon panels with a text that is irreverently humorous yet replete with wisdom. It is a great and easy tool to learn Chinese classics.