Thank You and Ok!: An American Zen Failure in Japan


David Chadwick - 1994
    In 1988 Chadwick flew to Japan to begin a four-year period of voluntary exile and remedial Zen education. In Thank You and OK! he recounts his experiences both inside and beyond the monastery walls and offers insightful portraits of the characters he knew in that world—the bickering monks, the patient abbot, the trotting housewives, the ominous insects, the bewildered bureaucrats, and the frustrating English-language students—as they worked inexorably toward initiating him into the mysterious ways of Japan. Whether you're interested in Japan, Buddhism, or exotic travel writing, this book is great fun.

Becoming Kuan Yin: The Evolution of Compassion


Stephen Levine - 2013
    In Becoming Kuan Yin, Levine's first new book in many years, he turns to the legend of Kuan Yin, the Bbodhistitva venerated by East Asian Buddhists for her compassion. In Becoming Kuan Yin, Levine shares the tale of Miao Shan, born centuries ago to a cruel king who wanted her to marry a wealthy but uncaring man. This is the story of how Miao Shan refused to follow the path her father had in mind and, instead, became Kuan Yin, the first acknowledged female Buddha who watches over the dying and those who work with them. Levine weaves together story and practice and helps readers discover their own infinite capacity for mercy and compassion under difficult circumstances. This book will have resonance for Kuan Yin's millions of followers.

China and the Chinese


Herbert Allen Giles - 1902
    You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

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.

How to Meditate: 7 Techniques to Meditate Deeper Than Zen


Tao Zen - 2013
    What if every day you work up with a wonderful feeling of peace, warmth, well-being and complete satisfaction? As a world traveled Doctor of Metaphysics for well over 30 years of my life, and as a student of metaphysics all of my life, I can tell you without doubt, that very life you crave is at your fingertips starting right now. This book showcases 7 powerful techniques of meditation that will make you a pro in no time.This book is not like other meditation books which only talk about philosophies and do not give real actionable steps.This book will make you a "Zen monk" if you have an hour to spare each day. Meditation is really simple thing which anyone can do to improve their overall brain performance and happiness. Are you one of those who - -Want to be really happy… not just faking smiles anymore? -Are sick of being tired and bored with life? -Are going through life without enjoying it? -Are so depressed and negative that no one really enjoys spending time with you? Well, I even one of them sounds familiar, this book has come to your rescue. This book is short, simple and no-fluff guide to meditation. I will teach you some of the powerful techniques such as : - Brand New Visual Meditation Matrix World Technique( This technique can increase your IQ beyond 180 points) Never heard before Total Awareness Meditation A Very Powerful Breathing Meditation Powerful concentration exercises and much more!! You must ask for it... Q. I want to know what it feels like to be loved? Q. I want to know what love feels like? Q. I want to know what peace feels like? Q. I want to have an experience of what prosperity is like? Q. I want an experience of that? Q. I want an experience of manifestation in my life? I have put together my life’s works, studies and practices of Metaphysical and Spiritual law, in a way that will help you do just that! You cannot be a true success in life, until you have succeeded within spiritually. When you understand and practice spiritual law, metaphysical law goes into effect. Metaphysics is harnessing your energy and “imagining” exactly what you want to happen in your life. How do you harness and imagine? You Meditate Correctly! You can only get into your inner self to receive answers, fix and reorganize through meditation. Meditation allows us to access our resources, the resources trapped in our mind that want to come out. There is no greater resource than our mind and there is no better way to access that resource than through meditation. And to not make use of this valuable resource of our mind is like going out and buying a real expensive computer system with every imaginable program that has been produced, and never turn the computer on.

Introduction to Vedanta


Dayananda Saraswati - 1998
    Yet, each moment of joy is only that: momentary, showing up the rest of our lives to be unsatisfying, somehow lacking and incomplete. On the other hand, Vedanta, the body of knowledge found at the end of the Veda, asserts with breathtaking boldness that one's true nature is completeness and limitlessness. Vedanta also promises that moksa, liberation from all forms of limitations that seem to bind a human being, is possible here and now. In this lucid, lively introduction to Vedanta, Swami Dayananda shows how man's constant struggle to overcome these limitations through the ceaseless pursuit of security and pleasure are predestined to failure for the simple reason that they are misdirected: they stem from a failure in understanding the real nature of the fundamental problem itself. All effort howsoever great or unremitting being limited, the result of such effort is also bound to be equally limited, inadequate. The road to freedom from limitation, then, can scarcely lie that way. Indeed, asserts Vedanta, it is only to be found in the correct knowledge of one's true nature as absolute. This vital first step, a clear understanding of man's fundamental problem of ignorance and error about his real nature. Is what this book is all about.

Momma Zen: Walking the Crooked Path of Motherhood


Karen Maezen Miller - 2006
    Momma Zen takes readers on a transformative journey, charting a mother’s growth beyond naive expectations and disorientation to finding fulfillment in ordinary tasks, developing greater self-awareness and acceptance—to the gradual discovery of “maternal bliss,” a state of abiding happiness and ease that is available to us all.In her gentle and reassuring voice, Karen Miller convinces us that ancient and authentic spiritual lessons can be as familiar as a lullaby, as ordinary as pureed peas, and as frequent as a sleepless night. She offers encouragement for the hard days, consolation for the long haul, and the lightheartedness every new mom needs to face the crooked path of motherhood straight on.

Religion and Nothingness


Keiji Nishitani - 1961
    Keiji Nishitani notes the irreversible trend of Western civilization to nihilism, and singles out the conquest of nihilism as the task for contemporary philosophy. Nihility, or relative nothingness, can only be overcome by being radicalized to Emptiness, or absolute nothingness. Taking absolute nothingness as the fundamental notion in rational explanations of the Eastern experience of human life, Professor Nishitani examines the relevance of this notion for contemporary life, and in particular for Western philosophical theories and religious believes. Everywhere his basic intention remains the same: to direct our modern predicament to a resolution through this insight.The challenge that the thought of Keiji Nishitani presents to the West, as a modern version of an Eastern speculative tradition that is every bit as old and as variegated as our own, is one that brings into unity the principle of reality and the principle of salvation. In the process, one traditional Western idea after another comes under scrutiny: the dichotomy of faith and reason, of being and substance, the personal and transcendent notions of God, the exaggerated role given to the knowing ego, and even the Judeo-Christian view of history itself.Religion and Nothingness represents the major work of one of Japan's most powerful and committed philosophical minds.

Rediscover Lent


Matthew Kelly - 2011
    With this new book you can:read a passage from Scripture for each dayreflect on the beauty and importance of Catholic faith and practicemeditate on thought-provoking questionsfind a unique and inspiring prayer for each day of LentThese timely and inspirational words will help renew your enthusiasm for being Catholic, while encouraging you to delve more deeply into the spirituality of the lenten season—a perfect companion for individual reading or for group study.

The Tao of Success: The Five Ancient Rings of Destiny


Derek Lin - 2010
    How do we begin to discover and live our destined life? How can we use the ancient, Eastern philosophy to experience more success in our lives?From Derek Lin, Taoist master and author of The Tao of Daily Life, comes this practical, systematic approach to the ancient and time-honored spiritual learning process. The Tao of Success navigates the five rings of life, which are common patterns of traditional Tao cultivation, conceptualized by the ancient sages: your spirit, your mind, your relationships, your world, and your destiny. Success is achieved by discovering and experiencing these five concentric rings, from the inside out, and not in the future but in the here and now.Using the same format that made The Tao of Daily Life a breakout Eastern wisdom bestseller, Lin draws on the power of Taoist stories to illustrate important keys, or lessons. He then offers commentary on understanding and applying that story in modern life-all aimed to help readers live out the destiny that lies within themselves.By integrating the life-altering lessons of this book into their busy lives, readers can begin to cultivate the Tao. In The Tao of Success , Lin returns with his enlightening approach to understanding, centered on story and illumination of ancient Taoist secrets for the modern beginner and the familiar student alike.

Ecodharma: Buddhist Teachings for the Ecological Crisis


David R. Loy - 2019
    David R. Loy masterfully lays out the principles and perspectives of Ecodharma—a Buddhist response to our ecological predicament, introducing a new term for a new development of the Buddhist tradition. This book emphasizes the three aspects of Ecodharma: practicing in the natural world, exploring the ecological implications of Buddhist teachings, and embodying that understanding in the eco-activism that is needed today. Within these pages, you’ll discover the powerful ways Buddhism can inspire us to heal the world we share. Offering a compelling framework and practical spiritual resources, Loy outlines the Ecosattva Path, a path of liberation and salvation for all beings and the world itself.

Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations


Paul Williams - 1989
    This book should be of interest to students of Buddhism, philosophy and Oriental studies.

The Zen Teachings of Jesus


Kenneth S. Leong - 2001
    "Now I am forty and realize that I could have found the Tao in Jesus." This is an intriguing book that reveals how Zen philosophy parallels the core message of the gospel. It is the spiritual side of Zen, the art to trust and accept life that coincides with the core of the Gospel message. For power, dogma and doctrine were not Jesus' passion, but the mystery of life and the possibility of love. Sometimes people have overlooked the joy, the humor and the depth of Jesus' teachings—often because they could not surmount the narrow confines of openness to the scripture's power to transform our lives.

Genuine Happiness: Meditation as the Path to Fulfillment


B. Alan Wallace - 2005
    A gift for all moods and seasons."—Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ"This lucid and rich book offers brillant, wise, and accessible teachings on the essentials of four core meditation techniques that lead one to genuine joy and happiness. Alan Wallace's years of practice and teaching shine through every page, as with ease and great humanity, he brings to the reader the possibility of liberation."—Joan Halifax Roshi, abbot of Upaya Zen Center"Genuine Happiness is a treasure chest of wisdom: clear, inspiring teaching jewels. It is an excellent support for any student of meditation."—Sharon Salzberg, author of Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest ExperienceIn today's overstimulated world, many are realizing that happiness gained through material wealth and frivolous conquests is short-lived. To achieve long-term happiness, you must access your own bountiful resources—housed in your heart and mind. In Genuine Happiness, longtime Buddhist practitioner Alan Wallace shows you the path to bliss.Drawing on more than three decades of study under His Holiness the Dalai Lama and sixty other teachers, as well as 2,500 years of Buddhist tradition, Alan Wallace guides you step by step through five simple yet powerful meditations to help you focus your mind and open your heart to true happiness. Featuring a Foreword by the Dalai Lama, this book will help you discover that it is possible to experience genuine happiness every day.As you incorporate the meditations from Genuine Happiness into your life, you will discover that the joy you've sought has always been only a few meditative minutes away.

What is Nationalism?


Romila Thapar - 2016