When a massive wildfire surrounded Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, five monks risked their lives to save it. A gripping narrative as well as a portrait of the Zen path and the ways of wildfire, Fire Monks reveals what it means to meet a crisis with full presence of mind.Zen master and author of the classic Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, Shunryu Suzuki Roshi established a monastery at Tassajara Hot Springs in 1967, drawn to the location's beauty, peace, and seclusion. Deep in the wilderness east of Big Sur, the center is connected to the outside world by a single unpaved road. The remoteness that makes it an oasis also makes it particularly vulnerable when disaster strikes. If fire entered the canyon, there would be no escape.More than two thousand wildfires, all started by a single lightning storm, blazed across the state of California in June 2008. With resources stretched thin, firefighters advised residents at Tassajara to evacuate early. Most did. A small crew stayed behind, preparing to protect the monastery when the fire arrived.But nothing could have prepared them for what came next. A treacherous shift in weather conditions prompted a final order to evacuate everyone, including all firefighters. As they caravanned up the road, five senior monks made the risky decision to turn back. Relying on their Zen training, they were able to remain in the moment and do the seemingly impossible-to greet the fire not as an enemy to defeat, but as a friend to guide.Fire Monks pivots on the kind of moment some seek and some run from, when life and death hang in simultaneous view. Novices in fire but experts in readiness, the Tassajara monks summoned both intuition and wisdom to face crisis with startling clarity. The result is a profound lesson in the art of living.

    A Handbook of Chakra Healing is a practical guide that applies ancient wisdom to the problems and stresses of modern life. It tells you all you need to know about the seven charkas, the vital energy centers in the human body. It teaches you what the charkas are and how they function; it provides personality tests so you can determine where your strengths lie and what you need to work on; and it offers effective programs for harmonizing the energy of the charkas that will change your entire outlook on life.Learn more about yourself.Discover what charka type you are.Experience how the free flow of energy can help you resolve the blockage that cause physical and mental ailments.Gain valuable information about charka work including the teachings concerning the aura, prana, kundalini and the charkas in your hands and feet.Learn about safe and gentle healing practices using aromatherapy, gemstones, herbs, affirmations and massage that will serve to activate and harmonize your vital energies.Begin to tap into deeper sources of energy through charka yoga, deep relaxation, breathing and meditation.Geared to beginners as well as to more advanced students, A Handbook of Chakra Healing offers the key to greater health and happiness.

    This book presents principles and methods of assessment using a combination of the helpful Ayurvedic and modern techniques.

    Yogananda is one of the world's most widely known and universally respected spiritual masters. His Autobiography of a Yogi has helped stimulate a spiritual awakening in the West and a spiritual renaissance in his native land of India.More than half a century ago, in a hilltop ashram in Los Angeles, California, an American disciple sat at the feet of his Master, faithfully recording his words as his teacher had asked him to do. Paramhansa Yogananda knew this disciple would carry his message to people everywhere.Kriyananda was often present when Yogananda spoke privately with other close disciples; when he received visitors and answered their questions; when he was dictating and discussing his important writings. Yogananda put Kriyananda in charge of the other monks, and gave him advice for their spiritual development. In all these situations, Kriyananda recorded the words and guidance of Yogananda, preserving for the ages wisdom that would otherwise have been lost, and giving us an intimate glimpse of life with Yogananda never before shared by any other student.These Conversations include not only Yogananda's words as he first spoke them, but also the added insight of an intimate disciple who has spent more than 50 years reflecting on and practicing the teachings of Yogananda. Through these Conversations, Yogananda comes alive. Time and space dissolve. We sit at the feet of the Master, listen to his words, receive his wisdom, delight in his humor, and are transformed by his love.

     Is it fantasy or reality? In this extraordinary and fascinating book, bestselling author Jess Stearn reveals that perfect love does exist--that you can find it, experience it . . . and with it, change your life forever. Here are the inspiring stories of many real-life soulmates Stearn has met, the innermost secrets of celebrities like Shirley MacLaine, Susan Strasberg, Howard Hughes, and Joan Hackett, who have sought and found the ultimate love.Now you can share in the drama and ecstasy of fulfilling your deepest and most powerful yearnings and desires. You too can find your own true soulmate.

     Not anymore. Forget all Kundalini books.Most of them are either very abstract, occult, esoteric, with hidden information to not “enrage the Masters” or very “Goddess,” “physically focused,” “Westernized Yoga.”Not this one.No compromises with any guru, organization or tradition.No secrets held back.No dogmas or elaborated rhetoric masquerading as true knowledge.No agenda.No BS.No Kundalini questions shall remain unanswered.Not only for “high initiates” or members of “hidden societies.”It is for you. In simple and modern language. What you will find in the book: Rare Kundalini wisdom not found anywhere else. Disclosing the different levels of Kundalini awakening, its journey, and relation to Consciousness and Being. Know why awakening the Kundalini is of utter importance. Explanations on how to awaken it, raise it, and melt it into descending to its final reposing place. Real and direct first-hand knowledge—not from reading books or hearing stories. Suggestions for a powerful yet simple Kundalini Yoga routine. Straightforward practical instructions only. The Consequences of Kundalini Awakening and Grounding tricks to lessen any adverse side-effects. Revealing the truth about spiritual experiences and how to go beyond them. Cosmic Kundalini, “I-ego” and pure Consciousness uncovered. Helpful tips on how to prevent the “Kundalini syndrome,” for a safe awakening of the Kundalini energy. The complete unveiling of the Spiritual Heart, one of the biggest enigmas in the whole of spirituality, in a clear and understandable way. And much more. This book is not for followers of any tradition in particular, but for those whose heart and mind are open to receive love and wisdom.The Crown Chakra is not the end. This book will teach you how to go beyond it, into your deathless and infinite non-dual awareness, where complete fulfillment, peace, love, and joy live. That’s the true Home of the Kundalini. That’s your true Home. Are you ready?

    Drawing on his long personal experience as a Buddhist teacher, journalist, and editor, Clark Strand offers broad insight into how and why the Soka Gakkai, with its commitment to social justice and its egalitarian approach, has become a role model, not only for other schools of Buddhism, but for other religions as well. Readers will be inspired by the struggles and triumphs of the Soka Gakkai’s three founding presidents—individuals who staked their lives on the teachings of the Lotus Sutra and the extraordinary power of those teachings to help people become happy.

    For example, you like to go jogging but instead of jogging, you spend that time with your partner to show him or her that you really care. "I love you so much that I would give up this thing that is valuable to me so I can be with you." This is one of the ways you divorce you to create an intimate relationship. How often does divorcing you really work in the long run?When you give up any part of yourself, you give up what was so attractive about you to that other person in the first place and pretty soon the other person doesn't want to be with you anymore.A divorceless relationship is one where you don't have to divorce any part of you in order to be in a relationship with someone else. It is a place where everyone and everything you are in a relationship with can become greater as a result of the relationship.Divorceless Relationship contains tools, exercises and processes you can use to: Create divorceless relationships Discover what you would like as a relationship Discover what is true for you Use energy to attract the person you're interested in Know when it's time to leave a relationship Renew and recreate your relationship with your partner Bring sex back into your relationship Turn your lover on

    Zen Baggage is an account of that journey. He weaves together historical background, interviews with Zen masters, and translations of the earliest known records of Zen, along with personal vignettes. Porter’s account captures the transformations taking place at religious centers in China but also the abiding legacy they have somehow managed to preserve. Porter brings wisdom and humor to every situation, whether visiting ancient caves containing the most complete collection of Buddhist texts ever uncovered, enduring a six-hour Buddhist ceremony, searching in vain for the ghost in his room, waking up the monk in charge of martial arts at Shaolin Temple, or meeting the abbess of China’s first Zen nunnery. Porter’s previously published Road to Heaven: Encounters with Chinese Hermits has become recommended reading at Zen centers and universities throughout America and even in China (in its Chinese translation), and Zen Baggage is sure to follow suit.

    Bestselling author and renowned spiritual medium Van Praagh offers over forty meditations, each of which addresses a specific issue or concern that may be blocking your spiritual journey, such as "Release the Past," "Confronting Fears," and "Tuning In to Abundance." By helping you to truly see, feel, and listen to your inner voice, Van Praagh leads you to develop the wonderful, innate abilities that let you become your best self.

    From the author of Dreambody - a pioneering method of using crisis as a dynamic opportunity for accessing our inner world, confronting our fears, and catalyzing self-discovery.

    Today, the United States is home to approximately one million Hindus.If you've heard of this ancient religion and are looking for a reference that explains the intricacies of the customs, practices, and teachings of this ancient spiritual system, Hinduism For Dummies is for you!Provides a thorough introduction to this earliest and popular world belief system Information on the rites, rituals, deities, and teachings associated with the practice of Hinduism Explores the history and teachings of the Vedas, Brahmans, and Upanishads Offers insight into the modern daily practice of Hinduism around the world Continuing the Dummies tradition of making the world's religions engaging and accessible to everyone, Hinduism For Dummies is your hands-on, friendly guide to this fascinating religion.

    Who Made God? offers accessible answers to over 100 commonly asked apologetic questions. Bringing together the best in evangelical apologists, this guide is standard equipment for Christians who want to understand and talk about their faith intelligently. Part one answers tough questions about the Christian faith such as:• Who made God? • How can there be three persons in one God? • What is God’s ultimate purpose in allowing evil? • Where did the universe come from? • How long are the days of creation in Genesis? • Did Jesus rise from the dead? • Are the records of Jesus’ life reliable? • Does the Bible have errors in it?Part two answers tough questions about other faiths, including Islam, Mormonism, Hinduism, Transcendental Meditation, Yoga, Reincarnation, Buddhism, and Black Islam. Relevant stories, questions for reflection and discussion, and a comprehensive list of suggested resources help you dig deeper so you can be prepared to give careful answers that explain the reasons for your faith.

    The Book of Giants, like the Book of Enoch, concerns itself with the Nephilim, which are the offspring of fallen angels, who are called the Watchers. Two main versions of the text exist. The Dead Sea version is written in Aramaic. Another version has been found written in middle Persian, adapted from the Aramaic to fit into the Manichean religion. Both versions will be examined. Following theories speculating that the Book of Giants was once part of the Book of Enoch, we will attempt to place the two texts back together to render the complete story of the Watchers and the Nephilim. We will discover the history and contributions of these ancient scrolls and look carefully at their content and meaning. Throughout the combined texts of the Book of Giants and the Book of Enoch we will examine all the biblical and apocryphal references and parallels within the text and compare passages from books such as Jubilees, Jasher, and other apocryphal works. The result is an in-depth and panoramic view of the Angels, the Watchers, and the Nephilim, and how one of the giants of the Nephilim race may have survived the flood intended to cleanse the Earth of their horror.

    It offers a vast variety of insightful selections from various literature and provides a lifetime of ideas and images to contemplate and evolve with you.