A (Not So) Enlightened Youth - My Uneasy Road to Awareness: A Guide to Finding Yourself from Within


Koi Fresco - 2016
    Half guide to awakening. "A (Not So) Enlightened Youth" describes the life of Koi Fresco and his methodology towards changing one's life for the better.From addictions to convictions and finally to a conscious awakening, follow the journey first hand as it transitions in real time. A journey that transforms into what Koi calls, "The Guide to Finding Yourself."As a creator of educational content online, Koi has amassed millions of views on his videos regarding science, spirituality, philosophy and more.This is Koi Fresco's first book.

Buddhism: Beginner's Guide to Understanding & Practicing Buddhism to Become Stress and Anxiety Free


Michael Williams - 2016
    The secret behind its steady rise is due in part to the plethora of benefits Buddhism reaps upon those who practice it and apply its teachings to their lives. Through mindfulness and meditation, Buddhism injects peace and clarity into the minds and lives of those who dedicate themselves to it. Those wonderful benefits can be a part of your life as well through the careful study of its various tenets. In Buddhism, this thoughtful and carefully detailed guidebook acts as a beginner’s guide to those who may be interested in learning more about this ancient and wise practice. Placing emphasis on meditation, yoga, and understanding the core concepts of Buddhism allows the reader to apply its teachings to make their lives fuller and healthier. If you are curious about Buddhism and want to find the answers you seek, then look no further than this qualitative guidebook. Full of information on the various aspects of Buddhism, meditation, yoga, and more, Buddhism stands apart as a concise and practical guide to infusing your life with its many teachings. Here’s what to expect in the Beginner's guide: What Buddhism is and what its teachings are The core concepts of Buddhism: karma, suffering, nirvana, and reincarnation The practice and benefits of yoga The four noble truths Practices, treasures, and poisons of Buddhism How to practice the five precepts of Buddhism How to practice mindfulness in order to reduce stress and anxiety And much, much more! The choice is now yours. Open yourself to the benefits of a life free of stress and anxiety through the understanding and practice of Buddhism. A clear and peaceful mind awaits you along your spiritual journey through its tenets and teachings. Begin your journey towards a better life and grab your copy of Buddhism: Beginner’s Guide today!

The Light Inside the Dark: Zen, Soul, and the Spiritual Life


John Tarrant - 1998
    Using real-life stories, Zen tales, and Greek myths, The Light Inside the Dark shows how our darkest experiences can be the gates to wisdom and joy. Tarrant leads us through the inevitable descents of our journey--from the everyday world of work and family into the treasure cave of the interior life--from which we return with greater love of life's vivid, common gifts. Written with empathy and a poet's skill, The Light Inside the Dark is the freshest and most challenging work on the soul to he published in years.

The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 1


Nichiren Daishonin - 1999
    The translations were first published by the Nichiren Shoshu International Center (NSIC) over a period from 1979 to 1995 in a seven-volume series entitled "The Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin." A total of 172 works make up this series, including the Daishonin's five major works ("On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land," "The Opening of the Eyes," "The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind," "The Selection of the Time," and "On Repaying Debts of Gratitude"). Columbia University Press published 85 of those 172 translations, 12 in 1990 in "Selected Writings of Nichiren," and 73 in 1996 in "Letters of Nichiren." Eager to have all the translations under one cover, Soka Gakkai International (SGI) members asked that they be published in one volume. Thus the Soka Gakkai decided to publish the present volume - all 172 works in chronological order. This work is indeed wonderful news, not only for members of the Soka Gakkai International, but for all English-speaking people interested in Buddhism.

A Lamp in the Darkness: Illuminating the Path Through Difficult Times


Jack Kornfield - 2010
    "Awakening to this wisdom can help us fin dour way through pain and suffering with grace and tenderness." For anyone seeking answer during a trying time, he offers "A Lamp in the Darkness," a book-and-CD program filled with spiritual and psychological insights, hope-giving stories, and guided meditations for skillfully navigating life's inevitable storms.The practices in this book are not positive thinking, quick fixes, or simplistic self-help strategies. They are powerful tools for doing "the work of the soul" to access our inner knowing and to embrace the fullness of our life experience. With regularly practice these teachings and meditations enable you to transform your difficulties into a guiding light for the journey ahead. Join Jack Kornfeld as your trusted guide as you explore:. Shared Compassion-a guided practice for planting the seeds of compassion and opening the heart to all that life brings . The Earth Is My Witness-a meditation to establish firm footing in the midst of darkness, centered by a steady witnessing presence . The Practice of Forgiveness-what Jack calls "the only medicine that can release us from the past and allow us to truly begin anew." . The Temple of Healing-a guided visualization to meet our own inner healer . Equanimity and Peace-a meditation for maintaining balance and acceptance regardless of the situationJust as it is certain that each life will include suffering, explains Kornfield, it is also true that in every moment there is the possibility of transcending your difficulties to discover the heart's eternal freedom. With A Lamp in the Darkness, he offers you a beacon for yourself and others until joy returns again.Table of ContentsForeward by Jon Kabat-ZinnIntroduction: An Invitation to Awaken1. The Wisdom of Our Difficulties2. The Earth is My Witness3. Shared Compassion4. Awakening the Buddha of Wisdom in Difficulties5. The Practice of Forgiveness6. The Temple of Healing7. The Zen of an Aching Heart8. Equanimity and Peace9. Your Highest Intention10. The Four Foundations of Mindfulness and the Healing JourneyAfterword: The Return of JoyExcerptIf you're reading these words, you've probably hit hard times. Perhaps you've lost a loved one, or maybe you've lost your job, or received a difficult diagnosis, or someone close to you has. Maybe you're divorcing or you're in bankruptcy or you've been injured, or your life is falling apart in any number of ways. Maybe daily life itself has become too much for you.or not enough. But even in the best of times there's plenty to worry about: seemingly endless wars and violence, racism, our accelerating environmental destruction. In difficult times, personally or collectively, we often begin to wonder not only how we can get through this difficult patch; we begin to question existence itself.

Diamond Mind: Psychology Of Meditation


Rob Nairn - 1999
    With clarity and humour he guides us to understand how we ourselves generate the clouds of anxiety, desire and anger that obscure our happiness. We learn to recognise these obscurations, how they came about and how to release and dissolve them. The innate wisdom and brilliance of the mind then naturally manifest. The title contains guidelines and practices for meditators.

One-Liners: A Mini-Manual for a Spiritual Life


Ram Dass - 2002
    Here is the nitty-gritty by the author of Be Here Now—more than 200 penetrating observations and pithy spiritual instructions on such topics as How It All Is, Love and Devotion, Suffering, Aging, Planes of Consciousness, Death and Dying, Service and Compassion, Psychedelics, Social Awareness, and Liberation.“This book is a kind of spiritual brandy, a distillation of the lectures I’ve given over the course of the past decade or so. These quotes are the little “aha!” moments, the cameos that have been served up out of our collective consciousness from time to time that seem to summarize something about our human journey. I think of this book as something you might have next to the coffeepot to pick up in the morning, or as something you might tuck into your backpack to pull out during your bus ride to work, in order to reframe the way you look at your day.” —Ram Dass

Jesus in India


Mirza Ghulam Ahmad - 1899
    Christian and Muslim scriptures provide evidence about this journey.

It's All About Muhammad: A Biography of the World's Most Notorious Prophet


F.W. Burleigh - 2014
    It's about the man who composed the Koran.Author F. W. Burleigh draws on an academic, investigative, and literary background to bring forth this penetrating look at the man behind it all. Burleigh’s interest in Islam was sparked by the events of 9/11. The questions guiding his studies were, “Why do Muslims do what they do? Why is there so much violence connected with this religion?” After a line-by-line scrutiny of 20,000 pages of the original literature of Islam, the author gives his blunt assessment in the title: It’s All About Muhammad.The book is in three parts. The first 12 chapters explore the epileptic fits that convinced Muhammad that he was in communion with God, explain the Koran and why he composed it the way he did, and show the humble origin of the Kabah, which only attained its cubic shape in the year A.D. 605 with Muhammad as a member of the construction crew. The book shows the magma chamber of hatred that formed in him due to traumatic early-life experience and tracks the emergence of his psychopathic nature. It exposes how he modified ideas he took from Judaism and Christianity to suit his grandiose idea of himself as the "last and final prophet," his intolerance of Meccan polytheistic beliefs, and finally his declaration of war against "all and sundry" who refused to accept him and his religion.In the second part, Muhammad's magma chamber of hatred erupts on the world. The book shows the creation of his al-qaeda--his base of operations in Yathrib (Medina) where he fled after the Meccans decided they had to kill him, his conflict with the Jewish tribes of Yathrib after they refused to accept him as their prophet; his genocide of the Jews including the beheading of the men of an entire tribe; the assassination of his critics; the battles and raids and orgies of rape, plunder, and slaughter; and finally his conquest of Mecca. Like a dramatic arc, these 18 chapters form Act II of a script that is still being played out today.In the final part, Muhammad's ruthless conquest of all of Arabia is presented. This section also gives an account of his numerous wives and the expansion of his wars beyond the confines of the Arabian peninsula. One of the final chapters explores his claim that he will be the first to be resurrected on the day of resurrection and that he will assist Allah in determining who goes to heaven and who stays in hell--part of the "breathtaking nonsense" of what Muhammad claimed about himself, as the author phrases it.What Muhammad created continues to wreak havoc on the world. It follows the script he wrote fourteen centuries ago. It is not sufficient any longer merely to raise the alarm about Islam--an ideology of submission to the will of a psychologically deformed and spiritually grotesque man. What needs to accompany the alarm is a solution, and this book offers a solution: It is a matter of an aggressive, relentless, and unapologetic exposure of the truth about Muhammad in every graphic form possible, from illustrated books to docudramas to full-length feature films. With its 25 illustrations, It's All About Muhammad offers itself as an example of the approach.The truth about Muhammad is a powerful weapon of self-defense that people must take up to oppose and ultimately push back what he created. It is a weapon within the reach of everyone.

Confucius, Lao Tzu and Chinese Philosophy (The World of Philosophy)


Crispin Sartwell - 1997
    Their wisdom has profoundly shaped Eastern cultures over the centuries.

The Bodhisattva Vow: A Practical Guide to Helping Others


Kelsang Gyatso - 1995
    In this practical guide to compassionate living, Geshe Kelsang explains in detail how to take and keep the Bodhisattva vows, how to purify downfalls, and how to practise the Bodhisattva’s deeds of giving, moral discipline, patience, effort, concentration and wisdom.  With this handbook as our companion, we can enter the Bodhisattva's way of life and progress along the path to full enlightenment.

50 Things To Do Before Seeing a Psychiatrist: And How To Actually Do Them


Joe Baldizzone - 2017
    Holistic health coach and recovery expert, Joe Baldizzone, knows first-hand what it's like to live with depression and how to recover from debilitating panic, as well as addiction. In this book you will find simple strategies to help you get started on your own path to recovery. Do you feel anxious most of the time? Are you overwhelmed with persistent worries? Is depression keeping you in the house? Have you reached for drugs and alcohol to cope? Are you considering going to see a psychiatrist, but scared of being put on medication? If you're looking to change your life and find happiness without doctors and medications, try the proven methods Joe has to offer. Learn about Joe's recovery and how to use the 50 tools that have helped him as well as countless other people.

The Four Noble Truths


Bhikkhu Sumedho - 1992
    The teaching is conveyed through the Buddha's Four Noble Truths, first expounded in 528 B.C. in the Deer Park at Saranath near Varanasi and kept alive in the Buddhist world ever since.Venerable Ajahn Sumedho is a bhikkhu (mendicant monk) of the Theravada tradition of Buddhism. He was ordained in Thailand in 1966 and trained there for ten years. He is currently the Abbot of the Amaravati Buddhist Centre as well as teacher and spiritual guide to many bhikkhus, Buddhist nuns and lay people.This booklet has been made available through the voluntary efforts of many people for the welfare of others.Note on the Text:The first exposition of the Four Noble Truths was a discourse (sutta) called Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta — literally, 'the discourse that sets the vehicle of the teaching in motion'. Extracts from this are quoted at the beginning of each chapter describing the Four Truths. The reference quoted is to the sections in the books of the scriptures where this discourse can be found. However, the theme of the Four Noble Truths recurs many times, for example in the quotation that appears at the beginning of the Introduction."From the Preface

The Star Spangled Buddhist: Zen, Tibetan, and Soka Gakkai Buddhism and the Quest for Enlightenment in America


Jeff Ourvan - 2013
    Approximately four million Americans claim to be Buddhist. Moreover, hundreds of thousands of Americans of various faiths read about Buddhism, are interested in its philosophical tenets, or fashionably view themselves as Buddhists. They’re part of what’s been described as the fastest-growing religious movement in America: a large group of people dissatisfied with traditional religious offerings and thirsty for an approach to spirituality grounded in logic and consistent with scientific knowledge. The Star Spangled Buddhist is a provocative look at these American Buddhists through their three largest movements in the United States: the Soka Gakkai International, Tibetan/Vajrayana Buddhism, and Zen Buddhism. The practice of each of these American schools, unlike most traditional Asian Buddhist sects, is grounded in the notion that all people are capable of attaining enlightenment in “this lifetime.” But the differences are also profound: the spectrum of philosophical expression among these American Buddhist schools is as varied as that observed between Reformed, Orthodox, and Hasidic Judaism. The Star Spangled Buddhist isn’t written from the perspective of a monk or academic but rather from the view of author Jeff Ourvan, a lifelong-practicing lay Buddhist. As Ourvan explores the American Buddhist movement through its most popular schools, he arrives at a clearer understanding for himself and the reader about what it means to be—and how one might choose to be—a Buddhist in America. 9 b/w photographs

The Tao of Abundance: Eight Ancient Principles for Living Abundantly in the 21st Century


Laurence G. Boldt - 1999
    Boldt has helped thousands of readers find personal satisfaction in their work and personal lives. Now he applies these principles to the subject of abundance: How do we achieve material wealth without sacrificing our souls?In The Tao of Abundance, Boldt applies ancient wisdom to modern times, presenting eight guiding principles from Taoist philosophy geared to help readers make practical life changes that will bring them a truer and deeper sense of abundance. Boldt encourages readers to strike a balance between material and spiritual wealth--not to favor one over the other--and argues that increased material wealth comes as a natural byproduct of psychological fulfillment. With exercises designed to help readers find their own balance between societal demands and their own deepest desires, this helpful, inspiring book offers the chance to experience a new feeling of abundance in all aspects of life.