How to Practice: The Way to a Meaningful Life


Dalai Lama XIV - 2002
    According to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the ability to find true fulfillment lies within each of us. In this very special book, the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet, Nobel Prize winner, and bestselling author helps readers embark upon the path to enlightenment with a stunning illumination of the timeless wisdom and an easy-access reference for daily practice. Divided into a series of distinct steps that will lead spiritual seekers toward enlightenment, How to Practice is a constant companion in the quest to practice morality, meditation, and wisdom. This accessible book will guide you toward opening your heart, refraining from doing harm, and maintiaining mentaltranquility as the Dalai Lama shows you how to overcome everyday obstacles, from feelings of anger and mistrust to jealousy, insecurity, and counterproductive thinking. Imbued with His Holiness' vivacious spirit and sense of playfulness, How to Practice offers sage and practical insight into the human psyche and into the deepest aspirations that bind us all together.

Silence: The Power of Quiet in a World Full of Noise


Thich Nhat Hanh - 2015
    But our hearts and minds are so full of noise that we can’t always hear the call of life and love. To hear that call and respond to it, we need silence.In his beautiful new book, Buddhist monk and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Thich Nhat Hanh explains how mindfulness is the practice that stops the noise inside. With gentle anecdotes, simple Buddhist wisdom and practical exercises, he shows us how to live mindfully so that all the internal chatter ceases and we are left with the eloquent sound of silence. Now, at last, we can answer the call of the beauty around us. Through silence, Thich Nhat Hanh reveals, we are free to hear, to see - and just be.

Prayer Is Good Medicine: How to Reap the Healing Benefits of Prayer


Larry Dossey - 1996
    'With the elegance of simplicity and the precision of science, Dossey shows us how we can create a lasting partnership between faith and medicine.'DEEPACK CHOPRA, M.D.Experience the Healing Power of PrayerFrom the author of 'The New Y

Bill W.: A Biography of Alcoholics Anonymous Cofounder Bill Wilson


Francis Hartigan - 2000
    Bob Smith, founded Alcoholics Anonymous in 1935, his hope was that AA would become a safe haven for those who suffered from this disease. Thirty years after his death, AA continues to help millions of alcoholics recover from what had been commonly regarded as a hopeless addiction. Still, while Wilson was a visionary for millions, he was no saint. After cofounding Alcoholics Anonymous, he stayed sober for over thirty-five years, helping countless thousands rebuild their lives. But at the same time, Wilson suffered form debilitating bouts of clinical depression, was a womanizer, and experimented with LSD.Francis Hartigan, the former secretary and confidant to Wilson's wife, Lois, has exhaustively researched his subject, writing with a complete insider's knowledge. Drawing on extensive interviews with Lois Wilson and scores of early members of AA, he fully explores Wilson's organizational genius, his devotion to the cause, and almost martyr-like selflessness. That Wilson, like all of us, had to struggle with his own personal demons makes this biography all the more moving and inspirational. Hartigan reveals the story of Wilson's life to be as humorous, horrific, and powerful as any of the AA vignettes told daily around the world.

Gita Wisdom: Krishna’s Teachings on the Yoga of Love


Joshua M. Greene - 2009
    In Gita Wisdom, Joshua Greene retells this timeless text in a completely new way, revealing that it is, in essence, a heart-to-heart talk between two friends about the meaning of life. As Krishna and his friend Arjuna reminisce on a battlefield known as Kurukshetra, readers learn that the two played together as children, were close as young men, and became family when Arjuna married Krishna’s sister. In later life the men shared extraordinary adventures, including a journey to places outside the known universe. Like all great literature, the Gita explores the human condition: who we are, where we came from, and why we’re here. With a helpful glossary that lists names, terms, and places, this accessible, enlightening retelling is the perfect introduction to the Gita’s venerable wisdom.

Oneness: Great Principles Shared by All Religions


Jeffrey Moses - 1989
    They show common ethics that transcend the narrow confines of sectarianism."ATLANTA JOURNAL & CONSTITUTIONBeneath the seeming differences of all the world's great religions, lies a pool of universal truth. ONENESS collects these beliefs together for the first time, in the actual words of each religion's scriptures. These universal principles act as a guide to inner development, and allow each individual to achieve spiritual richness.From the Trade Paperback edition.

Gospel Truth


Russell Shorto - 1997
    With the skill of a seasoned journalist and the passion of an amateur sleuth, he moves from scholarly conclave in California to archaeologcal digs in Israel, tracking down the story of the astounding consensus emerging from a varied group of experts.

The Law of Divine Compensation: On Work, Money, and Miracles


Marianne Williamson - 2012
    In The Law of Divine Compensation, she reveals the spiritual principles that help us overcome financial stress and unleash the divine power of abundance. A guru to anyone interested in spirituality, Williamson's words ring with power and truth as she assures us that, with faith in God's promise of prosperity for all, we need never fear the future.

The Way of a Pilgrim and the Pilgrim Continues His Way


Anonymous - 1985
    Readers follow this anonymous pilgrim as he treks over the Steppes in search of the answer to the one compelling question: How does one pray constantly? Through his journeys, and under the tutelage of a spiritual father, he becomes gradually more open to the promptings of God, and sees joy and plenty wherever he goes. Ultimately, he discovers the different meanings and methods of prayer as he travels to his ultimate destination, Jerusalem.The Way of a Pilgrim is a humble story ripe for renewed appreciation today. The recent changes in Russia have revealed the great religious traditions of that land, and this work, freshly translated for modern times, is among the finest examples of those centuries-old traditions.

The Spiritual Exercises


Ignatius of Loyola
    Ignatius of Loyola is the core work of religious formation for members of the Society of Jesus, the single largest religious order within the Roman Catholic Church. For four and a half centuries  in many thousands of editions in all languages, The Exercises have embodied fundamental spiritual principles essential to authentic Christian living. The mystical insight informing Ignatius's own relationship with God--which he distilled in The Exercises--is that the divine love of God is providentially present in all the details of our existence. Here Ignatius shows how the faithful can be joined to God in all things, according to the Jesuit motto, Ad majorem Dei gloriam, "For the greater glory of God."

The Game of Life and How to Play It


Florence Scovel Shinn - 1978
    With a timeless message and the ability to explain success principles and how they work in an entertaining style, her writings are still considered the leaders in prosperity literature today.

Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life


Richard Rohr - 2004
    Richard Rohr seeks to help readers understand the tasks of the two halves of life and to show them that those who have fallen, failed, or gone down are the only ones who understand up. Most of us tend to think of the second half of life as largely about getting old, dealing with health issues, and letting go of life, but the whole thesis of this book is exactly the opposite. What looks like falling down can largely be experienced as falling upward. In fact, it is not a loss but somehow actually a gain, as we have all seen with elders who have come to their fullness.Explains why the second half of life can and should be full of spiritual richness Offers a new view of how spiritual growth happens?loss is gain Richard. Rohr is a regular contributing writer for Sojourners and Tikkun magazines This important book explores the counterintuitive message that we grow spiritually much more by doing wrong than by doing right.

Abiding in Mindfulness, Volume 2: On Feeling, the Mind & Dhamma


Joseph Goldstein - 2007
    For it is close attention to each of these qualities that unlocks our deepest patterns of conditioning—and removes our greatest obstacles to liberation.From the crucial distinction between "worldly" and "unworldly" feelings to practical methods for "de-conditioning" habitual responses, Goldstein elucidates the Buddha's instructions for achieving a deeper happiness and ease of being through moment-by-moment mindfulness of feelings.The Third and Fourth Foundations of Mindfulness: Mindfulness of Mind, Mindfulness of DhammasAs you continue your exploration of the Satipat­t­hana Sutta, Goldstein brings you to the third and fourth foundations of mindfulness: Mindfulness of Mind and Mindfulness of Dhammas (or "categories of phenomena"). Here, you will learn what it means to "take responsibility for your own heart and mind"—the central art of the third foundation—through the pragmatic discernment of skillful and wholesome mind states and their counterparts, and direct investigation of the higher states of mind, including "concentrated" and "liberated" mind, and more. Next, you progress through the beginning sections of the fourth foundation, with Goldstein's step-by-step guidance about working with the hindrances and the aggregates. Includes 35-page study guide.Note: Abiding in Mindfulness, Volume 3, will contain remaining talks about the fourth foundation.The author's proceeds from this program will benefit the Insight Meditation Society's Forest Refuge retreat center.Course objectives:Discuss the second foundation of mindfulness: mindfulness of the feelings, including worldly and unworldly feelings• Discuss the third foundation of mindfulness: mindfulness of the mind, including a discussion of self-judgment, as well as the contracted and distracted mind• Explore the refrain of the Sutta: including the mindfulness of reactivity, the mindfulness of arising and passing away, as well as the mindfulness of internal and external experience• Discuss the fourth foundation of mindfulness: mindfulness of the Dhammas, including mindfulness of the five hindrances (desire, aversion, sloth and torpor, restlessness, and doubt)• Explore the five aggregates, including material elements, feeling, perception and formations, formations and consciousness, as well as non-self

Simon Peter: Flawed but Faithful Disciple


Adam Hamilton - 2018
    That’s one way to describe Peter. Here’s another: poor, uneducated, quick-tempered, and full of doubts and fears. Doesn’t even sound like the same man. And that’s the point of Simon Peter, a new book and six-week adult Bible study by Adam Hamilton. Peter was just an ordinary guy who heard and followed God’s extraordinary call. Discover how you, too, have special gifts, talents, and abilities that God can use to make a difference today. In addition to the Leader Guide and DVD components for adult studies, corresponding youth and children’s resources, sold separately, can be used to create a churchwide study.Chapters Include: The Call of the Fisherman Walking with Jesus in the Storm Bedrock or Stumbling Block? “I Will Not Deny You” From Cowardice to Courage The Rest of the Story

Listening to the Light: How to Bring Quaker Simplicity and Integrity into Our Lives


Jim Pym - 1999
    This inspirational little book explores Quaker values and shows how - even if we are not members of the Society of Friends - we can bring Quaker practices and ideals into our everyday lives and relationships with others. Including a fascinating chapter on how to use the tools of Quakerism in a business context, there is also much helpful advice on how to slow down, still the mind and 'let the heart create for us'.