Without delving into either mythological or God-centric discourse, the book attempts to understand and explain various insights from the Gita through, in the author's words, derived theory and application. The Gita Way attempts to shed light on matters of self-realisation, and identifying and following the path to achieve the purpose of life. Within the framework of Vedic philosophy represented by Gita, this book explores:How to discover the swa-bhava, the inherent natural strength of our real-self?Is my profession aligned with my swa-bhava? What is my purpose of life?What is the real meaning of moksha, the liberation? How the realization of individual purpose leads us to attain supreme purpose we are born to achieve? Using the principles of Gita, this book presents innovative findings on theory of prarabdha, the luck or destiny, role of knowledge and karma, continuous improvement, yoga of universal harmony and yoga of devotion. To highlight few, in chapter combined discipline of knowledge and karma, authors introduce most important part of their research—Centring. Centring summarizes power of combined application of yoga of knowledge and karma along with simplified theory of spirit and supreme spirit. Chapter Vision of Universal Form and Yoga of Liberation simplifies the meaning of moksha, the state of liberation by linking it to the attainment of supreme purpose of life. Chapters on Yoga of Devotion and Continuous improvement focus on recipe of staying on the unique path of achieving individual goal. Unlike other books on Bhagavad Gita, the Gita Way is not a chapter wise discourse. Instead it presents deduced concepts in first place supported with relevant reference from the whole Gita. For example, in the first chapter of the Gita Way, you may get a reference of last chapter of Gita relevant to the topic of discussion.Contents:1. INTRODUCTION TO ‘THE GITA WAY’ 11Development of ‘The Gita Way’ 17 2. DEVELOPING A SENSE OF PURPOSE IN LIFE 25Goal 28Finding Unique Strength and Developing It 32Joy of the Self-Hobby vs Profession 35How to Set a Goal? 39Doubt in any form is the Biggest Enemyto Self-realisation 45The Story of Barbarika: Why was Barbarika Sacrificed? 47 3. YOGA OF KNOWLEDGE 51Knowledge of Self 54Elements of Self 56Consciousness of Self-Identity 57Intellect 60Primordial Matter 62Source of Perception and Action, One Mind and Five Senses 63Physical Body and Fitness 63False Goals such as Desire, Aversion and Pleasure 64Required Qualities in Self 64How Does One Achieve ‘Absolute Knowledge’? 67Lack of Knowledge is Ignorance which creates Fear 71 4. KARMA YOGA 74Prescribed Act and Prohibited Act 76Yoga and the Attributes of a Yogi 79How does One Achieve Equipoise? 80Desire-Entrap 84Hierarchy of Control 86Theory of Prarabdha or Destiny 88Butterfly Effect 90Hurdles in the Path of Karma-Yoga 93Vikarma 95Law of Growth 96Ultimate Dispassion: Nishkam Karma 97How to stay on the Path of Karma-Yoga? 99 5. COMBINED DISCIPLINE OF KNOWLEDGE AND KARMA 101Self-Realisation 102Wisdom 104Sacrifice 108Centring and Power of Real-Self 112Power of Real-self 113Centring 116Yoga of Self-Control 119 6. YOGA OF DEVOTION 121 The Cycle of Liberation 123How does devotion come to us? 127Devotion to Tame the Mind 129Relevance of Devotion to the Theory of Prarabdha 130Symptoms of Lack of Devotion 134 7. VISION OF THE UNIVERSAL FORM 136Universal Form of Goal 140Concept of Self 147Redirecting the Purpose of Desire 150 8. CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT ON THREE MODES OF NATURE 152Inner Purification by Knowing Sattva, Rajas and Tamas 159Sattva 159Rajas 161Tamas 164The Gita Way of Continuous Improvement 165Elimination of Waste 166 9. YOGA OF LIBERATION 170How is Sattva linked with the Supreme Goal? 173How does one attain sattva? 174Non-violence in thoughts and Action. 175Absence of Pride 175Internal and External Purity 176Steadfastness of Mind 176Control of Body, Mind and Senses 176Sincerity 177Forbearance 177Uprightness of Speech and Mind 177Devout Service to the Preceptor 177 Austerity of Mind 178Sattvika Intellect 178Sattvika Sacrifice 179Leadership by Creating Order Around 180 Yoga of Liberation 182

    Dr. Keith brings his experience with family, students, great mentors, and friends to bear on a subject that is crying out for attention. Equally, he brings his Christian faith, a scholarly eye for detail, and an ear for story along on the journey and works with the reader to navigate a path to a better country where the Father blesses His children and is honored.

    Actions include his words too. And life is all about these three facets of hands, heart and head. But there is also a fourth facet that of consciousness on the background of which actions, feelings and thoughts emanate from. There is a lot said and written about these three facets. There is a lot of training given to these three areas. But what about the fourth? In engineering everybody understands the three facets of input, process and output. People understand that improving the output is not possible until process and specially input is changed. But is there a fourth aspect besides input, process and output. And the fourth aspect is the context in which workers are creating the output by changing the output through a process. Visionary thinkers have now begun thinking and impacting the fourth aspect too. They are understanding that the context or the culture in which workers operate are more important.In human engineering, actions are equivalent to output, feelings are equivalent to the process and thoughts are the input. Behaviour and actions are brought forth because of the input of thought and the further power that feelings process. That is why to change behaviour, it is important to change your feelings (process) and more importantly your thoughts (input). Yes, thoughts are very important. Change in thoughts through positive thinking is essential. But the fourth dimension is even more important. Yes, the context in which actions, feelings and thoughts arise is that of consciousness silence experience of being alive. Very little has been understood about this fourth dimension. Some call it The Self. When that is accessed, then harnessing thoughts, feelings and actions is very simple and easy. When the context in an organization is changed, then inputs, processes and outputs can all take a quantum jump. What a leader in an organization has to do is to precisely do that ??? change the context. The three facets are all lying on the foundation of the fourth. As a leader leading your life, it is similarly important to understand and access the consciousness from where actions, feelings and thoughts arise from. That is why it is called the source. Imagine, not being clear about your own source. But that is what is happening most people don't know their own source. The secret of the third aspect of thoughts is not just enough. The source of the thoughts is what matters. Even in the name of spirituality, which is actually the study of the source, everything other than the fourth dimension is being focused on. The three dimensions spirituality focuses on are exercising, breathing and thinking: Yoga, Pranayama and Gyan. But the fourth dimension of silence, that of Moun is the missing link. In the name of spirituality yogic asanas or breathing exercises or concentration exercises in the name of meditation are given importance to. But until, the source is accessed, until consciousness is manifested, it is not complete. Man is always comfortable with the three dimensions of length, breath and depth. But the fourth dimension is what gives colour to his life. Spirituality talks about the three states of sleeping, awakening and dream states. But discovering the fourth state (turiya) is the missing link. Discovering this fourth state should be the highest priority in life.

    With his messages going beyond the centuries, Mawlana is a guide and a leader who, ages ago, told the unchanging rules of all times. Rumi is primarily an intellectual, scientist and lawyer speaking Persian, Turkish, Arabic, Greek and Hebrew languages, secondly the greatest poet of all times with his poems on love, justice and freedom accompanied by mystical passion and pain, and above all a universal wise man and a philosopher. He interprets people, humanity, life and permanent values in a holistic approach and brings forward recipes for the problems and dilemmas of all people.In this book, readers will find a pearl of inspiration from the source of eternal wisdom for each day of year.

    Gathered together by Wu-men (Mumon), a thirteenth-century master of the Lin-chi (Rinzai) school, it is composed of forty-eight koans, or cases, each accompanied by a brief comment and poem by Wu-men.Robert Aitken, one of the premier American Zen masters, has translated Wu-men's text, supplementing the original with his own commentary -- the first such commentary by a Western master -- making the profound truths of Zen Buddhism accessible to serious contemporary students and relevant to current social concerns.

    This book begins with a general talk on universal responsibility and compassion that is followed by four chapters detailing the Prasangika Madhyamaka view of emptiness, or ultimate reality, as taught in the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, and how to meditate on it, according to the author's personal experience.

    The timeless wisdom of India is expressed in the Vedas, ancient Sanskrit texts that touches upon all fields of human knowledge. Originally preserved through oral tradition, the Vedas were first put into writing by Srila Vyasadeva, the "literary incarnation of God." After compiling the Vedas, Srila Vyasadeva was inspired by his spiritual master to present their profound essence in the form of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Known as "the ripened fruit of the tree of Vedic literature," Srimad-Bhagavatam is the most complete and authoritative exposition of Vedic knowledge.After writing the Bhagavatam, Vyasa taught it to his son, Shukadeva Goswami, who later spoke the Bhagavatam to Maharaja Parikshit in an assembly of sages on the bank of the sacred Ganges River. Although Maharaja Parikshit was a great rajarshi (saintly king) and the emperor of the world, when he received notice of his death seven days in advance, he renounced his entire kingdom and retired to the bank of the Ganges to seek spiritual enlightenment. The questions of King Parikshit and Shukadeva Goswami's illuminating answers, concerning everything from the nature of the self to the origin of the universe, are the basis of Srimad-Bhagavatam.This edition of Bhagavatam is the only complete English translation with an elaborate and scholarly commentary, and it is the first edition widely available to the English-reading public. This work is the product of the scholarly and devotional effort of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the world's most distinguished teacher of Indian religious and philosophical thought. His Sanskrit scholarship and intimate familiarity with Vedic culture combine to reveal to the West a magnificent exposition of this important classic.

    Using humorous analogies and his profound understanding of the Western mind, Dzogchen Ponlop makes the mysterious Tibetan teachings on the bardos--the intervals between waking and sleep, between life and death, and beyond--completely available to the modern reader. Drawing on a breathtaking range of material, this young, popular teacher shows us how the bardos can be used to conquer death. Working with the bardos means taking hold of life and learning how to live with fearless abandon, and Mind Beyond Death demonstrates that the secret to a good journey through death and beyond lies in how we live. Walking skillfully through the bardos of dream, meditation, and daily life, we then travel deep into the mysterious death intervals and become familiar with their dazzling mindscape. This tour de force gives us the knowledge to transform the greatest obstacle of death into the most powerful opportunity for enlightenment.

    Taitetsu Unno--the foremost authority in the United States on Shin or Pure Land Buddhism--introduces us to the most popular form of Buddhism in Japan. Unique among the various practices of Buddhism, this "new" form of spiritual practice is certain to enrich the growing practice of Buddhism in the United States, which is already quite familiar with Zen and Tibetan traditions. River of Fire, River of Water is the first introduction to the practice of Pure Land Buddhism from a trade publisher and is written for readers with or without prior experience with it. The Pure Land tradition dates back to the sixth century c.e., when Buddhism was first introduced in Japan. Unlike Zen, its counterpart which flourished in remote monasteries, the Pure Land tradition was the form of Buddhism practiced by common people. Consequently, its practice is harmonious with the workings of daily life, making it easily adaptable for seekers today. Despite the difference in method, though, the goal of Pure Land is the same as other schools--the awakening of the true self. Certain to take its place alongside great works such as Three Pillars of Zen, The Miracle of Mindfulness, and Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind--River of Fire, River of Water is an important step forward for American Buddhism.

    Do that, and the whole world becomes your teacher, you wake up to the sacredness of every aspect of existence, and compassion for others arises without even thinking about it. It's indeed just that simple, says Zen teacher Ezra Bayda, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's easy—especially when being present brings us up against the painful parts of life. Bayda provides a wealth of practical advice for making difficult experiences a valued part of the path and for making mindulness a daily habit. He breaks practice down into three phases:    •  The Me Phase, in which we uncover our most basic and tightly-clung-to beliefs about ourselves, observe our emotions, and become intimate with our fears    •  Being Awareness, in which we cultivate a larger sense of what life is, transforming our limited experience into a more spacious sense of being    •  Being Kindness, in which we learn to connect with the love that is our true nature, and learn to live from that place of kindness and compassion

    All the texts were written in 1900.

    Along the way, however, we tend to encounter the same perplexing questions again and again. Some are cosmic enigmas that have always tested the human mind: What is my purpose in life? What happens after I die? Others are puzzles presented by daily life in modern society: What, if anything, justifies assisted suicide? What is my personal responsibility to the homeless? According to Lama Surya Das, one of the foremost Western Buddhist scholars and teachers, the more we seek to resolve these mysteries, the more fully we live.Along with his own personal beliefs, the author presents a variety of thoughtful points of view representing different schools of Buddhism, other religions, spirituality in general, and pragmatism. The Big Questions challenges readers in the most stimulating and thoughtful way to formulate individual, authentic responses to life’s big questions.

    When all else fails, Buddhism becomes their last resort: providing them with physical shelter and spiritual refuge. It heals their childhood traumas and gives them a moral framework for living and a better outlook on life. Each individual story, heartrending as it may be, subtly shows what Phra Peter sees and hopes to show to others: the 'human face' of Thai Buddhism.

    "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.

    Abstract and complex ideas are made understandable by the authors' lucid style. Of particular interest is the up-to-date survey of Buddhist Tantra in India, a branch of Buddhism where strictly controlled sexual activity can play a part in the religious path. Williams' discussion of this controversial practice as well as of many other subjects makes Buddhist Thought crucial reading for all interested in Buddhism.