We are aware of thoughts, feelings, sensations, and perceptions. All people share the experience of being aware, but relatively few people are aware that they are aware. Most people’s lives consist of a flow of thoughts, images, ideas, feelings, sensations, sights, sounds, and so on. Very few people ask, “What is it that knows this flow of thoughts, feelings, and perceptions? With what am I aware of my experience?”The knowing of our being—or rather, awareness’s knowing of its own being in us—is our primary experience, our most fundamental and intimate experience. It is in this experience that all the peace, happiness, and love we have ever longed for reside. The happiness we have sought for so long outside of ourselves, in situations, objects, and relationships, turns out to be always present, always available, in the simple knowing of our own being as it is.The knowing of our own being shines in each one of us as the experience “I am” or “I am aware,” or simply as the thought “I.” Because this simplest, most obvious, most familiar, and intimate experience is to the mind not a thing, or nothing, it is overlooked or forgotten by the vast majority of humanity. The overlooking of our own being is the root cause of all unhappiness and, therefore, the root cause of our search for happiness. What is the nature of this experience of being aware? The contemplations in this collection will lead readers toward their own experiential understanding of that which we all call “I.”Being Aware of Being Aware is the first and introductory volume in the Essence of Meditation series of collected meditations on the fundamentals of non-duality. Each volume will include six essays, compiled from contemplations led by Rupert Spira at retreats.

    He is what Martin Luther King called, an apostle of peace and non-violence. He is the pioneer who brought Buddhism to the West. His key teachings are through mindfulness and how to live happily in the present. This eBook will introduce you to the Zen master who has inspired many to live in the present without regretting the past or worrying about the future. He is the epitome of peace. This eBook will guide and inspire through the life changing lessons from Thich Nhat Hanh

    Yoga is from the Sanskrit root meaning “union,” and a sutra is a thread or aphoristic verse. The basic questions “Who am I?” “Where am I going?” “What is the purpose of life?” are asked by each new generation, and Patanjali’s answers form one of the oldest and most vibrant spiritual texts in the world. He explains what yoga is, how it works, and exactly how to purify the mind and let it settle into absolute stillness. This stillness is our own Self. It is the indispensable ground for Enlightenment, which is the ultimate goal of all our aspirations.Alistair Shearer’s lucid introduction and superb translation, fully preserving Patanjali’s jewel-like style, bring these ancient but vital teachings to those who seek the path of self-knowledge today.Bell Tower’s series, Sacred Teachings, offers essential spiritual classics from all traditions. May each book become a trusted companion on the way of truth, encouraging readers to study the wisdom of the ages and put it into practice each day.

    And it inspired two close friends to get together in Dharamsala for a talk about something very important to them. The friends were His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The subject was joy. Both winners of the Nobel Prize, both great spiritual masters and moral leaders of our time, they are also known for being among the most infectiously happy people on the planet.From the beginning the book was envisioned as a three-layer birthday cake: their own stories and teachings about joy, the most recent findings in the science of deep happiness, and the daily practices that anchor their own emotional and spiritual lives. Both the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Tutu have been tested by great personal and national adversity, and here they share their personal stories of struggle and renewal. Now that they are both in their eighties, they especially want to spread the core message that to have joy yourself, you must bring joy to others.Most of all, during that landmark week in Dharamsala, they demonstrated by their own exuberance, compassion, and humor how joy can be transformed from a fleeting emotion into an enduring way of life.

    The author says: “Through reading and practicing the instructions given in this book, people can solve their daily problems and maintain a happy mind all the time.” So that these benefits can pervade the whole world, Geshe Kelsang wishes to give this eBook freely to everyone.We would like to request you to please respect this precious Dharma book, which functions to free living beings from suffering permanently. If you continually read and practice the advice in this book, eventually your problems caused by anger, attachment and ignorance will cease.Volume 2 Tantra explains how to practise Buddha’s profound Tantric teachings – the quick path to enlightenment. Covering topics such as The Preciousness of Tantra, The Tantra of Generation Stage and Completion Stage, and How to Meditate on the Central Channel, Indestructible Drop and Indestructible Wind and Mind, this volume shows how, through sincere practice, we can fulfil our compassionate wish and attain full enlightenment in this life.Please enjoy this special gift from Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, who dedicates: “May everyone who reads this book experience deep peace of mind, and accomplish the real meaning of human life.”With best wishes,Manuel Rivero-De MartineTharpa Publications, UK Tharpa DirectorAbout the AuthorGeshe Kelsang Gyatso was ordained as a Buddhist monk in Tibet at the age of eight. He is a fully accomplished meditation master and internationally renowned teacher of Buddhism. Living in the West since 1977, he is the author of 21 highly acclaimed books that reveal the entire Buddhist path to enlightenment, including Buddha’s Sutra and Tantra teachings. He has also founded over 1,100 Kadampa Meditation Centers and groups around the world.Library Journal ReviewGeshe Kelsang Gyatso “is a prolific and respected author,” according to Library Journal, and in Modern Buddhism, “he again presents the thought of the Buddha in an especially accessible manner.” Library Journal calls Gyatso’s 21st book “elegantly stated” and “a delight.”

    Sitting quietly can teach many ways to accept life, meet pain, age gracefully, and die without regret. The book encourages sitting quietly every day.Topics include: Sit Quietly; Care For Your Body; Accept Your Feelings; Give Thoughts Room; Pain is Natural; Be Who You Are; Live Each Moment Well; Love Indiscriminately; Listen to Others; Be Surprised; Wonder; Live gratefully; Do No Harm; Benefit life; A Wish for The World. The book is for people of any faith, religion, race, nationality, gender, relationship status, capacity, or meditation background.

    Sometimes it's just not quite as serene as we'd like.    Based on the viral video that had everyone from yogis to workaholics raving, F*ck That is the completely truthful and oddly tranquil guide to achieving your inner peace.

    Krishnamurti, in his own words. The Mystique of Enlightenment is a scathing critique of contemporary spirituality. In a world in which spiritual techniques, teachers, concepts, and organizations are legion, U. G. stands nearly alone in his rejection of it all: "I am only interested in describing this state, in clearing away the occultation and mystification in which those people in the 'holy business' have shrouded the whole thing. Maybe I can convince you not to waste a lot of time and energy looking for a state that does not exist except in your imagination... The natural state is acausal: it just happens." The author does not equate the natural state with enlightenment, which he describes as an illusion created by our culture. He states emphatically that one can do nothing to attain the natural state. In fact, any movement towards it separates one from it. U. G. Krishnamurti is an original voice in which much of contemporary spirituality is understood in a new way. For those interested in the full spectrum of modern spiritual thought, this is a "must read." In the well-known history of J. Krishnamurti, few names have been so strongly associated with his message as U. G. Krishnamurti, who shared a close but contentious relationship with him over many years. U.G. was raised to take on the mantle of guru, much like J. Krishnamurti. When the two men eventually met, each had rejected the guru role, and for years they conversed regularly, struggling to uncover the nature of truth, before a falling out led each in a different direction. It is fairly common in reading modern spiritual books to find references to U. G. Krishnamurti's influence on both teachers and their students. His books have been translated into nearly every European language, as well as Chinese and Japanese. Widely regarded in India and Europe, The Mystique of Enlightenment is considered by U.G.'s closest associates to be the best summary of his ideas. The book consists of transcripts of informal talks with those who come to ask him questions. In one of these talks, he relates his life story, including the events leading up to and comprising what he calls his "calamity," or his entry into the natural state. Since his own experience of coming into the natural state at age 49, he has spent his time traveling throughout the world, staying with friends or in rented apartments for a few months at a time. He gives no public talks, but meets with people who come to see him. What he offers is not hope or encouragement, but stark reality: "Of one thing I am certain. I cannot help you solve your basic dilemma or save you from self-deception, and if I can't help you, no one can." His message is simple: he has no message. Nevertheless, his words can inspire you to face your own assumptions and motivations and discover for yourself what is true.

    Each step in the meditation practice (Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture) is brought to life by memorable stories shared by Tara and her students as they deal with feelings of overwhelm, loss, and self-aversion, with painful relationships, and past trauma--and as they discover step-by-step the sources of love, forgiveness, compassion, and deep wisdom alive within all of us.

    Studies show that you can get more done - and do it better - by doing less, just by consciously unplugging for a few minutes each day and meditating.This revolutionary book by the founder and CEO of the groundbreaking LA-based meditation studio Unplug Meditation brilliantly simplifies this powerful practice and shows the overwhelmed and overworked how easy it is to unplug in order to relieve stress, regain focus, and recharge.Schwartz debunks the common misperceptions about meditation, including the notion that you need to sit still for long periods of time, or that you need to "turn off your brain." She also shares the life-changing benefits you will experience, the proven science of how meditation literally changes your brain, as well as easy techniques and tips to easily incorporate meditation into your daily life.

    From isolation to love. From chaos to peace. From lack to abundance. The Four Sacred Secrets combines proven scientific approaches with ancient spiritual practices to take you on a journey that will open your mind to an extraordinary destiny. Drawing on the power of our untapped consciousness, brilliant insights will help you find solutions to long-held challenges. The easy-to-follow meditations included in this book will transform your experience of reality and open you to the power of creating a beautiful life for yourself. Including ancient fables and modern stories that will speak intimately to your heart, this life-transforming book fuses the transcendental and the scientific, the mystical and the practical, to guide you to consciously create wealth, heal your heart, awaken yourself to love, and help you to make peace with your true self. The Four Sacred Secrets will cast its spell on you from the first page and guide you to life in a beautiful state.

    Because with spiritual awakening, you find that the strongly held beliefs and perceptions you've taken to be 'you' and 'your world' vanish into the unmanifest nature of all that is. The End of Your World presents a landmark six-CD course on the reality of enlightenment and the total re-wiring of your being that accompanies it what Adyashanti calls our journey into the infinite, our true nature as pure consciousness itself.

    How do we train ourselves to indulge only in "right thought"? Orison Swett Marden-the preeminent self-help expert of the early 20th century and a forerunner of Dale Carnegie and Norman Vincent Peale, Stephen R. Covey and Anthony Robbins-had the answer almost a century ago, and his words still ring true today. In this companion volume to his Peace, Power, and Plenty (also available from Cosimo) and first published in 1910, Marden discusses why success and happiness are your destiny, how to expect great things of yourself, how to encourage yourself through self-suggestion, why wallowing in "the blues" is a "crime," how fear paralyzes us, and avoiding the kind of thinking that mentally poisons us. If you're looking for success-however you define it-you owe yourself the advice of this classic book. American writer and editor ORISON SWETT MARDEN (1850-1924) was born in New England and studied at Boston University and Andover Theological Seminary. In 1897, he founded Success Magazine.

    (The somewhat confusing title is from a line in Zorba the Greek in which the title character refers to the ups and downs of family life as "the full catastrophe.") But this book is also a terrific introduction for anyone who has considered meditating but was afraid it would be too difficult or would include religious practices they found foreign. Kabat-Zinn focuses on "mindfulness," a concept that involves living in the moment, paying attention, and simply "being" rather than "doing." While you can practice anything "mindfully," from taking a walk to cleaning your house, Kabat-Zinn presents several meditation techniques that focus the attention most clearly, whether it's on a simple phrase, your breathing, or various parts of your body. The book goes into detail about how hospital patients have either improved their health or simply come to feel better despite their illness by using these techniques, but these meditations can help anyone deal with stress and gain a calmer outlook on life. "When we use the word healing to describe the experiences of people in the stress clinic, what we mean above all is that they are undergoing a profound transformation of view," Kabat-Zinn writes. "Out of this shift in perspective comes an ability to act with greater balance and inner security in the world." --Ben Kallenreissue 2005

    alone will try LSD for the the first time, joining the 23 million who have already experimented with this substance. Called "America's wisest and most respected authority on psychedelics and their use," James Fadiman has been involved with psychedelic research since the 1960s. In this guide to the immediate and long-term effects of psychedelic use for spiritual (high dose), therapeutic (moderate dose), and problem-solving (low dose) purposes, Fadiman outlines best practices for safe, sacred entheogenic voyages learned through his more than 40 years of experience--from the benefits of having a sensitive guide during a session (and how to be one) to the importance of the setting and pre-session intention.Fadiman reviews the newest as well as the neglected research into the psychotherapeutic value of visionary drug use for increased personal awareness and a host of serious medical conditions, including his recent study of the reasons for and results of psychedelic use among hundreds of students and professionals. He reveals new uses for LSD and other psychedelics, including extremely low doses for improved cognitive functioning and emotional balance. Cautioning that psychedelics are not for everyone, he dispels the myths and misperceptions about psychedelics circulating in textbooks and clinics as well as on the internet. Exploring the life-changing experiences of Ram Dass, Timothy Leary, Aldous Huxley, and Huston Smith as well as Francis Crick and Steve Jobs, Fadiman shows how psychedelics, used wisely, can lead not only to healing but also to scientific breakthroughs and spiritual epiphanies.