This revolutionary book brings together many teaching stories that were hidden for centuries, unknown until this volume. These stories are extraordinary expressions of freedom and fearlessness, relevant for men and women of any time or place. In these pages we meet nuns, laywomen practicing with their families, famous teachers honored by emperors, and old women selling tea on the side of the road.Each story is accompanied by a reflection by a contemporary woman teacher—personal responses that help bring the old stories alive for readers today—and concluded by a final meditation for the reader, a question from the editors meant to spark further rumination and inquiry. These are the voices of the women ancestors of every contemporary Buddhist.

    It depicts a typical middle-class Indian family mindset. Throughout his life, Vinay has been taught to dream big and work hard. After years of tireless effort, he becomes a doctor but things turn sour as he starts to perceive unusual psychiatric symptoms. He falls victim to major psychiatric disorders, OCD and Depression. With each passing day life increasingly becomes a burden on him. He looses his loved ones. He takes few futile attempts to balance work and life, but nothing works out. It is when he turns absolutely distraught that he decides to end his life. But one dream has changed it all. He discovers a new realm of life. He is a different man now. The story describes how one can find much-longed happiness, how one can break the cycle of desires and sorrows and how one can become Buddha in their own lives. The author gives a lucid description of novel concepts like “Self witnessing”, “Self-conditioning”, “Self-love” and “Buddhahood”. He describes ways to attain the supreme form of happiness. This book is unique in the sense that it touches the much-neglected topic of mental health. India is a country with the highest burden of people suffering from major psychiatric disorders. Additionally, it ranks number one in suicide rates all over the world. This book has been written by a medical professional- Dr. Sanjay Singh. It is second in line to books written by him after “Oh dear happiness! The lost story of contentment”. He has written a blog named “The story behind the Dark Disease - Depression" which has been read more than two lacs times. He hopes that this book will pave the way to a new way of life to those who are extremely depressed and suffering from various psychiatric illnesses.

    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

    This translation of HongzhiÆs poetry, the only such volume available in English, treats readers to his profound wisdom and beautiful literary gift. In addition to dozens of HongshiÆs religious poems, translator Daniel Leighton offers an extended introduction, placing the masterÆs work in its historical context , as well as lineage charts and other information about the Chinese influence on Japanese Soto Zen.

    What you say. What you think/ignore/buy/don't buy... Welcome to One City-Population: Everyone-where EVERYTHING you do matters. You've lived here your whole life, whether you know it or not.Ethan Nichtern, the charismatic and creative force behind New York's upstart Interdependence Project is your guide to the beauty that is everywhere in the urban jungle-in the rattling of subway trains, the screechings of traffic, the hum and drone of millions scurrying for work, food, sustenance, art, culture, and meaning. There may be no greater setting for exploring the great truth that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. expounded: "Whatever effects one directly, effects all indirectly."One City melds Dr. King's message with modern Buddhist wisdom to offer a new way of understanding what binds us all together-no matter where we are, no matter who. With its pop-culture savvy, humor, and literary liveliness, One City will speak to--and even, it's fair to say, help define--the spiritually-inclined, conscious Next Generation.

    The Tantric tradition is a unique collection of lesser-known texts, concepts, and meditation practices that are usually made available only to experienced and specially initiated practitioners. The "Vajra World" ( vajradhatu in Sanskrit) is a realm of indestructibility, the level of reality beyond all thought and imagination, all impermanence and change, which a fully realized person knows and inhabits. Used metaphorically, "Vajra World" refers to the traditional culture of Tibet and the unique spirituality that is its secret strength. Topics include:    •  The tantric view of human nature and the external world    •  The special role of the guru, or tantric mentor    •  The preliminary practices that prepare the student for full initiation    •  The major dimensions of Vajrayana practice, including visualizations, liturgies, and inner yogas    •  The tradition of the tulku, or incarnate lama    •  The lore surrounding the death of ordinary people and of saints    •  The practice of solitary retreat, the epitome of traditional Tibetan Buddhism Secret of the Vajra World is the companion volume to the author's earlier book, Indestructible Truth: The Living Spirituality of Tibetan Buddhism. While that book focuses on the history, cosmology, philosophy, and practice of the more public, exoteric side of Tibetan Buddhism, this work treats its more hidden and esoteric aspects as they take shape in Vajrayana. Together, the two volumes provide a broad introduction to the major traditions of Tibetan Buddhism.

    Using everyday language to explain difficult theological concepts, Teresa of Avila compares the contemplative life to a castle with seven chambers. Tracing the passage of the soul through each successive chamber, she draws a powerful picture of the path toward spiritual perfection. It is the most sublime and mature of Teresa's works, offering profound and inspiring reflections on such subjects as self-knowledge, humility, detachment, and suffering.One of the most celebrated works on mystical theology in existence, as timely today as when St. Teresa of Avila wrote it centuries ago, this is a treasury of unforgettable maxims on self-knowledge and fulfillment.

    It is an intriguing system of principles and practice designed to give each individual the experience of eternity in a split second, the knowledge of divinity in every living thing. To create a book about Zen, however, is risky. It is one thing to describe the factual history of this exotic strain of Buddhism. It’s quite another to successfully convey the crazy wisdom of the Zen masters, their zany sense of their uncanny ability to pass on the experience of enlightenment to their students. The authors of Zen For Beginners have clearly overcome these considerable risks. The books uses an engaging mix of clear, informative writing and delightful illustrations to document the story of Zen from its impact on Chinese and Japanese culture to its influence on American writers such as Japanese culture to its influence on American writers such as Ginsberg and Kerouac.

    A guide to reconciling Buddhist spirituality with the American way of life addresses the challenges of spiritual living in the modern world and offers guidance for bringing a sense of the sacred to everyday experience.

    The very idea that the teachings of meditation can be mastered will arouse controversy within Buddhist circles. Even so, Ingram insists that enlightenment is an attainable goal, once our fanciful notions of it are stripped away, and we have learned to use meditation as a method for examining reality rather than an opportunity to wallow in self-absorbed mind-noise .Ingram sets out concisely the difference between concentration-based and insight (Vipassana) meditation; he provides example practices; and most importantly he presents detailed maps of the states of mind we are likely to encounter, and the stages we must negotiate as we move through clearly-defined cycles of insight. It s easy to feel overawed, at first, by Ingram s assurance and ease in the higher levels of consciousness, but consistently he writes as a down-to-earth and compassionate guide to the practitioner willing to commit themselves this is a glittering gift of a book."

    If you enjoy small 'bite-size' stories, or are a fan of micro-fiction and flash fiction, you'll appreciate these sharply written, miniature creations from a "masterful wordsmith."

    A very practical guidebook for meditators for navigating their way through these states of bliss and concentration.One of the elements of the Eightfold Path the Buddha taught is Right Concentration: the one-pointedness of mind that, together with ethics, livelihood, meditation, and so forth, leads to the ultimate freedom from suffering. The Jhanas are the method the Buddha himself taught for achieving Right Concentration. They are a series of eight successive states, beginning with bliss and moving on toward radically nonconceptual states. The fact that they can usually be achieved only during prolonged meditation retreat tends to keep them shrouded in mystery. Leigh Brasington is here to unshroud them. He takes away the mystique and gives instructions for them in plain, accessible language, noting the various pitfalls to avoid along the way, and then providing a wealth of material on the theory of jhana practice--all geared toward the practitioner rather than the scholar.

    It doesn’t take much--just hearing of someone else’s accomplishments, being criticized, getting into an argument, making a mistake at work--to make us feel that we are not okay. Beginning to understand how our lives have become ensnared in this trance of unworthiness is our first step toward reconnecting with who we really are and what it means to live fully. --from Radical AcceptanceRadical Acceptance“Believing that something is wrong with us is a deep and tenacious suffering,” says Tara Brach at the start of this illuminating book. This suffering emerges in crippling self-judgments and conflicts in our relationships, in addictions and perfectionism, in loneliness and overwork--all the forces that keep our lives constricted and unfulfilled. Radical Acceptance offers a path to freedom, including the day-to-day practical guidance developed over Dr. Brach’s twenty years of work with therapy clients and Buddhist students.Writing with great warmth and clarity, Tara Brach brings her teachings alive through personal stories and case histories, fresh interpretations of Buddhist tales, and guided meditations. Step by step, she leads us to trust our innate goodness, showing how we can develop the balance of clear-sightedness and compassion that is the essence of Radical Acceptance. Radical Acceptance does not mean self-indulgence or passivity. Instead it empowers genuine change: healing fear and shame and helping to build loving, authentic relationships. When we stop being at war with ourselves, we are free to live fully every precious moment of our lives.From the Hardcover edition.

    As he takes his last breathe his life flashed before his eyes , from an early age he had been like a sponge soaking in all the knowledge around him, science, history, culture, literature, and even military strategy he absorbed it all. But as his life was coming to an end he scorned all his knowledge, what was the point of knowing everything when you weren’t even able to protect yourself or the ones you loved. As the boy closed his eyes for one final time,he laughed at how blinded he had been about the world and people and thought that if there was indeed a next life he would obtain power, power to protect himself and his loved one. And so this marked the end of his life, but for some, the end is only the beginning

    . . that can liberate our lives with meaning, connection, and clarity. What a beautiful book!” —Daniel J. Siegel, MD, author of Aware   What if you could open into a natural flow of wisdom, compassion, and joy in any moment? According to renowned meditation teacher Loch Kelly, this possibility is closer than you think. Whether you’re an experienced meditator or are new to mindfulness practice, The Way of Effortless Mindfulness offers a new and effective approach to awakening and healing.   Loch teaches “effortless mindfulness,” an advanced yet simple form of mindfulness that can liberate the deepest levels of suffering. Effortless mindfulness immediately introduces you to your awake, loving nature. By making a small initial effort of “unhooking” awareness from chattering thoughts, you can begin the journey home.   Here you will learn: How to shift out of thought and into your awake, loving nature The different approaches of effortless mindfulness and deliberate mindfulness Unique methods to liberate difficult mental and emotional states Mindful glimpses (micro-meditations) that can be done at any time with eyes open A contemporary version of ancient methods to navigate your consciousness Effective practices drawn from ancient wisdom, contemporary neuroscience, and psychotherapy How to make the "you-turn" from small self to no-self to true Self The Five Foundations of Effortless Mindfulness How to learn to return and train to remain in an awake, compassionate flow How to avoid the pitfalls to embodying awakening   This reader-friendly guide is filled with innovative practices designed to give you small glimpses of your awake, loving nature. The Way of Effortless Mindfulness shows that awakening is not only possible, but is also available in the midst of your daily life.