Book picks similar to
Renowned Goddess of Desire: Women, Sex, and Speech in Tantra by Loriliai Biernacki
tantra
india
religion
spirituality
The Phenomenon of Man
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin - 1955
He fits into no familiar category for he was at once a biologist and a paleontologist of world renown, and also a Jesuit priest. He applied his whole life, his tremendous intellect and his great spiritual faith to building a philosophy that would reconcile Christian theology with the scientific theory of evolution, to relate the facts of religious experience to those of natural science.The Phenomenon of Man, the first of his writings to appear in America, Pierre Teilhard's most important book and contains the quintessence of his thought. When published in France it was the best-selling nonfiction book of the year.
Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Christian Community
Dietrich Bonhoeffer - 1939
Giving practical advice on how life together in Christ can be sustained in families and groups, Life Together is bread for all who are hungry for the real life of Christian fellowship.
Beyond Anger: How to Hold On to Your Heart and Your Humanity in the Midst of Injustice
Shambhala Publications - 2013
A chapter from the Karmapa points out the toxicity and uselessness of anger, from a basic, interpersonal level to the wider society at large. In “I Take Up the Way of Letting Go of Anger,” Zen teacher Diane Eshin Rizzetto helps us look at how we relate to an emotion like anger and, rather than suppress it, she marks a clear pathway we can follow to awaken in its presence and not let it incite us to negative thoughts and actions. Jack Kornfield talks about how to succeed in bringing mindfulness and loving-kindness into arenas like politics and war zones. And a short selection from the chapter on patience in the Mahayana classic The Way of the Bodhisattva highlights that the real enemy is anger itself, not something or someone external.
A Thousand Seeds of Joy: Teachings of Lakshmi and Saraswati (Ascended Goddesses Series Book 1)
Ananda Karunesh - 2018
Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Saraswati promise nothing short of a grand transformation of humanity with the birthing of a new joy-centered consciousness on Earth at this time. They take us on a grand spiritual journey by weaving new insights into ancient teachings, correcting what has been altered in scriptures by their "male" authors, and revealing new secrets about Buddhas, and Gods and Goddesses who have walked on Earth. Whether it is Eve's original sin or the closing of magnificent Goddess Temples or Sita's Fire Test or Mary Magdalene's depiction as a prostitute, "enlightened women" have been portrayed as sinners by numerous kings, emperors, writers, popes, and other religious heads for millennia. The messages of Goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswati correct many misconceptions and misrepresentations about the "patriarchal" stories from Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism. These profound messages by the two ascended Goddesses will delight you, surprise you, transform you, and even enlighten you. Goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswati also reveal new information and intimate secrets about their many incarnations on Earth with Rama, Krishna, Buddha, and other divine beings. They reveal how the transformation of many souls from their ancient tribe created two of the major world religions known as Hinduism and Buddhism. This book is not only about spirituality, but also about history, philosophy, religion, and psychology. Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Saraswati provide new insights on mind, body, soul, chakras, elements, contrast, time, destiny, karma, sensuality, tantra, higher self, heavenly realms, expanding levels of enlightenment, ascension, and of course the author’s favorite – a new way of experiencing the “divine feminine” within oneself. This is the first book in the Ascended Goddesses Series. Future books in this series will have conversations with Goddesses Parvati, Mother Mary, Kuan Yin and Tara, among others. JOIN OUR TEAM OF VOLUNTEERS The Path of Joy Organization is donating 5,000 copies of this book to uplift disempowered girls, women, and mothers, elderly living in old age homes, handicapped people, young adults with challenges, patients in hospitals, and numerous NGOs all over the world. Send an email to join our team of volunteers to distribute the 5000 copies. The author recently signed an MOU with RENEW (Respect, Educate, Nurture, and Empower Women - http://renew.org.bt/) to donate 600 copies of this book to their 600 active volunteers, who provide help to the disempowered girls and women in Bhutan. Another 100 copies of this book were sent to the volunteers and interns of Apne Aap Women Worldwide (http://apneaap.org/), an organization that saves girls and women from sex trafficking and other forms of exploitation. Even a Buddhist "nunnery" in Punakha founded by the Queen Mother of Bhutan took 120 copies for their 120 resident nuns. The many stories of enlightenment of Eve, Sita, Radha, Yasodhara, Yeshe Tsogyal and other women help in undoing the widely-held Buddhist belief that incarnating as a woman is inferior to incarnating as a man for spiritual attainment.
The Great Transformation: The Beginning of Our Religious Traditions
Karen Armstrong - 2006
Later generations further developed these initial insights, but we have never grown beyond them. Rabbinic Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, for example, were all secondary flowerings of the original Israelite vision. Now, in The Great Transformation, Karen Armstrong reveals how the sages of this pivotal "Axial Age" can speak clearly and helpfully to the violence and desperation that we experience in our own times. Armstrong traces the development of the Axial Age chronologically, examining the contributions of such figures as the Buddha, Socrates, Confucius, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, the mystics of the Upanishads, Mencius, and Euripides. All of the Axial Age faiths began in principled and visceral recoil from the unprecedented violence of their time. Despite some differences of emphasis, there was a remarkable consensus in their call for an abandonment of selfishness and a spirituality of compassion. With regard to dealing with fear, despair, hatred, rage, and violence, the Axial sages gave their people and give us, Armstrong says, two important pieces of advice: first there must be personal responsibility and self-criticism, and it must be followed by practical, effective action. In her introduction and concluding chapter, Armstrong urges us to consider how these spiritualities challenge the way we are religious today. In our various institutions, we sometimes seem to be attempting to create exactly the kind of religion that Axial sages and prophets had hoped to eliminate. We often equate faith with doctrinal conformity, but the traditions of the Axial Age were not about dogma. All insisted on the primacy of compassion even in the midst of suffering. In each Axial Age case, a disciplined revulsion from violence and hatred proved to be the major catalyst of spiritual change.
Five Lessons from the Carmelite Saints That Will Change Your Life
Connie Rossini - 2013
St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, and St. Therese of Lisieux will show you five vital steps you need to take to be holy. You can read Five Lessons from the Carmelite Saints That Will Change Your Life in one sitting, then reflect on its teachings for a lifetime. Now includes the Introduction from Connie Rossini's full-length book, Trusting God with St. Therese!
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Buddhism
Gary Gach - 2009
It also includes additional information on Buddhism's effect on popular arts and sciences, the continuing relevance of the Dalai Lama, and an annotated bibliography. Covers all four schools of Buddhism: Zen,Tibetan, Pure Land, and Insight Meditation.For thousands of years, Buddhism has been a source of inner peace and security for millions.
Sermon on the Mount According to Vedanta
Prabhavananda - 1963
Christ said, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." "The kingdom of God is within." "Be ye perfect...." Theologians are apt to explain away these teachings, but we believe Christ meant exactly what he said. Read in this book how Vedanta goes to the heart of Christ's teachings.
Zen Baggage: A Pilgrimage to China
Red Pine - 2005
Zen Baggage is an account of that journey. He weaves together historical background, interviews with Zen masters, and translations of the earliest known records of Zen, along with personal vignettes. Porter’s account captures the transformations taking place at religious centers in China but also the abiding legacy they have somehow managed to preserve. Porter brings wisdom and humor to every situation, whether visiting ancient caves containing the most complete collection of Buddhist texts ever uncovered, enduring a six-hour Buddhist ceremony, searching in vain for the ghost in his room, waking up the monk in charge of martial arts at Shaolin Temple, or meeting the abbess of China’s first Zen nunnery. Porter’s previously published Road to Heaven: Encounters with Chinese Hermits has become recommended reading at Zen centers and universities throughout America and even in China (in its Chinese translation), and Zen Baggage is sure to follow suit.
The Public Intellectual in India
Romila Thapar - 2015
Should we care? In this well-argued book, Romila Thapar and others tell us why we should. Thapar begins by defining the critical role that such individuals play in our societies today. Collectively, they are the objective, fearless, constructive voice that asks the awkward questions when government, industry, religious leaders and other bulwarks of society stray from their roles of ensuring the proper functioning of a country whose hallmarks are (or should be) social and economic equality, justice for all, and the liberty to say, think and profess the fundamental requirements of good citizenship. Through the lens of history, philosophy, science, and politics, she shows us the key role enlightened thinkers and activists have played in India, Europe and elsewhere. Today, as the liberal space in India is threatened by religious fundamentalism, big business, and, worryingly, a government that appears to be tacitly (and sometimes overtly) encouraging the attack on freedom of expression, secular values and rational readings of history, there could be no book as timely as this one. With contributions from writers and scholars in the fields of philosophy, science, history, journalism and social activism, The Public Intellectual in India shows us why it is important to have independent voices to protect the underprivileged, ensure human rights and social justice, and watch over the smooth functioning of our liberal, secular democracy.
The Complete Life of Krishna: Based on the Earliest Oral Traditions and the Sacred Scriptures
Vanamali - 1995
In The Complete Life of Krishna, Vanamali, a leading Krishna expert from a long line of prominent Krishna devotees, provides the first book in English or Sanskrit to cover the complete range of the avatar’s life. Drawing from the Bhagavad Purana, the Bhagavad Gita, the Mahabharata, and India’s sacred oral tradition, Vanamali shares stories from Krishna’s birth in a dungeon and early days as a merry trickster in Vrindavana, through his time as divine ruler at Dwaraka, to his final powerful acts as the hero Arjuna’s charioteer and guru in the Kurukshetra war. She explains how Krishna became a mahayogi, the greatest of all yogis, and attained complete mastery over himself and nature. By integrating the hero-child with the mahayogi, the playful lover with the divine ruler, Vanamali shows how the stories of Krishna’s life are expressed with such simplicity and humor that they enable anyone--man, woman, or child--to see the wisdom of his teachings. This complete biography of the man who was also a god provides a valuable meditative tool allowing Krishna’s lessons to illuminate from within.