T. Suzuki and Walker Percy, the Buddha and the Bible, Einstein and Gertrude Stein. It's a celebration of intuition: "If a man wishes to be sure of the road he treads on, he must close his eyes and walk in the dark"-St. John the Cross. Individuality: "Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek what they sought."-Basho. Uncomplicated nature: "Among twenty snowy mountains/The only moving thing/Was the eye of the blackbird."-Wallace Stevens. Childlike spontaneity: "Goodnight stars. Goodnight air."-Margaret Wise Brown. Irreverent paradox: "Wakuan complained when he saw a picture of bearded Bodhidharma: 'Why hasn't that fellow a beard?'" And above all, the simple pleasure of life lived in the moment. "Chop wood, carry water."

    Zen prayer includes intimacy with the ground of Being, making yourself whole through honest self-reflection, clarifying your deepest spiritual intentions, wishing for the welfare of the world, and affirming the essential goodness of people and life.Prayer can release you from your habitual self-centered tendencies and can open the gates to your miraculous and wondrous existence. Prayer invites you to the timeless and infinite border of the material and invisible world, the place where phenomena and emptiness dynamically interact in the dance of existence. Through sound and silence, prayer invokes goodness, healing, mystery, blessings, and can ignite the flame of your heart.

    Krishnamurti's spiritual teaching--even though the great teacher was famous for urging students to seek truth outside organized religion. This record of a historic encounter between Krishnamurti and a group of Buddhist scholars provides a unique opportunity to see what the great teacher had to say himself about Buddhist teachings. The conversations, which took place in London in the late 1970s, focused on human consciousness and its potential for transformation. Participants include Walpola Rahula, the renowned Sri Lankan Buddhist monk and scholar, author of the classic introductory text What the Buddha Taught.

    With anecdote and memorable quotation, this long-needed work restores Zen to its living, human form.The truth of Zen has always resided in individual experience rather than in theoretical writings. To give the modern reader access to understanding of this truth, THE ZEN EXPERIENCE illumines Zen as it was created and shaped by the personalities, perceptions, and actions of its masters over the centuries.Beginning with the twin roots of Zen in Indian Buddhism and Chinese Taoism, we follow it through its initial flowering in China under the First Patriarch Bodhidharma; its division into schools of “gradual” and “sudden” enlightenment under Shen-hsui and Shen-hui; the ushering in of its golden age by Hui-neng; the development of “shock” enlightenment by Ma-tsu; its poetic greatness in the person of Han-shan; the perfection of the use of the koan by Ta-hui; the migration of Zen to Japan and its extraordinary growth there under a succession of towering Japanese spiritual leaders.Rich in historical background, vivid in revealing anecdote and memorable quotation, this long-needed work succeeds admirably in taking Zen from the library shelves and restoring its living, human form.TAGS: Zen History, Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, Zen History, Bodhidharma, Lin-Chi, Rinzai, Soto, Eisai, Dogen, Hakuin

    A small booklet of edited talks given by Ajahn Sumedho on the central teaching of the Buddha: that the unhappiness of humanity can be overcome by spiritual means.

    Here, Chögyam Trungpa discusses bardo in a very different sense: as the peak experience of any given moment. Our experience of the present moment is always colored by one of six psychological states: the god realm (bliss), the jealous god realm (jealousy and lust for entertainment), the human realm (passion and desire), the animal realm (ignorance), the hungry ghost realm (poverty and possessiveness), and the hell realm (aggression and hatred). In relating these realms to the six traditional Buddhist bardo experiences, Trungpa provides an insightful look at the "madness" of our familiar psychological patterns and shows how they present an opportunity to transmute daily experience into freedom.

    A genuine spiritual movement becomes strangely entangled with elitist aesthetics, the culture of celebrity, multi-million-dollar investment portfolios, sex scandals, and an unsolved crime.Told Rashomon-fashion by a singular mix of hippies, millionaires, intellectuals, and lost souls whose lives are almost unbelievably intertwined, Shoes Outside the Door is the first book to examine the inner workings of the profoundly influential San Francisco Zen Center. In exploring the history of the most important institution in American Buddhism, author Michael Downing provocatively captures the profound ambivalence of people who earnestly seek both inner peace and worldly satisfaction.

    After a couple of drinks, he asked his friends, "Do you love me?" "Of course, we do," they replied. "So do you know what I need?" No one answered. "If you don't know what I need then how can you say you love me?" To love and to be loved is the most basic human need. No wonder we are attracted to people who give us attention, care about us, and love us. Yet, love also remains the greatest challenge in most relationships. Why? A Fistful of Love is a collection of insightful, thought-provoking nuggets of wisdom appreciated by millions around the world. This book is full of humour and narratives most beautifully woven into learnings of life that will make you stop and think. A must read. Om Swami is a mystic living in the Himalayan foothills. He has a bachelor's degree in business and an MBA from Sydney, Australia. Prior to renunciation, he founded and ran a multi-million dollar software company successfully. He is the author of the best-seller If Truth Be Told: A Monk's Memoir, and a soon-to-be-released book on Kundalini.

    Conceived as an overarching primer on the practice of Zen, chapters in this volume address every aspect of practice: beginning practice, shikantaza, chanting, sesshin, working with Mu, and the nature of koans. In the intervening years since the publication of the earlier edition, countless books have appeared on Zen. Few, if any, have approached the strengths of On Zen Practice as a reference or teaching tool, and the book retains a lively, immediate quality that will appeal to today's readers.

    Since its original publication, Chagdud Tulku has continued to teach widely and has met thousands of sincere, enthusiastic, and sometimes skeptical students. The frank questions inspired by these teachings form the basis of the material added to this revised edition.

    Regular price: $4.99.***+FREE GIFT INSIDE: link to download my 120 page e-book “Mindfulness Based Stress and Anxiety Management Tools” for free! Dear Friends, Contrary to popular belief, Zen is not a discipline reserved for monks practicing Kung Fu. Although there is some truth to this idea, Zen is a practice that is applicable, useful, and pragmatic for anyone to study regardless of what religion you follow (or don’t follow). Zen is the practice of studying your subconscious and seeing your true nature. The purpose of this work is to show you how to apply and utilize the teachings and essence of Zen in everyday life in the Western society. I’m not really an “absolute truth seeker” unworldly type of person - I just believe in practical plans and blueprints that actually help in living a better life. Of course I will tell you about the origin of Zen and the traditional ways of practicing it, but I will also show you my side of things, my personal point of view and translation of many Zen truths through a more “contemporary” and practical language. It is a “modern Zen lifestyle” type of book. I invite you to take this journey into the peaceful world of Zen Buddhism with me today! In This Book You Will Read About: • Where Did Zen Come From? - A short history and explanation of Zen • What Does Zen Teach? - The major teachings and precepts of Zen • Various Zen meditation techniques that are applicable and practical for everyone! • The benefits of a Zen lifestyle • What Zen Buddhism is NOT? • How to slow down and start enjoying your life • How to accept everything and lose nothing • Why being alone can be beneficial • Why pleasure is NOT happiness • Six Ways to Practically Let Go • How to de-clutter your life and live simply • "Mindfulness on Steroids" • How to Take Care of your Awareness and Focus • Where to start and how to practice Zen as a regular person • And many other interesting concepts... Scroll to the top of the page and click the orange buy button to instantly download this book to your PC, Kindle, Mac or smartphone!

    Kenzo lived and taught at a pivotal time in Japan's history, when martial arts were practiced primarily for self-cultivation, and his wise and penetrating instructions for practice (and life)--including aphorisms, poetry, instructional lists, and calligraphy--are infused with the spirit of Zen. Kenzo uses the metaphor of the bow and arrow to challenge the practitioner to look deeply into his or her own true nature.

     This book will provide you an introduction to the history of Buddhism and its teachings and practices. Along with Buddhist philosophies there are many practices to incorporate into your daily life such as meditation and mindfulness to help calm your mind, reduce stress and anxiety. ☆☆“When we meet real tragedy in life, we can react in two ways - either by losing hope and falling into self-destructive habits, or by using the challenge to find our inner strength. Thanks to the teachings of Buddha, I have been able to take this second way.” – The Dalai Lama☆☆ This is a guide to Buddhism for beginners but includes quotes and resources to guide you towards more advanced Buddhist teachings and writing if you wish to develop your own study of Buddhism further. Here Is A Preview Of What’s Included… An introduction to Buddhist Philosophies and Teachings The history of Buddhism and the Life of the Buddha Key Buddhism concepts such as Karma, suffering, Samsara and Nirvana The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism The Eightfold Path, The Five Precepts and The Middle Way Practicing Buddhism in every day life How to practice mindfulness to reduce stress and increase happiness Meditation practices apps, and resources Meditation to obtain calm and clarity over your thoughts Much, Much More! ☆☆ “Worrying doesn’t take away tomorrow’s trouble’s, it takes away today’s peace” – The Buddha ☆☆ KINDLE EDITION: NOTE: You do not need a kindle reader to read this, you can read this on smartphone or in a web browser ☆☆Download This Great Book Today! Available To Read On Your Computer, MAC, Smartphone, Kindle Reader, iPad, or Tablet!☆☆ ☆☆To purchase this book scroll to the top and select Buy now with 1 Click ☆☆ PAPERBACK EDITION: Kindle edition included for free with purchase of paperback To purchase the paper, click paperback at the top of this description to purchase.

    This uniquely contemporary guide to understanding the timeless message of Buddhism, and in particular its relevance in actual human relations, was inspired by Shantideva's 'Guide To The Bodhisattva's Way Of Life', which the author translated into English, the oral instructions of living Buddhist masters, Heidegger's classic 'Being and Time', and the writings of the Christian theologians Paul Tillich and John MacQuarrie.

    With rich and fascinating tales of swords, tigers, tea, flowers and dogs, the writings of the Masters challenge every perception - and seek to bring all readers closer to enlightenment. Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves - and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives - and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and helped make us who we are.