This new deluxe printing of these timeless teachings is a treasure to be read and referred to again and again by seekers treading the spiritual path. The classic Sutras (thought-threads), at least 4,000 years old, cover the yogic teachings on ethics, meditation, and physical postures, and provide directions for dealing with situations in daily life. The Sutras are presented here in the purest form, with the original Sanskrit and with translation, transliteration, and commentary by Sri Swami Satchidananda, one of the most respected and revered contemporary Yoga masters. In this classic context, Sri Swamiji offers practical advice based on his own experience for mastering the mind and achieving physical, mental and emotional harmony.

    As Martin writes, sages are the "primary keepers and transmitters of wisdom, culture, values, and spirituality." Martin's free-verse interpretation captures the ancient spirit of Lao Tzu's text, yet speaks directly to modern readers. The text is accompanied by a visual interpretation of the Tao in more than 50 original ink-brush drawings. Like the Parent's Tao and Couple's Tao before it, the Sage's Tao has the hallmarks of a classic. "You have ceased trying /To tie up all loose ends./You have discovered/That life does not need to be neat/You have more questions than answers,/And this is a great delight to you./You trust the mystery of life/Without having to possess it." - from the book

    The Feeling Buddha is a lucid account of how the Buddha's path of wisdom and loving kindness grew out of the challenges he encountered in life. Brazier explains the concepts of enlightenment, nirvana and the four Noble Truths, free from mystification. Buddha emerges as a very human figure whose success lay not in his perfection, but in how he positively utilized the energy which was generated through his suffering. This rare guide illustrates how Buddha's philosophy of the "middle way" can lead to a balanced, harmonious, and serene existence in the 21st century.

    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.

    An amazing resource for wisdom and serenity.

    Thus facilitating our desert like hearts to grow lotuses.”Evolve is based on various talks given by H.H. Radhanath Swami. This is neither an exact transcription nor an overly corrected version.

    A. Pierce, author of Spirituality at Work The concluding prayer of the Mass is a command: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. We are charged to go forth and quite literally transform our families, our communities, and our world through the redeeming sacrifice of Christ as celebrated in the Mass. Fr. Dominic Grassi and Joe Paprocki use this challenge as the starting point for their inspiring and illuminating look at the central act of Catholic worship. They ask, What would our faith look like if we truly understood the gift of the Eucharist?Living the Mass will stir a new passion for and a greater understanding of this sacred two-thousand-year-old celebration offered freely to all who come, to all who believe.  Also available in Spanish! Vivir la misa

    How do I prepare my mind for meditation?There is nothing special. I just keep it where it always is.They ask, 'Then are you an arahant?'Do I know?I am like a tree in a forest, full of leaves, blossoms and fruit.Birds come to eat and nest, and animals seek rest in its shade.Yet the tree does not know itself.It follows its own nature.It is as it is.""All the teachings" Ajahn Chah taught, "are merely similes and comparisons, means to help the mind see the truth. If we establish the Buddha within our mind, then we see everything, we contemplate everything, as no different from ourselves.Many of the similes that Ajahn Chah himself used to teach came out of his vast experience of living in the forest. His practice was simply to watch, all the while being totally open and aware of everything that was happening both inside and outside himself. He would say that his practice was nothing special. He was, in his own words, like a tree in a forest, "A tree is as it is," he's say. And Ajahn Chah was as he was. But out of such "nothing specialness" came a profound understanding of himself and the world.Ajahn Chah used to say, "The Dhamma is revealing itself in every moment, but only when the mind is quiet can we understand what it is saying, for the Dhamma teaches without words." Ajahn Chah had this uncanny ability to take that wordless Dhamma and convey its truth to his listeners in the form of a simile that was fresh, easy to follow, sometimes humorous, sometimes poetic, but always striking a place in the heart where it would jar or inspire the most: "We are like maggots; life is like a falling leaf; our mind is like rain water."The teachings of Ajahn Chah teem with similes and comparisons like these. We thought it would be a good idea to collect them all in the form of a book as a source of inspiration for those who may want some respite from the "heat" of the world and seek some rest in the cool and abundant shade of "a tree in the forest".

    Moon in a Dewdrop contains the key essays of the great master, as well as extensive background materials that will help Western readers to approach this significant work. There is also a selection of Dogen's poetry, most of which has not appeared in English translation before.Dogen's thought runs counter to conventional logic, employing paradoxical language and startling imagery. It illuminates such fundamental concerns as the nature of time, existence, life, death, the self, and what is beyond self.

    His many works include texts addressed to lay audiences, letters of advice to kings, and a set of penetrating metaphysical and epistemological treatises. His greatest philosophical work, the Mulamadhyamikakarika—read and studied by philosophers in all major Buddhist schools of Tibet, China, Japan, and Korea—is one of the most influential works in the history of Indian philosophy. Now, in The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way, Jay L. Garfield provides a clear and eminently readable translation of Nagarjuna's seminal work, offering those with little or no prior knowledge of Buddhist philosophy a view into the profound logic of the Mulamadhyamikakarika.Garfield presents a superb translation of the Tibetan text of Mulamadhyamikakarika in its entirety, and a commentary reflecting the Tibetan tradition through which Nagarjuna's philosophical influence has largely been transmitted. Illuminating the systematic character of Nagarjuna's reasoning, Garfield shows how Nagarjuna develops his doctrine that all phenomena are empty of inherent existence, that is, than nothing exists substantially or independently. Despite lacking any essence, he argues, phenomena nonetheless exist conventionally, and that indeed conventional existence and ultimate emptiness are in fact the same thing. This represents the radical understanding of the Buddhist doctrine of the two truths, or two levels of reality. He offers a verse-by-verse commentary that explains Nagarjuna's positions and arguments in the language of Western metaphysics and epistemology, and connects Nagarjuna's concerns to those of Western philosophers such as Sextus, Hume, and Wittgenstein.An accessible translation of the foundational text for all Mahayana Buddhism, The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way offers insight to all those interested in the nature of reality.

    In Zen Is Right Here, his teachings are brought to life powerfully and directly through stories told about him by his students. These living encounters with Zen are poignant, direct, humorous, paradoxical, and enlightening; and their setting in real-life contexts makes them wonderfully accessible.Like the Buddha himself, Suzuki Roshi gave profound teachings that were skilfully expressed for each moment, person, and situation he encountered. He emphasized that while the ungraspable essence of Buddhism is constant, the expression of that essence is always changing. Each of the stories presented here is an example of this versatile and timeless quality, showing that the potential for attaining enlightenment exists right here, right now, in this very moment.

    Readers have thrilled to his ecstatic songs of divine union for more than eight hundred years. Here is a collection of the best of Rumi’s poetry.

    The reason for its popularity is simple: It deals directly with the root causes of human suffering and proposes the means through which we can return to our natural state of wholeness and peace.This volume, beautifully illustrated with more than 125 photographs by award-winning photographer Jane English, brings together the most evocative and inspirational selections from the Course and contains the entire texts of three previously published books, Accept this Gift, A Gift of Healing, and A Gift of Peace. Exceptionally poetic and moving, these succinct, powerful passages readily stand by themselves as potent capsules of profound inner wisdom, and as tools for our hearts and minds in the wider world.

    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.

    Easwaran taught meditation for over forty years, and his instructions are practical and clear. He shows you how to choose a spiritual text, or passage, from the world's great traditions that embodies your highest ideals. With regular practice, meditation becomes your lifeline, taking you to the source of wisdom deep within and guiding you through all the challenges of daily life.This short ebook is an extract from Passage Meditation by Eknath Easwaran.