Hand Wash Cold: Care Instructions for an Ordinary Life


Karen Maezen Miller - 2010
    But in this playful yet profound reflection on awareness, the compelling voice of a contemporary woman reveals the happiness at the bottom of the laundry basket, the love in the kitchen sink, and the peace possible in one’s own backyard. Follow Karen Maezen Miller through youthful ambition and self-absorption, beyond a broken marriage, and into the steady calm of a so-called ordinary life. In her hands, household chores and caregiving tasks become opportunities for self-examination, lessons in relationship, and liberating moments of selflessness. With attention, it’s the little things — even the unexpected, unpleasant, and unwanted things — that count.

What Makes You Not a Buddhist


Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse - 2006
    The director of two feature films with Buddhist themes (the international sensation The Cup and Travelers and Magicians), this provocative teacher, artist, and poet is widely known and admired by Western Buddhists.Moving away from conventional presentations of Buddhist teachings, Khyentse challenges readers to make sure they know what they're talking about before they claim to be Buddhist. With wit and irony, Khyentse urges readers to move beyond the superficial trappings of Buddhism beyond a romance with beads, incense, and exotic people in robes straight to the heart of what the Buddha taught.In essence, this book explains what a Buddhist really is, namely, someone who deeply understands the truth of impermanence and how our emotions can trap us in cycles of suffering. Khyentse presents the fundamental tenets of Buddhism in simple language, using examples we can all relate to.

The Universe Doesn't Give a Flying Fuck About You


Johnny B. Truant - 2012
    If you have a "next big thing" in mind you want to do because you know it will be awesome (starting the business, making the big move, launching the nonprofit, writing the book) but are afraid of doing what it would take to make that thing happen, then you should read this.The universe is very big. You are very small. In fact, you're so small and so insignificant in the big picture that you don't even register to the eye of the cosmos. The universe was here before you were born and will be here long after you're gone, and your life is but a blip on its vast, vast radar. If your life is to matter, it's not going to matter to the universe. It's up to you make your life matter in the only way you can: by doing things that make a difference to you, to those around you, and to those whose lives you touch. Time is short. You have exactly NOW to do whatever it is you're here to do, or to let the inexorable passage of hours and days and years kill your potential like fruit left to die on a vine. The universe doesn’t hate you, but it doesn’t love you, either. You’re just an atom in its infinite workings. The universe doesn’t care if you live, die, suffer, or thrive. Whatever your life here will mean is up to you. Stop worrying so much about what others think and start being who you're supposed to be. It's time to do some epic shit.

Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill


Matthieu Ricard - 2003
    Wealth? Fitness? Career success? How can we possibly place these above true and lasting well-being? Drawing from works of fiction and poetry, Western philosophy, Buddhist beliefs, scientific research, and personal experience, Ricard weaves an inspirational and forward-looking account of how we can begin to rethink our realities in a fast-moving modern world. With its revelatory lessons and exercises, Happiness is an eloquent and stimulating guide to a happier life.

Prayer Changes Things: Taking Your Life to the Next Prayer Level


Beni Johnson - 2012
    You, too, can learn to trust Him with that same response in your everyday life.a"Prayer Changes Things" includes excerpts from the following books and authors: a "Let Your Yes be Yes" by Don Nori "a Spirit-Empowered Prayer Storm" by James Golla a" Mystics, Mystical Experiences, and Contemplative Prayer" by Beni Johnson a "Healing and Interventional Answers" by Elmer L. Towns a "Prayer That Takes Hold of the Impossible!" by Morris Cerullo a "The Power Source" by Suzette T. Caldwell a "Praying in Another Dimension" by Sue Curran a T"he Life-Changing Benefits of Fasting" by Mahesh Chavda a "Prayer Can Be Powerful (or Otherwise)" by C. Peter WagnerYou can pray with great power and authorityOCostarting today!a

Butterflies Are Free To Fly


Stephen Davis - 2010
    When Isaac Newton figured out the law of gravity from a falling apple, everything changed. When Benjamin Franklin harvested electricity from lightening and Thomas Edison made the first commercial light bulb, everything changed. Today, when quantum physicists realize our physical universe isn’t real, that it’s just a hologram, everything … wait! Nothing’s changed - yet. "Butterflies Are Free To Fly" offers a new and radical approach to spiritual evolution based on the recent scientific experiments in quantum physics and brain research outlined in Part One. Given that the physical universe which looks and feels so real to us is actually a unique holographic projection from our own brain, the author examines various models for life and living that are very different than what we have been told and taught. “This is the only radical thinking that you need to do,” Dr. Amit Goswami is quoted as saying. “But it is so radical, it is so difficult, because our tendency is that the world is already ‘out there,’ independent of my experience. It is not. Quantum Physics has been so clear about it.” For example, in Part Two we are introduced to something the author calls an “Infinite I,” which is creating our unique holographic experiences. Then there is the “Human Game Model,” offering explanations all the way from why we experience pain and suffering to how we can change our reactions and responses by letting go of our judgments, beliefs, opinions, and fears. The end result, suggests the author, is peeling away all the layers of false identities that make up the “ego,” transforming and emerging from our cocoon as a “no-self.” Part Three of the book is a series of questions and answers to offer alternative explanations consistent with these models on subjects such as money, past lives, karma, trust, and the “Earth Environment.” This book will leave you thinking, because this book is truly radical.

Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living


Shauna Niequist - 2016
    I was tired of being tired, burned out on busy. And, it seemed almost everyone I talked with was in the same boat: longing for connection, meaning, depth, but settling for busy.I am a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, neighbor, writer, and I know all too well that settling feeling. But over the course of the last few years, I’ve learned a way to live, marked by grace, love, rest, and play. And it’s changing everything.Present Over Perfect is an invitation to this journey that changed my life. I’ll walk this path with you, a path away from frantic pushing and proving, and toward your essential self, the one you were created to be before you began proving and earning for your worth.Written in Shauna’s warm and vulnerable style, this collection of essays focuses on the most important transformation in her life, and maybe yours too: leaving behind busyness and frantic living and rediscovering the person you were made to be. Present Over Perfect is a hand reaching out, pulling you free from the constant pressure to perform faster, push harder, and produce more, all while maintaining an exhausting image of perfection.Shauna offers an honest account of what led her to begin this journey, and a compelling vision for an entirely new way to live: soaked in grace, rest, silence, simplicity, prayer, and connection with the people that matter most to us.In these pages, you’ll be invited to consider the landscape of your own life, and what it might look like to leave behind the pressure to be perfect and begin the life-changing practice of simply being present, in the middle of the mess and the ordinariness of life.

Tiny Buddha's Guide to Loving Yourself: 40 Ways to Transform Your Inner Critic and Your Life


Lori Deschene - 2013
    But it feels so hard. We are simultaneously the harsh judge and the lost, scared child who wants to stop feeling judged. It becomes a vicious cycle. It only stops when we step outside ourselves and observe how we get ourselves stuck.Tiny Buddha's Guide to Loving Yourself from TinyBuddha.com creator Lori Deschene, shares 40 unique perspectives and insights on topics related to loving yourself, including: realizing you're not broken, accepting your flaws, releasing the need for approval, forgiving yourself, letting go of comparisons, and learning to be authentic. Featuring stories selected from hundreds of TinyBuddha.com contributors, the book provides an honest look at what it means to overcome critical, self-judging thoughts to create a peaceful, empowered life.This book combines all of the elements that made Deschene's first book, Tiny Buddha, compelling--authentic stories (four in each chapter); insightful observations about our shared struggles and how to overcome them; and action-oriented suggestions, based on the wisdom in the stories.

Power in Prayer: Classic Devotions to Inspire and Deepen Your Prayer Life


Andrew Murray - 2011
    The meditations include selections from "Believing Prayer," "The Ministry of Intercessory Prayer," "Waiting on God," "Living a Prayerful Life," and more. Readers will find a wide range of topics, such as the importance of morning devotions, intercession, Jesus's prayer life, boldness in prayer, and prayerlessness. Each of the more than 150 readings includes a related brief Scripture passage. The language has been updated for today's readers.

Everyday Gratitude: Inspiration for Living Life as a Gift


A Network for Grateful Living - 2018
    Inspiration from well-known minds such as Maya Angelou, Confucius, and Anne Frank is combined with original reflections and practices that will help you recognize the abundance of everyday opportunities for gratitude and joy. Hand-lettered art makes this beautifully designed collection a gift to treasure, regardless of whether you keep it for yourself or give it to a loved one.

You Can Heal Your Life


Louise L. Hay - 1984
    Louise’s key message in this powerful work is: “If we are willing to do the mental work, almost anything can be healed.” Louise explains how limiting beliefs and ideas are often the cause of illness, and how you can change your thinking…and improve the quality of your life.

The Dhammapada


Anonymous
    The original version of the Dhammapada is in the Khuddaka Nikaya, a division of the Pali Canon of Theravada Buddhism.The Buddhist scholar and commentator Buddhaghosa explains that each saying recorded in the collection was made on a different occasion in response to a unique situation that had arisen in the life of the Buddha and his monastic community. His commentary, the Dhammapada Atthakatha, presents the details of these events and is a rich source of legend for the life and times of the Buddha.

The Game of Life and How to Play It


Florence Scovel Shinn - 1978
    With a timeless message and the ability to explain success principles and how they work in an entertaining style, her writings are still considered the leaders in prosperity literature today.

Search Inside Yourself: The Unexpected Path to Achieving Success, Happiness (And World Peace)


Chade-Meng Tan - 2012
    With Search Inside Yourself, Chade-Meng Tan, one of Google’s earliest engineers and personal growth pioneer, offers a proven method for enhancing mindfulness and emotional intelligence in life and work.Meng’s job is to teach Google’s best and brightest how to apply mindfulness techniques in the office and beyond; now, readers everywhere can get insider access to one of the most sought after classes in the country, a course in health, happiness and creativity that is improving the livelihood and productivity of those responsible for one of the most successful businesses in the world.With forewords by Daniel Goleman, author of the international bestseller Emotional Intelligence, and Jon Kabat-Zinn, renowned mindfulness expert and author of Coming To Our Senses, Meng’s Search Inside Yourself is an invaluable guide to achieving your own best potential.

Meditation Now: A Beginner's Guide: 10-Minute Meditations to Restore Calm and Joy Anytime, Anywhere


Elizabeth Reninger - 2014
    Meditation Now: A Beginner’s Guide provides friendly advice, step-by-step guidance, and a range of ten-minute meditations that fit easily into tight schedules. Filled with time-honored practices and insightful discussions, Meditation Now: A Beginner’s Guide makes it easy to learn meditation, with: • Step-by-step instructions for 18 meditation techniques that can be practiced anytime, anywhere • 14 “Take Ten” meditations to promote mindfulness in everyday situations like traffic jams and work presentations • Essential advice and guidelines for overcoming common obstacles like boredom and relating skillfully to thoughts and emotions • 3 focused 28-day meditation plans for those months when you need extra emotional support, happiness, or relaxation • Inspirational quotations and practical tips that motivate you to deepen your practice With Meditation Now: A Beginner’s Guide, peace, clarity, and wisdom can be yours with just ten minutes of restful breathing a day.