The secret behind its steady rise is due in part to the plethora of benefits Buddhism reaps upon those who practice it and apply its teachings to their lives. Through mindfulness and meditation, Buddhism injects peace and clarity into the minds and lives of those who dedicate themselves to it. Those wonderful benefits can be a part of your life as well through the careful study of its various tenets. In Buddhism, this thoughtful and carefully detailed guidebook acts as a beginner’s guide to those who may be interested in learning more about this ancient and wise practice. Placing emphasis on meditation, yoga, and understanding the core concepts of Buddhism allows the reader to apply its teachings to make their lives fuller and healthier. If you are curious about Buddhism and want to find the answers you seek, then look no further than this qualitative guidebook. Full of information on the various aspects of Buddhism, meditation, yoga, and more, Buddhism stands apart as a concise and practical guide to infusing your life with its many teachings. Here’s what to expect in the Beginner's guide: What Buddhism is and what its teachings are The core concepts of Buddhism: karma, suffering, nirvana, and reincarnation The practice and benefits of yoga The four noble truths Practices, treasures, and poisons of Buddhism How to practice the five precepts of Buddhism How to practice mindfulness in order to reduce stress and anxiety And much, much more! The choice is now yours. Open yourself to the benefits of a life free of stress and anxiety through the understanding and practice of Buddhism. A clear and peaceful mind awaits you along your spiritual journey through its tenets and teachings. Begin your journey towards a better life and grab your copy of Buddhism: Beginner’s Guide today!

    The respected Trappist monk Thomas Merton spent several years reading and reflecting upon four different translations of the Chinese classic that bears Chuang Tzu's name. The result is this collection of poetic renderings of the great sage's work that conveys its spirit in a way no other translation has and that was Merton's personal favorite among his more than fifty books. Both prose and verse are included here, as well as a short section from Merton discussing the most salient themes of Chuang Tzu's teachings.

    Awakening is not a rare event limited to those who leave for the monastery or cave. We can awaken in the midst of our daily lives by discovering what Loch Kelly calls "open-hearted awareness." For the past two decades, this innovative psychotherapist and meditation teacher has been helping people from every background learn how to access a spacious, natural way of living in tune with a deeper truth. Shift into Freedom presents Loch Kelly's original synthesis of ancient wisdom, modern psychological insights, current neuroscience research, and unique awareness practices for the body, mind, and heart. Written for both first-time and lifelong meditators, here is a training guide filled with simple and effective experiential tools for "unhooking" awareness from our chattering minds and dropping into our awake heart space, expanding our sense of intimacy and interconnection, and embodying inner peace, clarity, and love.

    Instead he gives readers ideas, principles, and techniques to bring awareness, composure, and kindness whatever they are doing. Filled with over sixty practical exercises, the author's mobile mindfulness approach gives the benefits of meditation to even the busiest of lives.Ideas from Modern Mindfulness: - Learn to fade out instead just falling asleep- Learn to watch TV mindfully (yes, it's possible!)- Make mobility part of mindfulness (we're always on the move!)- Use technology for good instead of evil (no need to do a digital detox).- Learn to "whack-a-thought" and stay centered.

    His spiritual daybook is a summons to reclaim aliveness, liberate the self, take each day one at a time, and to savor the beauty offered by life's unfolding. Reading his poetic prose is like being given second sight, exposing the reader to life's multiple dimensions, each one drawn with awe and affection. The Book of Awakening is the result of his journey of the soul and will inspire others to embark on their own. Nepo speaks of spirit and friendship, urging readers to stay vital and in love with this life, no matter the hardships. Encompassing many traditions and voices, Nepo's words offer insight on pain, wonder, and love. Each entry is accompanied by an exercise that will surprise and delight the reader in its mind-waking ability.

    Throughout the book, Harris argues that there are important truths to be found in the experiences of such contemplatives—and, therefore, that there is more to understanding reality than science and secular culture generally allow.Waking Up is part seeker’s memoir and part exploration of the scientific underpinnings of spirituality. No other book marries contemplative wisdom and modern science in this way, and no author other than Sam Harris—a scientist, philosopher, and famous skeptic—could write it.

    The mind is designed to often delude us, he argued, about ourselves and about the world. And it is designed to make happiness hard to sustain. But if we know our minds are rigged for anxiety, depression, anger, and greed, what do we do? Wright locates the answer in Buddhism, which figured out thousands of years ago what scientists are only discovering now. Buddhism holds that human suffering is a result of not seeing the world clearly—and proposes that seeing the world more clearly, through meditation, will make us better, happier people. In Why Buddhism is True, Wright leads readers on a journey through psychology, philosophy, and a great many silent retreats to show how and why meditation can serve as the foundation for a spiritual life in a secular age. At once excitingly ambitious and wittily accessible, this is the first book to combine evolutionary psychology with cutting-edge neuroscience to defend the radical claims at the heart of Buddhist philosophy. With bracing honesty and fierce wisdom, it will persuade you not just that Buddhism is true—which is to say, a way out of our delusion—but that it can ultimately save us from ourselves, as individuals and as a species.

    In Zen Master Raven, Robert Aitken, one of America's best-known and most-respected Zen masters, presents an introduction to Zen Buddhist teaching through over 100 lessons told through the stories and voices of animals.

     Rambam's Ladder, written by Julie Salamon, the bestselling author and New York Times culture writer, is a book that will inspire every reader to get a toehold on the ladder and start climbing. In eight chapters, one for each rung, the book helps us navigate the world of giving. How much to give? How do we know if our gifts are being used wisely? Is it bettter to give anonymously? Along the way, Rambam's Ladder will help all of us make our lives, and the lives of those around us, better.

    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

    As he travels among Islamists and the emerging Hindu Muslim class in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, Mishra explores the myths and places of the Buddha's life, the West's "discovery" of Buddhism, and the impact of Buddhist ideas on such modern politicians as Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. Mishra ultimately reaches an enlightenment of his own by discovering the living meaning of the Buddha's teaching, in this "unusually discerning, beautifully written, and deeply affecting reflection on Buddhism" (Booklist).

    It’s about opening up to the vulnerable space inside every one of us and letting our barriers down. And it’s about daring to be present to ourselves and others with genuine love and kindness. Empowering personal awakening and social change, it might be the most radical and transformative thing we can do. The cultivation of compassion has long been at the core of Naropa University’s mission, since its origins in 1974—and its students and faculty have been leaders in contemplative education with heart. In celebration of Naropa’s fortieth anniversary, Shambhala Publications is pleased to offer these teachings on the path of compassion from a collection of authors who have helped shape the school’s unique and innovative identity, including: Chogyam Trungpa on opening ourselves more and more to love the whole of humanity Dzogchen Ponlop on how to cultivate altruism with the help of a spiritual mentor Judith L. Lief on the common obstacles to compassion and how to overcome them Gaylon Ferguson on awakening human-heartedness in oneself and society amidst everyday life Diane Musho Hamilton on connecting to natural empathy and taking a compassionate approach to conflict resolution Reginald A. Ray on spiritual practices for developing the enlightened mind and heart in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition Ringu Tulku on the practices of bodhisattvas, those who devote themselves to the path of enlightenment for the sake of all beings Pema Chodron on building up loving-kindness for oneself and others with help from traditional Buddhist slogans Ken Wilber on what it really means to be a support person, with reflections from his own life Karen Kissel Wegela on avoiding caregiver’s burnout and staying centered amidst our efforts to help those in need and reflections on Naropa University and the meaning of radical compassion from longstanding faculty member Judith Simmer-Brown

    This recent collection of conversations between him and the many seekers who came to his ashram for guidance contains the essence of his teaching. His concern throughout his long life of imparting his experience to others was to convince his listeners that self-realisation – or enlightenment – is not an alien or mysterious state, but the natural condition of man. This state can be easily discovered by undertaking the self-investigation clearly described in these talks. The lucid instructions to each section provide further illumination of this greater seer’s message.

    Commentary on the Seven Point Mind Training, brought to Tibet by the Indian master Atisha.

    But the new path he had chosen was not always as easy or as straightforward as he hoped it would be.In this truly extraordinary memoir, Phra Peter Pannapadipo describes his ten-year metamorphosis into a practicing Buddhist monk, while being initiated into the intricacies of an unfamiliar Southeast Asian culture.Phra Peter tells his story with compassion, humour and unflinching honesty. It's the story of a 'Phra Farang' - a foreign monk - living and practicing his faith in an exotic and intriguing land.