Book picks similar to
Dalai Lama : The Best Teachings of The Dalai Lama, Journey to a Happy, Fulfilling and Meaningful Life. by J. Thomas
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philosophy-spirituality
spirit-junkie
Off The Grid
Dan Kolbet - 2011
He's engaged to the CEO's daughter and is quickly becoming the go-to corporate spy on its behalf. But Luke would rather tear the company down from the inside. The company killed his parents and it must pay. Threatened by a secret that could destroy him and any chance of revenge, Luke sets off to find the true origins of this obscure technology, but discovers a vast deception that will change the world forever.
Gangsters, Guns and Me
Jamie Foreman - 2012
The happiness of his family and school life was snatched from Jamie when his father was sentenced to ten years in prison for his involvement in the killing of Jack "The Hat" McVitie. The subsequent years saw Jamie without the father he adored and the whole family was put under enormous strain. At 14, Jamie decided that his passion was for acting and, having been encouraged by Barbara Windsor, he discovered yet another new environment at the Italia Conti Stage School. Jamie thrived in the acting world and was soon enjoying success on both stage and screen. By the time of his dad's release from prison, Jamie had carved a "straight" career for himself--but after years apart, there was plenty of lost time to make up for. Soon, he was dividing his time between acting and assisting with Freddie's "business." Whether on the streets or on the stage, there was never a dull moment; Jamie was living life at 100 miles an hour and loving it. Before long, though, life took a surprising turn when a drug deal his father was heavily involved in went tragically wrong and he was forced to go on the run to America with his dad, which marked the start of a whole new adventure.
Blast
David Hodges - 2017
But her dreams are cruelly shattered by a bomb blast that leaves her badly scarred. Suddenly her career’s in ruins and her long-term boyfriend is gone. Plagued by the paparazzi, she flees to Cornwall where she meets and falls in love with her handsome neighbour, blind crime novelist, Alan Murray. As a new life starts to fall into place, her former boss threatens to tell Alan about her past indiscretions unless Lynn agrees to become one of his porn stars. She refuses and is miraculously saved from exposure when her boss ends up taking a dive off a cliff. Relief doesn’t last long though as a series of unsettling incidents, leads Lynn to suspect that her novelist lover may not be all he claims to be … David Hodges’ latest crime thriller, Blast, again delivers the gritty realism that only an experienced ex-copper can provide. Praise for David Hodges… 'Extremely well-written and passionately described crime-scenes' - Mid Somerset Series 'Hodges uses the experience of 30-plus years in the job as an anvil of solid fact to beat out pacey tales of "canteen culture" cops' - Cheddar About the author: David Hodges is a former superintendent with Thames Valley Police, and is a prolific writer and the author of eight other crime novels, plus an autobiography on his life in the police service. He lives with his wife, Elizabeth, on the edge of the Somerset Levels where he can fully indulge his passion for thriller writing. He is a member of the Crime Writers’ Association, The Crime Readers’ Association, The Society of Authors and International Thriller Writers Inc.
Leaving Buddha: A Tibetan Monk’s Encounter with the Living God
Tenzin Lahkpa - 2019
Unable to change his fate, he wholeheartedly embraces his life as a monk and begins a quest for full enlightenment through the teachings of Buddhism. From his local monastery to the famed Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet, he learns deep mysteries of Tibetan Buddhism. Yearning to study with the current Dalai Lama, he eventually escapes from China by means of an excruciating, two-thousand-mile, secret trek over the Himalayas—barefoot, with no extra gear, changes of clothing, or money. His dream is realized when he finally sits under the Dalai Lama himself. But his desire to go deeper only grows, leading him to unexpected conclusions…. Follow the fascinating, never-before-told, true story of what causes a highly dedicated Tibetan Buddhist monk to make the radical decision to walk away from the teachings of Buddha and leave his monastery to follow Jesus Christ. Discover the reasons other monks want him dead before he can share his story with others.Leaving Buddha dares to expose the mysterious world of Tibetan Buddhism, with its layered teachings, intricate practices—and troubling secrets. Ultimately, it tells a moving story about the search for truth, the path of enlightenment, and how no one is beyond the reach of a loving God. This gripping narrative will resonate with people from all backgrounds and nations.
Happiness
Ricard Matthieu - 2012
Matthieu Ricard presents a clear description of how to create lasting happiness and change the way we think of ourselves and our relationship with the wider world.
Droughts & Dreams: Stories of Self-Reliance During America’s Darkest Times
Glenn Beck - 2015
Years-long drought coupled with relentless dust storms wreaked havoc on the Great Plains region and forced the American people to dig deep within in order to persevere and survive.Droughts & Dreams contains intimate family stories from that generation. Many are first-hand accounts of people who not only survived, but who also did it well. Tucked inside these pages, you’ll find timeless survival lessons, tips and even favorite from-scratch recipes.The memoirs in this book are not dreary recollections of the disgruntled. Rather, they are honest tales of families rediscovering how to live simply, be self-reliant and appreciate what they had.Perhaps 80-year old Jack Bolkovak stated it best when he said, “The Depression was a tough time. But it was a great beginning to life. It taught us that life is not easy and to appreciate all that we have. We had food, clothing, shelter and a loving family. That was all we needed.” “Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.”-Edmund Burke
Buddha on the Bus
Nate Damm - 2014
When various complications arise during the journey, Nate finds himself focusing closely on the characters around him for a bit of entertainment, but ends up getting more than he bargained for. The focal point of the story is Nate's seat-mate, a young man named Bud, whose extremely odd behavior catches the attention of everyone on the bus.
The Dark Side of Lyndon Baines Johnson
Joachim Joesten - 1968
Joesten carefully documents the little-known facts behind Johnson's involvement in scandals stretching back to his first stolen election in 1948, thru the Bobby Baker, Billy Sol Estes and Walter Jenkins affairs, and culminates with the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Included are LBJ's connection to mobsters, big Texas oil, political graft and corruption, blackmailing of FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover, and a disturbing number of murders committed by his henchmen for LBJ's personal gain.FROM THE BOOK:The true nature of Lyndon B. Johnson has long been hidden from the public through the frenzied efforts of highly paid P.R. wizards and artificial image-builders. William Manchester came closer than most other people to seeing through the benign public relations mask of Lyndon Johnson, but one wouldn't know it from scanning the pages of 'The Death of a President'.If there are two persons in the world who have really come to know Johnson at close quarters, outside of his own family, they are Robert and Jacqueline Kennedy. Manchester interviewed both of them at length and they told him, without mincing their words, what they thought of That Man in the White House. But when Manchester, having faithfully recorded everything the Kennedys had told him, rushed into print with his story, years ahead of schedule, they both got panicky and practically forced him to 'revise' his story out of recognition.Edward J. Epstein, the author of Inquest, somehow managed to get hold of a copy of the original, unedited manuscript of the Manchester book, then entitled 'Death of a Lancer', and revealed in the July issue 1967 of Commentary, some of its contents.In his original draft, Manchester, it seems, made some very pungent remarks about Lyndon Johnson whom he described, among other things, as a 'chameleon who constantly changes loyalties'; 'a capon' and 'a crafty schemer who has a gaunt, hunted look about him'.He also pictured Johnson as 'a full-fledged hypomaniac' and 'the crafty seducer with six nimble hands who can persuade a woman to surrender her favors in the course of a long conversation confined to obscure words. No woman, even a lady, can discern his intentions until the critical moment'.By far the most interesting aspect of this matter, however, is Epstein's contention that Manchester's original theme, which gave unity to his book, was 'the notion that Johnson, the successor, was somehow responsible for the death-of his predecessor'.Several quotations from the original draft bear out this contention. At one point, the Lancer version states, 'The shattering fact of the assassination is that a Texas murder has made a Texan President'.At another, Kenneth O'Donnell, Kennedy's appointments secretary, is quoted as exclaiming 'They did it. I always knew they'd do it. You couldn't expect anything else from them. They finally made it'.Then Manchester comments: 'He didn't specify who "they" were. It was unnecessary. They were Texans, Johnsonians'.But what is one to think of an author who allows his most important work not only to be castrated, but to be turned completely upside down by a publisher more committed to the dictates of expediency than to the search for historical truth?
The Psychic Adventures of Derek Acorah: Star of TV’s Most Haunted
Derek Acorah - 2004
3 bestseller.Derek Acorah is one of the UK's best known psychics with several regular television shows on the Living TV channel: the hugely successful 'Most Haunted' and ‘Celebrity Most Haunted’, and ‘Psychic Live’.In this book he tells amazing tales of his countless psychic experiences, from public performances to personal readings.Includes exclusive details of Derek’s extraordinary communications with some of Britain's more notorious spirits; a phenomenon often witnessed by thousands of television viewers during his investigations into reputedly haunted historical sites for Living TV.
Adventures in Saying Yes: A Journey from Fear to Faith
Carl Medearis - 2015
This exciting, entertaining account of a Christian family's life in the Middle East offers an inspiring dare to live boldly wherever you are.
BUNKER 1945 - The Last Ten Days of ADOLF HITLER
Christian Shakespeare - 2019
Twenty-two years later, he did. April 1945 – Berlin. The world had been at war for more than five-and-a-half years – approximately seventy million people were dead across the globe. The epicentre of the twelve-year-old Third Reich was now surrounded, enveloped by bitter Soviet forces hardened by Nazi barbarity in the east over the last four years. As the buildings were blasted into rubble, pounded by Russian guns and bombs, before their troops and tanks, Hitler was hunkered down in his last headquarters – the dark and damp bunker under the Reich Chancellery. As the Third Reich began to crumble as fast as the city’s buildings, what was the state of mind of the tyrant? Only his closest and fanatical allies saw the collapse, none more so than Hitler’s servants, Otto Gunsche and Heinz Linge – two individuals which witnessed the final act of their regime. An act tinged over the last ten days in late April with selfish betrayal, increasingly forlorn hope, pleas, desperation and eventually suicide. As the Soviets closed in with impending vigour, in the concrete tomb below ground and under the thunderous booms of the petrifying battle for Berlin, the mind of the dictator disintegrated into drugs, delusion and a determination to die. Not by the enemy bullet but one of his own. This is the story of the people who held a unique place in world history – the ones who were there when the nightmare of Nazism and the horrors which accompanied it was finally banished as a dark chapter in the story of the human race.
Transfigured: Patricia Sandoval's Escape from Drugs, Homelessness, and the Back Doors of Planned Parenthood
Christine Watkins - 2018
Donald Calloway, MIC, say that the world, especially Catholics, need to read this story of redemption? Why would he claim that Transfigured is one of the most powerful conversion stories ever written? Because Patricia Sandoval’s life story is an unusually gripping, hard-to-put-down ride along a journey that leads to an extraordinary triumph of God’s mercy—the mercy that waits patiently for all of us. Patricia came from a broken home, good and bad boyfriends, three abortions, a job at Planned Parenthood (where she was told never to reveal what she saw), followed by methamphetamine addiction and homelessness. The way that Jesus came to her in the streets will leave you breathless, as will the heights to which God has since carried her. If you know of someone who believes they cannot be forgiven, or return to Church, this is the book to give them. (Watch the video of reader comments below.) Read Transfigured. Be Transfigured. Patricia now travels the world as a pro life speaker, sharing her story with millions in packed stadiums and on radio and television shows, such as EWTN’s Bookmark, Life on the Rock, Women of Grace, At Home with Jim and Joy; and in Spanish, on EWTN’s Cara a Cara, Nuestro Fe en Vivo, Ellas lo Dicen—and now on her own show with Fr. Víctor Salomón: De Dos en Dos. Transfigured, endorsed by Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, and Bishop Michael C. Barber, has been translated into Spanish (Transfigurada) and French (Transfigurée). Patricia Sandoval's story is available, as well, on a critically acclaimed, life-changing DVD, as seen on EWTN. See PatriciaSandoval dot com.
The Star Spangled Buddhist: Zen, Tibetan, and Soka Gakkai Buddhism and the Quest for Enlightenment in America
Jeff Ourvan - 2013
Approximately four million Americans claim to be Buddhist. Moreover, hundreds of thousands of Americans of various faiths read about Buddhism, are interested in its philosophical tenets, or fashionably view themselves as Buddhists. They’re part of what’s been described as the fastest-growing religious movement in America: a large group of people dissatisfied with traditional religious offerings and thirsty for an approach to spirituality grounded in logic and consistent with scientific knowledge. The Star Spangled Buddhist is a provocative look at these American Buddhists through their three largest movements in the United States: the Soka Gakkai International, Tibetan/Vajrayana Buddhism, and Zen Buddhism. The practice of each of these American schools, unlike most traditional Asian Buddhist sects, is grounded in the notion that all people are capable of attaining enlightenment in “this lifetime.” But the differences are also profound: the spectrum of philosophical expression among these American Buddhist schools is as varied as that observed between Reformed, Orthodox, and Hasidic Judaism. The Star Spangled Buddhist isn’t written from the perspective of a monk or academic but rather from the view of author Jeff Ourvan, a lifelong-practicing lay Buddhist. As Ourvan explores the American Buddhist movement through its most popular schools, he arrives at a clearer understanding for himself and the reader about what it means to be—and how one might choose to be—a Buddhist in America. 9 b/w photographs
Warrior Pose: How Yoga (Literally) Saved My Life
Brad Willis - 2013
But when mortal danger came, it was from an unexpected direction.At the pinnacle of his career, a broken back and failed surgery left Willis permanently disabled and condemned to life in a body brace. Then came a diagnosis of terminal, stage IV throat cancer from exposure to depleted uranium on the battlefield.At his 50th birthday party, friends gathered around Willis, who was crippled, mute, muddled on narcotic medications, depressed, and dying. It was only halfway through the celebration that Willis realized the party's true purpose—his friends were there to say a final goodbye.Everyone knew Willis was on his way out … everyone except his 2-year-old son, who one day tearfully urged, "Get up, Daddy!” Willis desperately wanted to "get up,” but with so much stacked against him, he felt helpless and lost.His son’s words ringing in his ears and tugging at his heart, Willis ultimately chose to abandon the Western medicine that had failed him and embrace the most ancient and esoteric practices of Yoga, becoming a warrior for self-healing and personal transformation. As a symbol of his journey, he took the spiritual name, Bhava Ram, which stands for �Living from the Heart.” His cancer gone and his body fully restored, Bhava Ram demonstrates not only the power of non-Western medicine to heal the body, mind and the soul, but the capacity within us all to take charge of our lives and overcome even the greatest of obstacles.Warrior Pose is an unforgettable story about the power of love between father and son, a memoir from the front lines of the most momentous events of our times, a transformational journey of self-healing, and an inspiration to all who seek inner peace and wholeness.
Begin the Begin: R.E.M.'s Early Years
Robert Dean Lurie - 2019
disbanded in 2011. It offers by far the most detailed account of their formative years―the early lives of the band members, their first encounters with one another, their legendary debut show, early tours in the back of a van, initial recordings, their shrewdly paced rise to fame. The people and places of ‘the South’ are crucial to the R.E.M. story in ways much more complex and interesting than have been presented thus far, says Lurie, who explores the myriad ways in which the band’s adopted hometown of Athens, Georgia, and the South in general, have shaped its members and the character and style of their art. The South is more than the background to this story; it plays a major role: the creative ferment that erupted in Athens and gripped many of its young inhabitants in the late 70s and early 80s drew on regional traditions of outsider art and general cultural out-thereness, and gave rise to a free-spirited music scene that produced the B-52’s and Pylon, and laid the ground for R.E.M.’s subsequent breakout success. Lurie has tracked down and interviewed numerous figures in the band’s history who were under-represented in or even absent from earlier biographies, and they contribute previously undocumented stories as well as casting a fresh light on the familiar narrative.