Showing titles in Buddhism

The Bodhisattva - one who is becoming awake or enlightened - is one of the great inspiring figures in Buddhism. The title can refer to a mythical being with qualities to which we aspire, such as Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of compassion; or an ordinary person on the quest for enlightenment for the benefit of all living beings. It is a profound ideal for life.

In 13 chapters Paul Mullin mixes up a potent cocktail of working, drinking, family and Zen. It all starts - where else? - at the Starting Gate: a shit-kicker country bar in Northern Maryland where the author first started working at the age of 13, and where his boss once shot a man dead for trying to rob the local drug store. Other jobs follow, like when he works as the only white kid on an all-black labor crew at the National Archives, or the years he spends as a high-rise window cleaner in Manhattan.

Written in India in the early eighth century CE, Santideva's The Bodhicaryavatara takes as its subject the profound desire to become a Buddha and save all beings from suffering. The person who enacts such a desire is a Bodhisattva. Santideva not only sets out what the Bodhisattva must do and become; he also invokes the intense feelings of aspiration which underlie such a commitment, using language which has inspired Buddhists in their religious lives from his time to the present.

For most, the goddess Tara the Goddess of compassion and protection. Few people know that she has several other natures as well; 21 in all. She, like most deities in the eastern religions, whether it be Hinduism or certain forms of Buddhism , have several different natures.

Our state of emotional health can be affected by the simplest things in our lives. This can then lead to a downward spiral of negatives thoughts about ourselves and our relationships with others. Depression and anxiety are an extremely common problem, all too easily diagnosed by a "medical professional" and then treated with very powerful and addictive medications.

T. Lobsang Rampa was preordained to be a Tibetan priest, a sign from the stars that could not be ignored. When he left his wealthy home to enter the monastery, his heart was filled with trepidation, with only a slight knowledge of the rigorous spiritual training and physical ordeal that awaited him. This is his story, a hauntingly beautiful and deeply inspiring journey of awakening within Chakpori Lamasery, the temple of Tibetan medicine.

In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few. So begins this most beloved of all American Zen works. Seldom has such a small handful of words provided a teaching as rich as this famous opening line of Shunryu Suzuki's classic. In a single stroke, the simple sentence cuts through the pervasive tendency students have of getting so close to Zen as to completely miss what it's all about. An instant teaching in the first minutes. And that's just the beginning.

The Heart Sutra, originally a very short set of verses, was given in privacy as a message to one of Buddha's close disciples, Sariputra, specifically addressed to him. Over time the Heart Sutra became one of Buddhism's core teachings. In these 10 talks, Osho presents the powerful message of these ancient words and brings them to a modern audience - one with different minds and needs than the original audiences of Buddha more than 2,500 years ago.

Nirvana has become an idealized word associated with the juxtaposition of a cult rock celebrity who died before his time and a vague new age version of Eastern religion. An altered state to be hoped for but likely unattainable, reinforcing that all too familiar uneasiness associated with never being able to have what we truly desire in life.

Osho sees Zen not as a historical spiritual tradition but as the future spirituality of a humanity that has matured to the point that people no longer need religions controlled by priesthoods and based on fearful superstitions that cripple people's innate intelligence and divide them from one another. This series of talks offers a deeper understanding of the underlying differences between Eastern and Western approaches to religion and the nature of consciousness.

This series of talks is on one of the most esoteric treatises in the world. It will show you the way to become more than the body and the way to bloom - how not to remain a seed but to become a golden flower. What, in India, they call the one thousand-petalled lotus, in China they call the golden flower. It is a symbol that represents perfection, totality. Moreover, the flower represents the actualization of the potential - the beauty, the grandeur, the splendor of being.

This book is aimed at people wanting to learning about Buddhism. In this book, I'll discuss the basic principles and tenets of Buddhism, Buddhist teachings and Buddhist rituals, along with how you can incorporate Buddhism into your daily life.

This book is not meant to convince people to become Buddhists. That is a decision people have to make on their own. You won't be able to convert to Buddhism overnight by listening to this book, but you will learn the basics of the religion's history and what becoming a Buddhist would entail if you were to become one. Aside from learning about Buddhism, you may learn about how to deal with your own suffering or the suffering of those around you.

Mudita, Wheel Publicaton No. 170, contains several short essays, one by the editor, Ven. Nyanaponika, and three by lay practitioners on one of the lesser known and too-little practiced sublime states of mind. Mudita, usually translated "sympathetic joy", was designated one of the brahma-viharas by the Buddha, one of the sublime, noble states of mind. How is it to be practiced, and what are the implications of mudita on the spiritual path? These essays address those questions.

Buddhism is more than a religious concept! Buddhism is essentially hailed to be a "way of life" which aims at helping people gain a deeper understanding of how things are to be tackled and dealt with. In this book, we are going to talk about the different ideals of Buddhism and the key principles. Buddhism is becoming hugely popular even in most western countries because it seems to have answers to most of the materialistic problems which the world is facing.

Buddhism is often considered a religion by new practitioners. For many Buddhists it is more of a way of life than a religion. Buddhists believe meditation and other practices will lead to changes in oneself. These changes are aimed at creating awareness, wisdom, and kindness within in order to reach spiritual enlightenment. Buddhism represents the end of suffering for anyone able to attain enlightenment, because the person no longer dwells on what they lack but learns to live with the reality of what is, without needs, wants, or desires.

A lot of people wonder how happiness and material things go together. Studies have shown time and time and again that having a lot of personal possessions doesn't actually mean having more happiness. In fact studies show that as soon as you have enough money to not worry about basic human needs - food, water, shelter, protection, etc. - your happiness doesn't actually go up as you get more money.

Practising Buddhist and master storyteller Dharmachari Nagaraja weaves a thrilling narrative spell while at the same time conveying basic life lessons that will help children to develop their personality, deal with their anxieties, and find peace and confidence as they grow up. The stories explore themes from the Eightfold Path, which is Buddhism's practical route to a happy life.

By following Zen and Zen meditation, you can easily infuse everything happy and positive into your life because Zen helps you cleanse your mind and body of negativities and all the elements that produce negativity. If this intrigues you and you're interested in finding out more about Zen, this guide will serve as your ultimate aide.

In Mindfulness, Bliss, and Beyond, self-described meditation junkie Ajahn Brahm shares his knowledge and experience of the jhanas - a core part of the Buddha's original meditation teaching. Never before has this material been approached in such an empowering way, by a teacher of such authority and popularity. Full of surprises, delightfully goofy humor, and entertaining stories that inspire, instruct, and illuminate, Mindfulness, Bliss, and Beyond will encourage those new to meditation, and give a shot in the arm to more experienced practitioners as well.