Showing titles in Buddhism

Some sources say that the Buddha was born on or around April 8, 563 B.C. How many years have you been around without discovering his wisdom? According to tradition, the words of The Dhammapada come directly from the mouth of Buddha. This translation in particular is among the most poetic and spiritually insightful.

Find yourself and tune in: such is the message of Zen. These simple exercises by Zen Master Foyan lead you to the awakening of insight into the real nature of self. The Chinese Zen classic emphasizes independence and autonomy, two qualities vital to seeing and acting clearly. Both newcomers and experienced practitioners will benefit from this guide to authentic Zen practices.

Dogen (1200-1253 C.E.) founded the Soto school of Zen Buddhism in Japan. His teachings are the very embodiment of the paradoxical blend of mystery and clarity that characterizes Zen. Dogen's approach to meditation has become perhaps the most influential Eastern spiritual practice in the Western world. The selections in this program are from Moon in a Dewdrop.

In 1979, 24-year-old Irish-American Maura O'Halloran moved to Japan and became the first woman ever admitted to Toshoji Temple. Soshin-san (O'Halloran's monastic name) labored through 3 hard years of intense work and study in preparation for becoming a dharma teacher. Her life ended abruptly during a trip to Thailand, and today Soshin-san is revered as a Buddhist saint. The writings in this program are from her private and heartfelt journals and letters.

In 1943, Austrian adventurer Heinrich Harrer escaped from a British internment camp in India and traveled through the rugged Himalayas seeking refuge from the war. He ended up in the Forbidden City of Lhasa in Tibet, with no money or permission to be in the country. His intelligence and his European ways intrigued the curious young Dalai Lama, and Harrer became his tutor and trusted confidant.

Defeat and joy, struggle and serenity, fear and confidence, the emotions that arise in the practice of sports make it a fitting paradigm for life as a whole. In this unique work, Bob Mitchell looks at the mysteries and challenges of the Game and what it has to teach us. He makes a compelling comparison between the experience of participating in sports and the effortless action that lies at the heart of the Tao. The result is a highly practical and imaginative work that is part philosophy, part poetry, part common sense.

Over a decade ago, when Writing Down the Bones first appeared, Natalie Goldberg started a revolution in the way we practice writing. Now, for the first time, Goldberg reads her classic work, while offering new commentary about the creative, spiritual, and practical dimensions of writing. This collector's edition also includes an exclusive interview with the author.

Mindfulness meditation is the time-honored practice of calming the spirit and clearing the mind for higher understanding. In this guide, designed specifically for beginners, meditation teacher, author, and psychotherapist Jack Kornfield offers a straightforward, step-by-step method for bringing meditation effortlessly into your daily routine. You'll discover how easy it is to use your breath, physical sensations, and difficult emotions to create tranquility and kindness in your life.

Here's an opportunity to explore the Ten Perfections with one of the pre-eminent meditation instructors of our time. The Perfections are Buddhism's most basic foundation and include such universal virtues as truthfulness, simplicity, and lovingkindness. These virtues are not remote possibilities - they are immediate answers to the problems and challenges we face every day of our lives.

Now you can transform driving, shopping, or waiting in line into calming experiences of mindfulness. This unique audio course was carefully distilled from Jack Kornfield's most popular retreat, a 5-week workshop on mindful meditation. Kornfield shows listeners how to benefit from the 2,500-year-old system for becoming fully aware of how our actions in each moment create the fabric of our lives.

Learn how to use the gift of pain with Pema Chödrön, a Buddhist nun in the Tibetan Vajrayana tradition. She teaches that it is in suffering where you will find the seeds of your awakening and that vulnerability is actually your greatest spiritual resource. You'll learn how to create your own spiritual retreat, the key teachings necessary for cultivating your own "soft spot" - the gateway to your own noble heart, the promise of the Four Limitless Ones, and the teachings on the Six Paramitas: the Buddha's own map of the journey to enlightenment. This program was recorded within the peaceful shrine room of Gampo Abbey, Chödrön's home on the cliffs of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.

This award-winning anthology of poetry and prose takes a new look at being a woman - particularly an aging woman - in a society that prizes and glorifies youth. The works are by both younger writers looking forward in time and writers who have experienced the joys and challenges of growing older. This international best seller was put together by editor Sandra Martz who selected the collection's pieces from thousands of submitted manuscripts.

Join in meditations developed at one of the world's great meditation centers and gain ideal support for a daily mindfulness practice. Here are 4 authentic meditations from Plum Village, the celebrated Zen sanctuary and peace center founded by Thich Nhat Hanh in southern France. Hanh is a meditation master who Thomas Merton has described as "the Zen monk who sees beyond life and death." These inspiring guided meditations teach conscious breathing for calming the mind and cultivating joy, body appreciation and attunement practice, and how to transform your anger into seeds of kindness.

Recorded during an intimate family retreat, The Art of Mindful Living presents Thich Nhat Hanh's practical, traditional gathas (teachings) that join ancient meditation practice with the challenges of the modern world. It includes step-by-step guides to meditation, breathing exercises, contemplation, and communication, opening our hearts and minds to the joyous wonder of tranquility and love.

Learn how complete awareness can open the door to lasting transformation in work, worship, love, and all other areas of your life. Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh's acclaimed theory of mindfulness explores ways to shine the light of awareness into our intimate relationships. He examines Buddhism's four basic qualities of authentic love: kindness, compassion, joy, and freedom.

With his book, Awakening the Buddha Within, Lama Surya Das emerged as a leading figure in American Buddhism. Now, with Natural Perfection, he introduces us to Tibet's most closely guarded enlightenment tradition, dzogchen - "The Natural Great Perfection."

Completed just four years after his escape from Tibet and four years after completing his religious education, the Dalai Lama's classic text on Buddhist philosophy is a thorough but succinct overview of Buddhist doctrines as they have been practiced in Tibet for a thousand years. This invaluable handbook provides a compendium of Buddhist thought and practice that is both dense and rich - serving at once as a summation of knowledge and as an invitation to further study.

Leave the pressures and demands of your daily life behind as you focus on the Zen within your soul. Zen and the Love of Nature takes you on a captivating journey from a single lotus flower to a rippling brook to the grandeur of Mount Fuji, giving a Zen perspective on the joy and beauty of our natural world.

Dinty Moore set out to explore America's fascination with Buddhism and found himself enthralled. You will be too, as Moore takes you into the world of American-style Buddhism, from a mountain retreat for executives learning to deal with stress to a Tibetan Freedom Concert with the Beastie Boys.

What Is Zen is the quintessential beginner's guide to achieving enlightenment. In simple, often poetic language, the author offers a general introduction to the concepts and philosophy of Zen Buddhism. He describes what it is, how it began and evolved, and how its emphasis on simplicity and self-effacement have helped shape an aesthetic found throughout Japanese culture.