Buddhist Travel

Buddhism is practiced by hundreds of millions of people worldwide, from Tibetan caves to Tokyo temples to redwood retreats. To an outside viewer, it might be hard to see what they all have in common. In Buddhism, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and American Buddhist nun Thubten Chodron map out with clarity the convergences and the divergences between the two major strains of Buddhism - the Sanskrit traditions of Tibet and East Asia and the Pali traditions of Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.

Thailand was a great tourist destination for decades prior to the pandemic and, then, a lot changed. Slow modernization has come to the Thai Kingdom along with a new king, Vajiralongkorn, in 2016. The nation built a new international airport that has been added to since 2006 and, now, boasts one of the largest airports in the world. But, all is not well in the land of elephants. Sukhumvit is the main strip in Bangkok, which is actually a conglomeration of streets, that sells everything from alcohol to food, sex to cannabis, and supercars to real estate. On the surface, Bangkok looks ...

Shakyamuni Buddha founded the path of the successive 52 Soto Zen Ancestors when he awakened to the Way. The transmissions of the teachings to the 52 Ancestors in Zen Buddhist Tradition were never meant to reach the eyes of laymen. The Denkoroku: The Record of the Transmission of Light was originally written only for the eyes of Zen monks. Shasta Abbey's late Abbess, Jiyu Kennett, translated the text into English.

Growing up a 90-pound weakling tormented by bullies in the schoolyards of Kansas, young Matthew Polly dreamed of one day journeying to the Shaolin Temple in China to become the toughest fighter in the world, like Caine in his favorite 1970s TV series, Kung Fu. While in college, Matthew decided the time had come to pursue this quixotic dream before it was too late. Much to the dismay of his parents, he dropped out of Princeton to spend two years training with the legendary sect of monks who invented kung fu and Zen Buddhism.

An accidental death launches a brother into strange, foreign adventures Thomas is a laid-back handyman until his mother asks him to go to Kathmandu and scatter the ashes of his older brother Paul. He is totally unprepared for travel, especially to exotic Nepal. He uncovers Paul’s past as a Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal. There was a lover, Helen, who stayed behind to embrace Buddhism. Her parents are still there working with Tibetan refugees. He meets Eike, an unlikely Buddhist shaman, or healer. He dabbles in meditation and Tantric sex, flirts with Helen, and makes some big mistakes. The...

If mountains and adventure travel are your dream, this thrilling book will take you away on a secret trek, even if you are stuck at home. Whether you're an experienced mountaineer, or you've never hiked before, read this book to find a little known Himalayan hike that is more accessible, less expensive and less dangerous to you and the environment than climbing Everest. If you are an armchair enthusiast and you love to read about adventures and travel, but you don't actually plan to go there, this book is for you. And today, if you cannot go due to restrictions, you can still enjoy an ...

From a young age Kerouac was a spiritual thinker and questioner, and he always considered himself a spiritual writer. Buddhism gave more meaning to Jack’s work as a writer: he was working not for personal accomplishment and glory but for human betterment. And Buddhism justified his lifestyle: with its vision of the material world as empty and illusory, he was free to do what he wanted.

Meditation on the Breath Produces Many Curious States of Mind. One hundred and one experiences that are possible in your simple meditation practice. Some experiences are to be expected, but most have some component of the bizarre. Here are a few of the interesting experiences: * Dog Barking is YOU! * Something Crawling Out of Your Chest * Disappearing Body Parts * Pendulum Bum * The Fatness Feeling * Expanse in Mind Opens * Head Disappears * Seamlessness * Two Heads Talking * Cone Head * Jhanas * Abhinnas * Three Dimensions to Two Dimensions * Reality Tilts * Total Control Over Anger, ...

Jesus did not forget he was god immediately after performing a miracle when he was a 3 month old fetus. He also did not forget he was God immediately following the 4 day miracle at the Temple when he was 12 years old. Don't let anyone tell you this as it is not Biblical. We will follow a half a dozen gospel accounts of Jesus as a baby, boy and young adult so you can understand who he really was as a special incarnation of the Creator. We will cross-compare details for accuracy, and not make up things we can find out. You will see how Joseph and Mary both came from well-off parents, how he ...

Age 28 and fed up with the office job he settled for, Paul Barach decided to travel to Japan to follow a vision he had in college: to walk the ancient 750-mile Shikoku pilgrimage trail. Here are some things he did not decide to do: learn Japanese, do any research, road test his hiking shoes, or check if it's the hottest summer in history. And he went anyway, hoping to change his life.

This very short introduction offers listeners a superb overview of the teachings of the Buddha, as well as a succinct guide to the integration of Buddhism into daily life.

Borobudur in Central Java has been described as the eighth wonder of the world. It is the world's largest Buddhist temple, built out of 1.6 million blocks of worked volcanic stone and containing three miles of relief carvings and 504 statues of Buddha. Yet for 1,000 years it lay deserted in the jungle until it was rediscovered by none other than the famous Englishman Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles.

Leah Ly a driven, exceptionally talented, Chinese-American actress, working her way through Hollywood’s system, determined to make it on her own, involved with an equally driven Jewish man, discovers she has a Chinese fiancé, arranged at her birth when the Hong Kong businessman comes to LA to meet her. Life collides with life and Leah finds herself unhappy, torn, and conflicted between the love of two men she loves dearly and her heart's greatest desire, as she learns that in all things, she's the key to her happiness or unhappiness.

An ancient and deeply revered practice, Buddhism is even more popular now than it has been in decades. 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 The Field by Julian Bound A unique journey across the world from documentary photographer and National Geographic photographic contributor Julian Bound. Funny, poignant and often touching, a story of capturing world events, conflicts and culture on camera whilst living on the road as a photographer. From the child soldiers of a Burmese liberation army to photographing the moment Nepal’s 2015 earthquake struck, In The Field tells of encounters within Java’s active volcanoes, Cairo’s Arab Spring, Bangkok’s coup d'état, and a venture into covert photography for a government in ...

The Geisha and The Monk a novel by Julian Bound Two souls born thousands of miles apart each shall follow a similar path KYOTO, JAPAN 1876 Born into a lineage of famous geisha, a girl is taken to a famed Tokyo geisha house where her training to serve and entertain others begins. GYANTSE, TIBET 1876 A boy is born into a small rural community. Recognised as the reincarnation of a revered Lama he is taken to live in Tibet’s legendary Tashi Lhunpo Monastery. SAN FRANCISCO, USA 1900 At the dawning of a new century fate brings them together, a lifetime away from all they have ever known. Set ...

Dear Traveler, Welcome to the WanderStories™ tour of the Tanzhe Temple in Beijing. We, at WanderStories™, are storytellers. We don’t tell you where to eat or sleep, we don’t intend to replace a typical travel reference guide. Our mission is to be the best local guide that you would wish to have by your side when visiting the sights. So, we meet you at the sight and take you on a tour. WanderStories™ travel guides are unique because our storytelling style puts you alongside the best local guide who tells you fascinating stories and unusual facts recreating the passion and sacrifice...

By Way of The Sea a novel by Julian Bound A Tibetan Buddhist monk takes a journey of discovery to see the seas he has always dreamt of. Struggling with his beliefs a young Tibetan Buddhist monk begins a journey to see the seas imagined since a child. Travelling through Tibet, Nepal and India to reach his goal those he encounters along the way start to restore a faith lost to him. Since a young novice Tenzin has longed to stand before seas never witnessed in a landlocked Tibet. Travelling through his homelands he walks beside holy lakes and over high attitude mountain passes until stepping ...

This is the story of what happens when the author's plans to ordain as a Buddhist monk in Thailand are derailed after he has arrived in the country. Next Life in the Afternoon is spiritual, funny, at times irreverent, and full of personal lessons learned along the way. From Next Life in the Afternoon: "I’m squatting naked on a concrete floor in the predawn coolness of Udon Thani, pouring water from a washbasin onto my head to rinse off the bar soap I used as shampoo. My hair is long and stringy. I had counted on it being shaved off by now, so I had let it grow out a bit leading up to the ...

Out-of-Body Travel Magazine: Comparing the Buddhist Avalokiteswara's Descent into Hell with that of Jesus Christ.