Chinese Buddhism

Unlock the secrets of a timeless spiritual tradition with Pure Land Buddhism: A Beginner's Guide: The Simple Path to Enlightenment. This indispensable guide introduces you to the serene and profound world of Pure Land Buddhism, where faith and simplicity lead to boundless peace and compassion. Dive deep into the transformative teachings of Amitabha Buddha, the Buddha of Infinite Light. Discover how his compassionate vows promise salvation and peace to all who earnestly seek it. This book illuminates the path to enlightenment, making it accessible to everyone, regardless of their background ...

An irreverant look at early Tang dynasty Chan Buddhism - how it should be!

What if everything you believe about reality is an illusion? What if, at the same time, everything is perfectly complete? These are not riddles—they are the foundations of two of the most powerful schools of Buddhist thought. For over a thousand years, Madhyamaka and Tiantai have shaped Buddhist philosophy, transforming how seekers, scholars, and practitioners understand existence. Madhyamaka tears down illusions, revealing that nothing—your thoughts, your identity, even the universe itself—has an independent essence. Tiantai, in contrast, builds up a grand, unifying vision, showing ...

The Shaolin Monastery charts for the first time in any language the history of the Shaolin Temple and the evolution of its world-renowned martial arts. In this meticulously researched and eminently readable study Meir Shahar considers the economic political and religious factors that led Shaolin monks to disregard the Buddhist prohibition against violence and instead create fighting techniques that by the 21st century have spread throughout the world.

In a radically new translation and interpretation of the I Ching, David Hinton strips this ancient Chinese masterwork of the usual apparatus and discovers a deeply poetic and philosophical text. Teasing out an elegant vision of the cosmos as ever-changing yet harmonious, Hinton reveals the seed from which Chinese philosophy, poetry, and painting grew. Although it was and is widely used for divination, the I Ching is also a book of poetic philosophy, deeply valued by artists and intellectuals.

This landmark collection is the definitive introduction to the Buddha's teachings - in his own words. The American scholar-monk Bhikkhu Bodhi, whose voluminous translations have won widespread acclaim, here presents selected discourses of the Buddha from the Pali Canon, the earliest record of what the Buddha taught. Divided into 10 thematic chapters, In the Buddha's Words reveals the full scope of the Buddha's discourses, from family life and marriage to renunciation and the path of insight.

A gripping portrait of modern Tibet told through the lives of its people, from the bestselling author of Nothing to Envy “A brilliantly reported and eye-opening work of narrative nonfiction.”—The New York Times Book Review NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Parul Sehgal, The New...

What if the reason the world feels fragmented is not because it is fractured—but because we have been taught to see it that way? An Introduction to Huayan Buddhism: Exploring the Buddhist Vision of Infinite Relationship reveals one of the most breathtaking and intellectually rich worldviews ever to emerge from Buddhist thought: a vision in which everything exists through relationship, every moment reflects the whole, and nothing stands alone—not even you. This is not abstract mysticism. It is a rigorous, imaginative framework for understanding reality itself. Readers are drawn into ...

Written in simple language, these 108 ‘kung-an’ (koan in Japanese) embodying the experience and wisdom of the Chinese Ch’an masters have found their way into hearts of many Westerners over a century. This is because Ch'an (Zen) is not something that can be explained in words, but is a special practice with words, which is carried out for one's self-development and leads to a state of Enlightenment. If you feel an attraction to Ch'an, this captivating book can serve as a guide to lead you up to the gateway of Ch'an through the Chinese Ch'an masters' questions and answers to enter a ...

Jay Shetty, social media superstar and host of the #1 podcast On Purpose, distills the timeless wisdom he learned as a monk into practical steps anyone can take every day to live a less anxious, more meaningful life. When you think like a monk, you’ll understand: -How to overcome negativity...

The Secret of the Golden Flower is an ancient Chinese text, passed on for centuries, in which Taoist mystics reveal the path to true enlightenment. The first written version was believed to have originated with Lü Dongbin, a legendary scholar, poet, and spiritual master. Lü Dongbin was the founder of the School of the Golden Elixir of Life during the Tang dynasty. In the text, symbols for light represented awareness, which is normally directed outward toward externals.

In this Guide to Buddhahood which the Chinese call Hsuan Fo Pu the listener will actually get Buddhism arranged in a definite and regular order, beginning with the lowest scale of existence and ascending regularly through the different stages of progress till finally Paradise and Buddhahood are attained.

All Buddhist paths lead to enlightenment—but Tiantai is the master key. Some schools focus on meditation. Others emphasize devotion or philosophical inquiry. Tiantai Buddhism unites them all into a single, structured system—a tradition so comprehensive that it explains why every teaching exists, how they relate, and how they lead to awakening. If you’ve ever wondered how Zen, Pure Land, and the Lotus Sutra connect, Tiantai holds the answers. How can a single moment of thought contain an entire universe? Why does Tiantai teach that the Buddha never left the world? What is the Threefold...

A groundbreaking and superlatively accurate new translation of Laozi’s The Dao De Jing, from the bestselling translator of The Art of War, promising to be the first English edition based on direct translation from the oldest known copies of the ancient Chinese text. One of the most significant...

A Chinese Lord of the Rings and one of the all-time great fantasy novels--which Neil Gaiman has said "is in the DNA of 1.5 billion people"--now in a thrilling new translation A shape-shifting trickster on a kung-fu quest for eternal life, Monkey King is one of the most memorable superheroes in...

The life of Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism, has, with the passing of time, been magnified to the scale of myth, turning history into the stuff of legend. Known as the First Patriarch, Bodhidharma brought Zen from South India into China in 500 CE, changing the country forever. In Tracking Bodhidharma, Andrew Ferguson recreates the path of Bodhidharma, traveling through China to the places where the First Patriarch lived and taught. This sacred trail takes Ferguson deep into ancient China.

A mysterious monk crossed from India into China—and changed the spiritual history of Asia. Bodhidharma challenged emperors, rejected empty displays of religious merit, sat facing a wall for nine years, and taught that awakening must be discovered directly within the mind. Centuries later, his fierce image, uncompromising message, and legendary connection to Shaolin continue to fascinate seekers around the world. Bodhidharma for Beginners offers a clear, engaging introduction to the man, the myths, and the teachings behind the birth of Chan Buddhism and the later Zen tradition. Inside, you...

A beginners guide to the amazing World of Zen! In saying, “Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without,” Buddha is 100 percent right. Even if you possess all the luxuries wealth can buy, you cannot be happy and excited about your life if you are not peaceful from the inside. How can you learn to cultivate inner peace and a sense of fulfillment while the world we live in is as a fast-paced and stressful one where because we have so many responsibilities to attend and so much work to do, it often becomes nearly impossible to be peaceful and happy? While it is true that we live in a ...

The best and most comprehensive book on the most important and best-loved Chinese goddess. Walk down the streets of Chinatown in any American or western European city and look around. She is there. Walk through the downtown streets, look in a shop window. She is there. Go to any city in China...

Indulge in the crazy, mystical, mythical aspects of Chinese folklore. You will learn about the most basic background information, the setting, the time period in which these tales were created, and so much more. Among others, you will become familiar with things like the myth of the sun and the moon; cultural aspects of ancient oriental society; amazing facts about Confucius and Confucianism; Buddhism and its role in China and mythology; stories about gods, heroes, stars, and saints; and so many other things.