Commentary Philosophy

The Gaudapada-karikas is the earliest extant Advaita Vedanta text. It is only explicitly Advaita text deemed worth saving from before Shankara’s time. Its philosophical doctrines makes it worthy of study in its own right and sets the stage for Shankara’s slightly different Advaita. The text is presented here in a plain English translation with notes, along with a translation of the Mandukya Upanishad, and an extensive summary of Shankara’s own commentary upon it. Also included are an essay on early Vedanta, who the author(s) of this text may be, and the influence of Buddhism on the ...

Despite advances in health care, infectious microbes continue to be a formidable adversary to scientists and doctors. Vaccines and antibiotics, the mainstays of modern medicine, have not been able to conquer infectious microbes because of their amazing ability to adapt, evolve, and spread to new places. Terrorism aside, one of the greatest dangers from infectious disease we face today is from a massive outbreak of drug-resistant microbes.

Inspired by timeless principles from The Art of War, The Art of Tactical War for Life transforms ancient battlefield wisdom into a practical guide for modern personal victory. Life is a competitive arena—filled with obstacles, rivals, setbacks, and uncertainty. The question is not whether you will face conflict. The question is whether you will be prepared for it.

A good book may have the power to change the way we see the world, but a great book actually becomes part of our daily consciousness, pervading our thinking to the point that we take it for granted, and we forget how provocative and challenging its ideas once were - and still are. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions is that kind of book.

The Practical Philosophy of Plato is an accessible guide to the enduring ideas of one of history's greatest thinkers, designed for modern readers who want to apply ancient wisdom to everyday life.

Ancient wisdom. Practical guidance. A better way to live. Nearly two thousand years ago, the Jewish sages recorded a collection of short, unforgettable teachings about character, responsibility, friendship, leadership, humility, and the wise use of time. Those teachings became Pirkei Avot—often translated as Ethics of the Fathers—and their message remains strikingly relevant today. How should you respond to anger? What makes a person truly wise? Why do your friends and teachers matter? How can you pursue success without becoming controlled by wealth, status, or praise? Pirkei Avot for ...

The Living Gita is a translation of, and commentary on, the Bhagavad Gita by Sri Swami Satchidananda, one of the world’s most respected Yoga masters. The Gita is the summary and essence of Eastern spiritual wisdom, drawn from the Hindu tradition. When Swami Satchidananda arrived in the West in 1966, he recognized the need to make the teachings of Yoga and this classic text accessible to modern readers and listeners. He soon began giving talks on the Gita, which became the foundation for The Living Gita, first published in 1988.

Have you ever felt a quiet, persistent yearning for something more? A sense that behind the noise of daily life, there lies a deeper truth, a more profound peace? We live in a world of constant motion, yet many of us feel a sense of inner stillness is missing. We chase success and happiness in the outer world, only to find that true, lasting fulfillment remains just out of reach. What if the map to that fulfillment wasn't hidden in a distant land, but deep within the landscape of your own soul? In Brahma Sutras: Timeless Wisdom of Vedanta, author Naveen Goyal invites you on an extraordinary...

Beginning with opium, the “joy plant,” which has been used for 10,000 years, Thomas Hager tells a captivating story of medicine. His subjects include the largely forgotten female pioneer who introduced smallpox inoculation to Britain, the infamous knockout drops, the first antibiotic, which saved countless lives, the first antipsychotic, which helped empty public mental hospitals, Viagra, statins, and the new frontier of monoclonal antibodies. This is a deep, wide-ranging, and wildly entertaining book.

This volume begins with a new translation of the Brahma Sutra and then translates or summarizes the philosophical portions of Shankara's commentary on it. Shankara's Brahma-sutra-bhashya is the most important work in Advaita and represents his mature thought on Brahman and Atman. Three essays (along with one on the non-Advaita Brahma Sutra) explain Shankar's philosophy and reasoning.

In A Trackless Path renowned translator and teacher Ken McLeod offers a beautiful and evocative translation and commentary of one of the many poems that the 18th century Tibetan mystic Jigmé Lingpa wrote on the practice of Dzogchen, one of the great wisdom traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. McLeod makes this ancient poem relevant and accessible to today's seeker.

Every degree tells a story. Every symbol conceals a lesson. Every journey begins within the Camp. The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite is often described as the university of Freemasonry, yet many Masons experience its degrees only once before moving forward. Within the Camp invites the reader to return, reflect, and uncover the profound symbolism, philosophy, and timeless wisdom woven throughout the Rite. Drawing upon years of study, teaching, and leadership within the Scottish Rite, Jacob W. Thompson presents thoughtful commentaries on each degree from the Fourth through the Thirty-...

What follows is not a translation in the ordinary sense of the word. It’s more like a paraphrase. Rather than worry over the letter of the text, the goal has been to illuminate the large scale patterns that structure it. The King James Version, for instance, renders Paul’s letter with uncanny beauty but is opaque as an argument. Modern translations tend to have the same problem. Their overriding concern is with the letter of the text, not with its logic. As a result, Paul’s forest is always getting sacrificed for the sake of his trees. But Paul’s work is too important, his good news...

In The Butchering Art, the historian Lindsey Fitzharris reveals the shocking world of 19th-century surgery on the eve of profound transformation. She conjures up early operating theaters - no place for the squeamish - and surgeons, working before anesthesia, who were lauded for their speed and brute strength. They were baffled by the persistent infections that kept mortality rates stubbornly high. A young, melancholy Quaker surgeon named Joseph Lister would solve the deadly riddle and change the course of history.

What if you had only seven days to find the meaning of life? This is not a theoretical question. It is the urgent, desperate plea of a great king cursed to die, and it ignites the most profound and beautiful story ever told. The Srimad Bhagavatam, an ancient and revered epic, is more than just a scripture; it is a living river of wisdom, a literary incarnation of the Divine designed to quench the deepest thirst of the soul. But for centuries, its profound beauty has often been veiled by complex language and dense philosophy. Until now. In Srimad Bhagavatam: Timeless Tales from the Bhagavata...

The Mengzi is one of the very greatest works of world literature and philosophy, and it is perhaps the single most influential Confucian text of all time. Of all the Confucian classics, it is also the one most likely to speak to a contemporary audience. The Mengzi contains the dialogues, debates...

A revealing account of National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster’s turbulent and consequential thirteen months in the Trump White House. At War with Ourselves is the story of helping a disruptive President drive necessary shifts in U.S. foreign policy at a critical moment in history. McMaster...

THE MOST QUOTED AND LEAST UNDERSTOOD TEXT IN HUMAN HISTORY—NOW IN A DEFINITIVE NEW TRANSLATION For twenty-five centuries, Sun Tzu's Art of War has shaped how generals, statesmen, and strategists think about conflict. Yet most readers encounter this ancient masterpiece through translations that obscure its original power—Victorian prose that dilutes the text's brutal compression, or corporate repackagings that strip away its meaning. This edition is different. NEW TRANSLATION — Neither Victorian nor corporate. This translation restores the density of the original: verse by verse, line ...

Exploring the relationship between Christianity and Zen, especially through his dialogue with the great Zen teacher D.T. Suzuki, the book makes an excellent introduction to a comparative study of these two traditions, as well as giving the listener a strong taste of the mature Merton. Never does one feel him losing his own faith; rather, one feels that faith getting deeply clarified and affirmed. Just as the body of "Zen" cannot be found by the scavengers, so too, Merton suggests, with the eternal truth of Christ.

Have you ever paused in a quiet moment and asked, "Who am I?" In our fast-paced world, this profound question often gets lost in the noise. We search for answers in our careers, relationships, and achievements, yet a deeper peace remains just out of reach. What if the key to unlocking this mystery wasn't in the world outside, but in the very fabric of your own consciousness? For thousands of years, the sages of ancient India explored this inner universe, and their most direct and powerful roadmap is the Mandukya Upanishad. In just twelve profound verses, this timeless text offers a complete...