Showing titles in Buddhism

The Tibetan Buddhist tradition carries carries exotic tales about fearless female "sky dancers" or "wisdom dakinis" who dance in limitless space and act as messengers, guides, and protectors. These five dakinis manifest the feminine wisdom energy, bringing strength, power, and transformation to our lives.

One of the earliest of all Buddhist texts, the Atthakavagga, or Book of Eights, is a remarkable document, not only because it comes from the earliest strain of the literature - before the Buddha, as the title suggests, came to be thought of as a "Buddhist" - but also because its approach to awakening is so simple and free of adherence to any kind of ideology. Instead the Atthakavagga points to a direct and simple approach for attaining peace without requiring the adherence to doctrine.

"Everyone dies, but no one is dead," goes the Tibetan saying. It is with these words that Advice on Dying takes flight. Using a 17th-century poem written by a prominent scholar-practitioner, His Holiness the Dalai Lama draws from a wide range of traditions and beliefs to explore the stages we all go through when we die, which are the very same stages we experience in life when we go to sleep, faint, or reach orgasm (Shakespeare's "little death").

The simple, refreshing meditations of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh give us the tools to cultivate concentration. Practicing mindfulness brings concentration, and concentration brings insight and understanding. With our world experiencing the deep effects of loneliness, digital overload, and a proliferation of potential distractions, this How To book reminds us of the value of developing our concentration, so we can let go of misperceptions and cultivate the clarity of mind that is the basis for understanding ourselves, each other, and the world.

Why is it often so hard to truly connect with others, even those we care most about? "Our capacity to engage fully in relationship starts with becoming more awake and aware within ourselves," says Tara Brach. With Nourishing Intimacy, this renowned teacher offers an intensive training in tools, skills, and insights for cultivating self-compassion, overcoming inner obstacles, fostering authentic communication, and opening ourselves to healthy, openhearted relationships.

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.

Compassion, kindness, equanimity, and joy are not only the fruits of the awakened life but also the path to it: attitudes of mind that can be cultivated by anyone willing to set the intention for doing so. Christina Feldman shows how these ennobling qualities - known in Buddhism as the brahma viharas (sublime abodes) or the Four Immeasurables - are far more than simply the "feel-good" states they are sometimes mistaken for.

Positive psychology - with its focus not on mental "disease" but rather on what actually makes people happy - has revolutionized the way that we look at mental health. What many people don't realize, however, is that positive psychology is not as young a field of inquiry as we think. In fact, according to Joseph Emet, the original positive thinker was the Buddha himself.

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.

In The Shamanic Bones of Zen, celebrated author and Buddhist teacher Zenju Earthlyn Manuel undertakes a rich exploration of the connections between contemporary Zen practice and shamanic, or indigenous, spirituality. Drawing on her personal journey with the Black church, with African, Caribbean, and Native American ceremonial practices, and with Nichiren and Zen Buddhism, she builds a compelling case for cultivating the shamanic, or magical, elements in Buddhism - many of which have been marginalized by colonialist and modernist forces in the religion.

In this recorded retreat, based on the program Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change held at Omega Institute, Pema Chödrön and her teaching assistant, Meg Wheatley, provide a wealth of wisdom for learning to step right into the river: to be completely, fearlessly present even in the hardest times, the most difficult situations. It's the secret of being fully alive.

It was the early 1960s. The place, a far-off corner of the Himalayas long fabled in Tibetan tradition to be hiding a valley of immortality among its peaks and glaciers - a real-life Shangri-La. They waited generations for the prophesied lama to come, the one with the secret knowledge of how to "open" the Hidden Land. Then, one day, he came. His name was Tulshuk Lingpa.

In Opening to Oneness, Zen teacher Nancy Baker offers a detailed path of practice for Zen students planning to take the precepts and for anyone, Buddhist or non-Buddhist, interested in deepening their personal study of ethical living.

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.

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.

You can't get away from suffering. That's the good news, teaches Pema Chodron. For at the core of your most painful experiences, you will find the seeds of your awakening. On Noble Heart, this best-selling author and Tibetan Buddhist nun shows you how vulnerability is our greatest spiritual resource amid life's difficulties. Using special meditations and teachings, she shows how to cultivate your own noble heart, one that sheds its armor, and opens fearlessly to both heartache and delight.

In his latest novel, DHARMA BUMS OF THE APOCALYPSE, W.J. O'Reilly takes readers on a hallucinatory odyssey through the backroads and byways of America, and deep into the psyche of a generation grappling with the fundamental questions of existence. Part road trip narrative, part metaphysical meditation, the book is a daring and ambitious work that pushes the boundaries of contemporary fiction and establishes O'Reilly as an unsettling voice in American letters. The story follows an unnamed narrator as he sets out on a cross-country motorcycle journey, seeking to escape the suffocating ...

The 14th Dalai Lama, a living embodiment of the bodhisattva ideal, presents here detailed practical guidance based on sections of The Way of the Bodhisattva by Shantideva, the best-known text of Mahayana Buddhism. The Dalai Lama explains this classic and beloved work, showing how anyone can develop a truly "good heart" and the aspiration for the enlightenment of all beings. In this book, the Dalai Lama's profound knowledge is evident - the result of extensive training.

Presented by renowned meditation teacher and best-selling author Sharon Salzberg, these 10 core practices were created to give you the feel of a meditation retreat at home - but can be enjoyed in any place conducive to a period of undisturbed quiet. Room to Breathe brings listeners eight core exercises: Calming the Mind, Facing Challenges, Being Present, Letting Go, Trusting Yourself, and more.

In Japan in 1253, one of the great thinkers of his time died - and the world barely noticed. That man was the Zen monk Eihei Dogen. For centuries his main work, Shobogenzo, languished in obscurity, locked away in remote monasteries until scholars rediscovered it in the 20th century. What took so long? In Brad Warner's view, Dogen was too ahead of his time to find an appreciative audience. To bring Dogen's work to a bigger audience, Warner began paraphrasing Shobogenzo, recasting it in simple, everyday language. The first part of this project resulted in Don't Be a Jerk, and now Warner presents this second volume, It Came from Beyond Zen! Once again, Warner uses wry humor and incisive commentary to bridge the gap between past and present, making Dogen's words clearer and more relevant than ever before.