"A Meditator's Guide to Buddhism is written for secular meditators who wish to learn more about the roots of contemporary mindfulness practices. The book will open readers' eyes to the full range of principles and practices in the Buddhist tradition, adding depth and inspiration to their meditation practice. The core message of the book is that the Buddha's teachings present a comprehensive path of awakening that involves much more than mindfulness and present-moment awareness, providing practical guidance on living a rich, meaningful life with awareness, compassion, and wisdom. The contents of the book will address the core principles and meditation practices found in the Buddhist tradition, centered on the "three yanas" model that first originated in ancient India and later took root in Tibet. The unique view, meditation, and application found in each of these three yanas (or vehicles) will be explored, with practical examples, stories that bring the tradition to life, and tips for integrating the teachings with daily life"--
"Ayurveda, India's ancient and holistic system of health, offers timeless wisdom on the sacred process of bringing life into this world. Ayurveda Mama offers ways to prepare your body, mind, and life before conception, and ways to nourish your little one throughout pregnancy including tips on diet, lifestyle, herbs, and oils so that you experience vibrancy and vitality, growing your little one with love. You will feel prepared for your unique birthing experience, equipped with Ayurvedic techniques to invoke auspiciousness, balance, and ease. You will have the tools needed to assure that your Sacred Window, or postpartum period, is one of the most profound and memorable experiences of your life; assuring that you are deeply nourished and cared for so that you can care for your little one"--
"Imagine yourself in Kyåoto, Japan, gazing at a garden of emptiness. How would you understand what you are seeing? What is the history of this contemplative art form, which has flourished for centuries in Kyåoto, the famed center of Zen arts? What aesthetic principles inform it? Through photographs and commentary, Gardens of Awakening guides you through a series of Zen gardens created from the fourteenth through seventeenth centuries. Some are teeming with plants and flowing water, while others have only rocks and sand. All are associated with particular temples and share a certain Zen aesthetic related to the cultivation of awakening. Zen practice and culture have had a powerful influence on various Japanese art forms, including Noh theater, tea ceremony, architecture, ceramic art, painting, calligraphy, and poetry. In this book we discuss gardens in terms of seven qualities that arise from Zen practice: direct, ordinary, vigorous, gleaning, pivotal, nondual, and inexhaustible. Photographer Mitsue Nagase's outstanding color photographs highlight these qualities and, narrated by beloved Zen calligrapher and translator Kaz Tanahashi, help readers to go deep into the heart of Zen and Zen art"--
"Tara, the Buddhist goddess of compassion, can manifest within all of us. In this accessible, illustrated introduction to Tara's twenty-one forms, respected female Buddhist teacher and practitioner Dorje Lopèon Chandra Easton guides you to activate your own power and healing by inviting Tara's awakened energy to come alive in yourself. Embodying Tara is a practical guide to core Buddhist concepts and teachings, featuring meditations, mantra recitations, and journal exercises to connect with Tara and your innate wisdom. The relatable stories from Buddhist history and the author's personal reflections will give you the tools to live a more compassionate life, befriend your fears, and overcome everyday challenges. The book lends a fresh approach and down-to-earth connection to one of Buddhism's most popular deities through stories of important women in modern history, like Jane Goodall, Nawal El Saadawi, Dipa Ma, Oprah Winfrey, and Yandana Shiva, and broader movements started by women, like Black Lives Matter and Me Too, that embody the qualities and enlightened activities of Tara. They demonstrate real-world compassion and generosity, as well as the capacity to transform anger into wisdom, harness joy to overcome adversity, and protect others from fear and danger. Their stories will inspire you to bring these aspects of Tara into the world in creative and socially conscious ways for the benefit of all"--
"The Dhammapada is the most widely read Buddhist scripture in existence, appreciated by both Buddhists and non-Buddhists. This classic text of teaching verses from the earliest period of Buddhism in India conveys the philosophical and practical foundations of the Buddhist tradition. The text presents two distinct goals for leading a spiritual life: the first is attaining happiness in this life (and in future lives); the second goal is achieving spiritual liberation, freedom, and absolute peace. Many of the key themes of the verses are presented in dichotomies or pairs: for example, grief and suffering versus joy; developing the mind instead of being negligent about one's mental attitude and conduct; virtuous action versus misconduct; and being truthful versus being deceitful. The purpose of these contrasts is very simple: to describe the difference between what leads to desirable outcomes and what does not. This accessible translation combines Gil Fronsdal's personal knowledge of the Buddhist path with his rigorous attention to detail, bringing forth the original Pali text for seekers of all levels"--
"An accessible guide to inversions of all kinds, for all skill levels, featuring 85 practices that explore not only the physical side of yoga, but also the emotional and spiritual aspects"--
Engaging teachings on the core Korean Zen practice of "don't-know mind" that encourage us to cultivate and apply a clear mind, improve our intuition, feel naturally at ease, and generate compassionate wisdom to face whatever arises. Barbara Rhodes (Zen Master Soeng Hyang) offers the core Korean Zen teaching of don't-know mind as an antidote to the over-thinking, overly stimulating modern world that is the cause of so much suffering. In this collection of essays, Rhodes shows us that there are ways we can work with, or "compost," whatever we've got in front of us, digest it into energy that can get us through the rough times, and cultivate a satisfying life. "Don't-know mind," Korean Zen's foremost teaching, points to our clear enlightened mind before suffering arises based on concepts and judgments of like and dislike. While simple, it is a lifelong exercise, with immediate benefits that get deeper with practice. By applying don't-know mind to meditation, everyday existence, and life's challenges, readers will learn to work with their own mind's reactions to things; trust their intuition; perceive situations clearly; and act with natural courage, compassion, and enthusiasm. Rhodes offers fascinating insights from her professional life as a nurse; her commitment to engaged Buddhism; her life experience as a member of the LGBTQ community; her use of psychedelics on her spiritual path; and more. Readers will appreciate her down-to-earth wisdom, compassion, enthusiasm, and faith in the power of this practice. This book includes a foreword by Dae Bong Sunim, a guiding teacher at Musangsa Monastery in Korea.
An exploration of diligence, the essential quality to inspire joy and openheartedness for Buddhist practice and daily life, from renowned Buddhist teacher Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche. This book contributes the first commentary on the diligence chapter from Shantideva's 8th-century classic The Way of the Bodhisattva. While many books have explored his celebrated chapter on wisdom, diligence has been overlooked. As one of the six paramitas or perfections that are fundamental for following the bodhisattva path and helping others, diligence can profoundly impact our lives. The highly acclaimed Buddhist teacher Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche guides us through the depth and complexity of Shantideva's teachings with his characteristic buoyant energy and clear, accessible writing. With over three decades of teaching on the subject, Dzigar Kongtrul illuminates how diligence is the inner quality that inspires us to engage with the world and, most importantly, with our own mind. It's the inner vigor that sparks enthusiasm despite difficulty, the dynamic armor that protects against laziness, and the inner strength that aims to meet the world with joy and openheartedness. Shantideva explains that diligence is the energy that flows through all the paramitas--it's the wind that keeps us moving toward the goal of liberation and benefiting others. Within the heart of every bodhisattva is a bursting sense of tenderness, peace, intelligence, and joy--which is inherent in the quality of diligence. In this book, Dzigar Kongtrul explores traditional teachings on diligence, such as the three kinds of laziness, the Four Immeasurables, the two strengths, rebirth, the nature of emptiness, and dependent origination. Joy is the continuous thread woven through this time-honored wisdom that will aid us throughout our lives whether in formal practice or our day-to-day interactions with an ever-changing world. With diligence, we will overcome laziness and succeed in all our meaningful endeavors.
For readers of mythology, an original and introspective journey through the life of the Buddha accompanied by 26 beautiful color illustrations and 8 meditations. From longtime Zen teacher and poet John Tarrant, this is an original retelling of the foundational myth of Buddhism--the life of the Buddha. Told and retold for centuries, this story holds a special place in the human legacy because it is, ultimately, an investigation of the nature of mind and consciousness. Literary-minded readers and fans of myths and folklore will be especially drawn to the Buddha's encounters with kings, gods, heroes, monsters, and wise teachers in his spiritual quest. In this captivating narrative, the author leans into his memories of the Egyptian and Greek myths he encountered as a child. "If we pour ourselves into the story of the Buddha," he writes, "we enter the journey from an unusual place as far as myths go; we begin where the Odyssey ends." The Buddha already had everything--a palace, family, food, wealth--yet he was suffocating with discontent. He needed to embark on a journey involving pain, searching, magic, and personal discovery. This led to his awakening and the teachings that form the basis of Buddhism. John Tarrant frames the story with an intimate, inquisitive introduction and postscript that reflect his decades of studying koans and will resonate with a broad readership. The story of the Buddha is personal--it becomes your own story, opening an unexpected path to awakening. If you listen to the images that arise in its telling, you can find where you are in life and where you are headed. The Buddha's story becomes more personal with the concluding section of reflections and eight meditations about his life drawn from the Zen tradition. The book's gorgeous full-color historical illustrations of characters and events in the Buddha's life enrich the narrative journey. This lovely little book is a meaningful gift or addition to your own bedside or coffee table.
Buddhist teachings and heart-centered practices from the "feminine paradigm" to embrace receptivity and bring more balance to your life, relationships, and the world. With deeply thoughtful, lyrical prose, this book invites readers to engage with the world from a unique perspective that encourages feeling, intuitive understanding, embodiment, interdependence, and sacredness. Weaving together classical Theravada Buddhist teachings and mindfulness practices, the book teaches us when and how to channel our receptive and active orientations--sometimes called the feminine and masculine paradigms--to feel more at home in ourselves and the world. Rebecca Bradshaw, a respected Buddhist teacher in the Insight Meditation community, offers teachings that are simple yet require us to explore aspects of ourselves that go against much of our social conditioning that values goal-oriented busyness, productivity, independence, outgoing energy, and other "active" qualities. When overemphasized, this orientation can cause destructive emotions and behaviors, but we can counter them by embracing more receptive qualities. The receptive or feminine paradigm takes us deeper into the heart of the classical Buddhist teachings, leading to openness and freedom of the heart-mind. Bradshaw illustrates her own resistance to letting go of her strong active orientation with relatable stories, like her efforts to be a perfect meditator. Drawing on our connectedness to nature, she offers guidance for grounded practices, including: useless gazing, getting lost, sense-based reality, practicing in the wildness, accepting uncertainty, and more.These Buddhist teachings are as comforting as they are thought-provoking. Bradshaw's debut book helps us let go and nurture our ability to receive, listen, embrace vulnerability, and just be. We learn to heal the imbalances within ourselves and in our relationships to all beings and the natural world.
The first portrait of Thomas Keating's remarkable evolution, in the last decades of his life, into a fully realized modern-day Christian mystic. In the first four decades of his life as a Trappist monk, Thomas Keating created a comprehensive, unified psychospiritual pathway leading from healing to holiness and from contemporary psychological wellness to classic mystical sanctity and beatitude. In short, he fashioned a powerful new on-ramp to the Christian contemplative tradition. Yet, as beloved author and Keating disciple Cynthia Bourgeault shows, that was not the end of Keating's story. In this unique blend of biography, personal experience, and close reading of his late works, Bourgeault illuminates Keating's remarkable spiritual development from the late 1980s until his death in 2018. She explores: Keating's increasing commitment to the nondual practice of "objectless awareness" His contributions to interspiritual dialogue The evolution of his early teaching on the movement from "false self" to "true self," to that from "true self" to "no self" His final "dark night of the spirit" and passage through death New evidence that he never left Christianity but carried it with him to new places The profound final stages of Keating's spiritual journey may inspire you toward the ineffable experience of living as a modern mystic--fundamentally at home and at peace in the universe.
A comprehensive and accessible guide to the Five Ranks, the pinnacle teaching of Zen Buddhism pointing to the path to true freedom. The great Japanese Zen master Hakuin exclaimed, "How priceless is the merit gained through the step-by-step practice of the Five Ranks of Master Tozan!" Hakuin here refers to a teaching created by the Chinese Buddhist master Dongshan, known in Japanese as Zen Master Tozan, which is honored and studied in both Soto and Rinzai schools of Zen and is a gem of the classical Zen tradition. The ranks--pithy, provocative titles followed by Tozan's brief poetic commentaries--serve as guides to a radical exploration of the experience of relative and absolute reality, the interpenetrating "Two Truths" of Mahayana Buddhism. In The Five Ranks of Zen, American Zen teacher Shishin Wick offers an accessible entry point to each of the ranks, which Tozan created in two formulations: the first and better-known is the Five Ranks of the Relative and the Absolute; while the second set, called the Sequence of Merit, is an abbreviated form of the Ten Oxherding Pictures, a traditional formulation of the Zen spiritual journey. Wick presents multiple translations and offers commentary on the ranks' titles and on Tozan's renowned verses, as well as offering guidance on these teachings' application in contemporary life and Zen practice. He emphasizes that, to truly plumb the depths of Tozan's teachings, you must treat these teachings as Zen koans and make a thorough investigation using your entire body.
Concise, potent, poetic messages of inspiration, direction, and encouragement for you to embrace rest and reflection as a deep spiritual practice. In this compelling follow-up to her popular book, Pause, Rest, Be, Octavia Raheem offers succinct, gem-like teachings that invite us to find ways to embrace rest in our daily lives. Rest, she posits, is not only restorative--it connects you to your inner wisdom and is a portal to revelation. Raheem urges us to consider rest as a spiritual practice and to find ways to weave it into the busyness of our everyday life. In this way, she says, we can more fully "rise to the occasion of our life." Raheem uses personal reflection, and creative, evocative "sutras" (or, just as aptly, aphorisms, threads, psalms, or proverbs) and inquiry to guide us toward a more well-rested present and future. The forty sutras fall into three categories: Rest as a place of refuge from the storms of life Rest as a place to remember who you are Rest as a place of revelation Each page of Rest is Sacred invites the reader into seeing rest as a contemplative practice and a way of life--and to reflect on our relationship to grind culture. The sutras are concise, potent, and inspiring and can be read in a moment, contemplated, or lingered over. Raheem offers the view that the most sustainable future available to us is a well-rested one, and that rest isn't a luxury--it is a necessary spiritual practice that is available to us all.
Explore this supportive, grounding guide for new mothers navigating the cascade of identity change and transformation that is motherhood--based on the internationally acclaimed program, Mothershift. Our modern, Western societal understanding of what happens to a woman when she becomes a mother--beyond emotional rollercoasters and healing her pelvic floor--largely remains uncharted territory. The transition to motherhood actually takes two to three years, not six weeks or three months as we've been led to believe. Mothershift offers a supportive, affirming road map to take women through that transformational process. Jessie Harrold introduces her "map for your becoming," a research-based, four-phase model that maps out how the transition to motherhood unfolds--and helps women to navigate every step along the way. She has used this model to guide thousands of women through the shift into motherhood. Harrold also includes self-inquiry questions and journal prompts in each chapter to help women identify and thrive amidst the cascade of changes they can expect as they enter motherhood. Topics include: Normalizing the feelings of grief and loss of self you may feel along the way, Navigating the discomfort of not knowing who you are anymore now that you're a mother; Guiding you to cultivate a sense of empowerment and leadership in motherhood, showing you how mothering is a counterculture act; Showing you how to use the "superpowers" that motherhood can offer--self-tending, creativity, embodiment, ritual, community, inner knowing, and earth connection;Gently guiding you to explore who you are becoming and more Mothershift offers a wise, inspiring, and practical view of what it can look like when women are supported and encouraged to experience motherhood as a doorway to becoming more deeply in touch with who they are--and what is possible in their lives. It is a vision for an experience of motherhood that is understood as a rite of passage filled with power and potential.
The life and works of the mysterious Indian yogin, Saraha, who has inspired Buddhist practitioners for over a thousand years.Saraha, “the Archer,” was a mysterious but influential tenth-century Indian Buddhist tantric adept who expressed his spiritual realization in mystic songs (dohās) that are enlightening, shocking, and confounding by turns. Saraha’s poetic verses made the esoteric ideas and practices of Vajrayāna accessible to a wide audience on the Indian subcontinent and served as a basis for the exposition, in Tibet, of mahāmudrā, the great-seal meditation on the nature of mind that permeates every tradition of Buddhism on the Tibetan plateau.This is the first book to attempt a thorough treatment of the context, life, works, poetics, and teachings of Saraha. It features a search for the “historical” Saraha through evidence provided by our knowledge of the medieval Indian context in which he likely lived, the biographical legends that grew up around him in Tibet, and the works attributed to him in Indic and Tibetan text collections; a consideration of the various guises in which Saraha appears in his writings (as poet, social and religious critic, radical gnostic thinker, and more); an overview of Saraha’s poetic and religious legacy in South Asia and beyond; and complete or partial translations, from Tibetan, of over two dozen works attributed to Saraha. These include nearly all his spiritual songs, from his well-known Dohā Trilogy to obscure but important expositions of mahāmudrā, as well as several previously untranslated works.
The fruit of some twenty years' experience leading Buddhist meditation retreats, this book touches on a wide range of topics raised repeatedly by mediators and includes favorite stories, key Buddhist teachings, and answers to most-asked questions.
"This book offers the first thorough presentation of the rich Mahayana Buddhist textual sources on mindfulness, featuring many previously unpublished translations from Sanskrit and Tibetan"--
"The second volume in the series, containing primary texts for the Heart of Essence Teachings, ritual texts from The Innermost Essence of the Master, commentarial material on The Heart Essence of Vimalamitra and The Innermost Essence of the Master, texts from The Profound Innermost Essence, essential instructions, texts from The Trilogy of Natural Openness and Freedom, and concluding ritual texts"--
"Esteemed yoga teachers Richard Freeman and Mary Taylor draw on yogic philosophy and Buddhism to explore what happiness is and offer practical steps toward cultivating happiness as a deep, embodied expression of life and connection to others"--
A comprehensive explanation of the extraordinary Palyul tradition in which the Mahamudra (“Great Seal”) and Dzogchen (“Great Perfection”) traditions and the kama and terma lineages are joined togetherPalyul Namgyal Changchub Chöling, one the six Great Secret Nyingmapa mother monasteries in Tibet, has for centuries upheld the extraordinary non-dual teachings of the Great Seal and Great Perfection traditions. Featuring captivating portraits of the Palyul lineage’s throne holders, along with its history and continued preservation, A Garland of Immortal Wish-Fulfilling Trees traces the succession of the tradition’s leaders and reveals the source of its dharma lineage found in kama, terma, and pure vision. It also includes:An introduction to the Palyul tradition by Penor RinpocheBiographies of Karma Chagmed Rinpoche and Vidyadhara Migyur DorjeAnd appendices detailing the Nyingma tradition and the major and minor branch monasteries of the mother Palyul
"An overview of the core teachings of Pali-tradition Buddhism from esteemed Thai monk P. A. Payutto"--
"This is a modern commentary on a Dzogchen tantra titled The Natural Freedom and Openness of the Mind, covering the practices of trekcho, thogal, and bardo. This tantra is a mind terma, or treasure, of the contemporary terton, or treasure revealer, Deshek Lingpa (1956-2020). The tantra is said by tradition to be one among many revelations of the seventh-century Indian master Garab Dorje, who received them directly from the bodhisattva Vajrasattva, who received them from the buddha Samantabhadra. The commentary presents, in clear and accessible language, the approach to enlightement taught in this tradition. These instructions are considered advanced and secret, to be taught only to those who have received transmission from a qualified master. For the curious reader outside of the tradition, this book offers a clear and concise introduction to way the Nyingma tradition frames Buddhist cosmology, mind, liberation, and prayer"--
"A necessary and needed character on our human journey is the ally, the reliable companion, the assisting force. In every heroic journey story the hero or heroine requires a trustworthy companion to fulfill his/her/their destiny. The assisting force is often depicted as a sidekick, an aide, a wise advisor, a spirit guide. In stories an assisting force can also be an elixir, a magic form of help, an animal, a wish-fulfilling gem. Some of the assisting forces in our lives are visible and some are invisible. Some are with us for life; some come and go. Examples of spiritual assisting forces are bodhisattvas and saints. Partners in a relationship that works are allies to one another. Carl Jung said that we cannot individuate on Everest, that is, alone. The archetype of the ally is necessary if we are ever to be fully who we are. Martin Buber beautifully describes this: "A person wishes to be confirmed in his being by another person. . . . It is from one human being to another that the heavenly bread of self-being is passed." This book shows us how assisting forces are in and around us, how we can be assisting forces to one another, and presents spiritual practices that can help all this happen"--
"Since the dawn of Ch'an and Zen in medieval China and Japan, members of these schools have enlivened their teaching by creatively adopting and adapting terms, images, principles, poetry, and lore native to their societies. Unfortunately, so much of that cultural wealth has been "lost in translation" that Western practitioners have barely begun to discover and appreciate this extraordinarily rich legacy. In Storehouse of Treasures, second-generation American Zen teacher Nelson Foster makes a series of adventuresome forays into the trove of material laid up by the Dharma ancestors, bringing to light: masters' delight in playing with words, stories, and inherited Buddhist concepts, bending them to express the Dharma in inspired ways; the powerful influence that Taoist and Confucian thought exerted in the formation of Ch'an and Zen; the emphasis the two schools have laid on excellence of character as well as on profound awakening; the experiential meaning and enduring importance to the tradition of ideals little associated with it today, like integrity, shame, and contentment; and how "knowing the tune" of a fellow student, a mentor, or a teacher of old lies at the heart of transmitting the Dharma. Lifting to attention a diverse set of ancient yet still luminous Dharma gems, Foster urges their relevance and value to us as students of the Buddha Way and as citizens of a world increasingly fractious and imperiled"--
"Maya has a dream of a jungle; walks into it and then gets lost. She wants to find her way back to herself. In Ganesha she finds her guide through the jungle. On waking up Maya remembers what she learns along the way; invoking the spirit of Ganesha"--
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