Buddhism: branches and groups Books
Wisdom Publications,U.S. Emptiness: A Practical Guide for Meditators
Book SynopsisA richly informed, practical guide to Buddhism’s most subtle teaching.Guy Armstrong has been a leading figure and beloved teacher of insight meditation for decades. In this book, he makes difficult Buddhist topics easy to understand, weaving together Theravada and Mahayana teachings on emptiness to show how we can liberate our minds and manifest compassion in our lives.
£11.69
Wisdom Publications,U.S. Early Buddhist Teachings
Book SynopsisA clear, elegant exploration of the basic teachings of early Buddhism, ideal for both general readers and scholars.Discover the birth of Buddhism and the essentials of Buddhist teachings with this clear, comprehensive explanation of early Buddhism’s key doctrines. You’ll come away with: insight into the beginning of Buddhism and the significance of its core beliefs—dependent arising, non-self, moral life, the diagnosis of the human condition, the critique of theoretical views, and the nature of Nibbana; a lucid understanding of the Buddha’s challenge to the concept of the subject as a self-entity and the reality of both the subject and object, perceiver and perceived, as a dynamic process; a grasp of early Buddhist teachings as representing a middle position (equally aloof from spiritual eternalism and materialist annihilation) and a middle path (equally aloof from self-mortification and sensual indulgence); and the experience of the Buddha’s teachings on attaining liberation as comprehensible, sensible, and something we can make part of our own practice.
£20.25
Wisdom Publications,U.S. Impermanence in Plain English
Book SynopsisThe bestselling author of Mindfulness in Plain English guides the reader toward a direct and personal realization of one of the foundational tenets of Buddhism: all things that arise must pass away.In Impermanence in Plain English, the beloved author and teacher Bhante Gunaratana, alongside Julia Harris, clearly and masterfully explains the key Buddhist insight of impermanence and invites the reader to personally investigate its truth. Once-youthful bodies grow old and weary. New thoughts, feelings, and sensations arise and fade every second. Impermanence is not some abstract, metaphysical idea. This is the Dhamma, and you can see it for yourself. Drawing from Pali scriptures and writing with fresh, direct language, Bhante Gunaratana and Julia Harris highlight the Buddha’s exhortation that we must directly realize for ourselves the liberating insights that free us from suffering and cyclic existence, without relying only on the word of religious authorities or academic or philosophical musings.
£12.74
Profile Books Ltd Essays in Zen Buddhism
Book Synopsis'Suzuki's works on Zen Buddhism are among the best contributions to the knowledge of living Buddhism' Carl Jung Essays in Zen Buddhism was the first book to fully introduce Zen in the West. In it, Dr D.T. Suzuki outlines the origins of Zen as a unique Chinese interpretation of the Doctrine of Enlightenment with the aim of attaining Satori ('Sudden Enlightenment'). He describes how Satori can be achieved and the methods that can bring it about - but always stresses that Zen has to be a way of life that can cope with the demands and frustrations of everyday life. Exploring the history of Buddhism, the daily life of a Zen monk and the path to enlightenment, Essays in Zen Buddhism offers an understanding of Zen not as a religion but as a way of perceiving, acting and being. It is both a classic introduction to Zen and a foundation for living a fulfilled life. After reaching enlightenment at the age of 27, Dr Suzuki spent the next 65 years writing about Buddhism and teaching in universities in Europe and the US. Widely regarded as the twentieth century's leading authority on Buddhism, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1963.Trade ReviewSuzuki's works on Zen Buddhism are among the best contributions to the knowledge of living Buddhism. * Carl Jung *He speaks of what he has experienced... the essential quality of Zen. * Erich Fromm *Dr Suzuki writes with authority... he is a Buddhist... He is honoured in every temple in Japan for his knowledge of spiritual things. -- Christmas Humphreys
£11.69
Shambhala Publications Inc The Experience of Insight: A Simple and Direct
Book SynopsisThis modern spiritual classic, presented as a thirty-day meditation retreat taught by Joseph Goldstein, offers timeless practical instructions and real-world advice for practicing meditation—whether walking or sitting in formal practice or engaging in everyday life. Goldstein—a beloved and respected meditation teacher who studied for many years under the guidance of eminent Buddhist teachers from India, Tibet, and Burma—uses the retreat format to explain various basic Buddhist teachings including karma, selflessness, and the four noble truths, while also drawing connections to many different spiritual traditions. With a new preface reflecting on how the conversation around meditation has changed over the last forty years, this book is the perfect companion for both experienced practitioners and those looking to get into meditation for the first time.
£14.39
Columbia University Press Baptizing Burma Religious Change in the Last
Book SynopsisBaptizing Burma explores the history of how the American Baptist mission to Burma failed to convert the country yet succeeded in transforming its religious landscape.Trade ReviewBaptizing Burma provides an important overview of religious change in Burma that provides insights relevant outside the narrow confines of religious studies. A well-researched and thought-out account of Burma, religion, and missionary activity, shedding light on the Judsons’ story, their legacy, and Burmese religious thought. * Asian Review of Books *Baptizing Burma will spur conversations among diverse scholars about multiple perspectives towards religious objects. * Asian Studies Review *Meticulously researched and theoretically distilled, Baptizing Burma offers fresh understandings of material culture among nineteenth-century Theravada Buddhists and converted Protestant American Baptist Christians in Myanmar. Kaloyanides’s insightful and clearly articulated analysis of religious change focuses on how sacred texts, schools, pagodas, and visual representations were revalorized in dynamic ways that proved transformational for adherents of both traditions. Essential reading for students of Southeast Asian religious cultures and history. -- John Clifford Holt, author of Theravada Traditions: Buddhist Ritual Cultures in Contemporary Southeast Asia and Sri LankaRich with multiperspectival sources and stories, Baptizing Burma offers a fascinating vantage point onto the material culture of nineteenth-century American Baptist missionaries to Burma. Alexandra Kaloyanides invites her reader to consider the lingering resonances of these missionaries and their images, sites of memory, and writings among U.S. and Burmese Baptists today. -- Pamela Klassen, author of The Story of Radio Mind: A Missionary's Journey on Indigenous LandBaptizing Burma reveals the nuanced and agentive interactions between American Baptist missionaries and Burmese Buddhists. Drawing on rich archives in counterintuitive ways, Baptizing Burma stands out for its exploration of religious landscapes and transformations unlimited by the imagined boundaries of Buddhism or Christianity. It is bound to reshape how we understand religion in colonial Burma. -- Alicia Turner, author of Saving Buddhism: The Impermanence of Religion in Colonial BurmaNeither a triumphalist insider account of the heroes of the mission nor a Saidian takedown of imperialist Orientalists, Baptizing Burma examines a series of objects as a window onto the translation from Baptist to Buddhist and vice versa. In the process Kaloyanides provides new ways of thinking about the interaction between Christian missionaries and Buddhists that resonate with recent work on the material aspects of Protestant missions in Africa, the Americas, and other parts of Asia. Because of her close attention to Buddhist doctrine and history, she also offers insights into Buddhist materiality. Not only did Protestants adopt different approaches to the material when they stepped away from their pulpits back home to enter the missionary field, Buddhists too worked within different frameworks of the material depending on their status within local society. -- John Kieschnick, author of Buddhist Historiography in ChinaTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1: The Book: Religious Texts of Nineteenth-Century Burma2: The School: Models of Religious Imagination in Burmese Education3: The Pagoda: Icons and Iconoclasm4: The Portrait: American Jesus in BurmaConclusionNotesWorks CitedIndex
£93.60
Columbia University Press Baptizing Burma Religious Change in the Last
Book SynopsisBaptizing Burma explores the history of how the American Baptist mission to Burma failed to convert the country yet succeeded in transforming its religious landscape.Trade ReviewBaptizing Burma provides an important overview of religious change in Burma that provides insights relevant outside the narrow confines of religious studies. A well-researched and thought-out account of Burma, religion, and missionary activity, shedding light on the Judsons’ story, their legacy, and Burmese religious thought. * Asian Review of Books *Baptizing Burma will spur conversations among diverse scholars about multiple perspectives towards religious objects. * Asian Studies Review *Meticulously researched and theoretically distilled, Baptizing Burma offers fresh understandings of material culture among nineteenth-century Theravada Buddhists and converted Protestant American Baptist Christians in Myanmar. Kaloyanides’s insightful and clearly articulated analysis of religious change focuses on how sacred texts, schools, pagodas, and visual representations were revalorized in dynamic ways that proved transformational for adherents of both traditions. Essential reading for students of Southeast Asian religious cultures and history. -- John Clifford Holt, author of Theravada Traditions: Buddhist Ritual Cultures in Contemporary Southeast Asia and Sri LankaRich with multiperspectival sources and stories, Baptizing Burma offers a fascinating vantage point onto the material culture of nineteenth-century American Baptist missionaries to Burma. Alexandra Kaloyanides invites her reader to consider the lingering resonances of these missionaries and their images, sites of memory, and writings among U.S. and Burmese Baptists today. -- Pamela Klassen, author of The Story of Radio Mind: A Missionary's Journey on Indigenous LandBaptizing Burma reveals the nuanced and agentive interactions between American Baptist missionaries and Burmese Buddhists. Drawing on rich archives in counterintuitive ways, Baptizing Burma stands out for its exploration of religious landscapes and transformations unlimited by the imagined boundaries of Buddhism or Christianity. It is bound to reshape how we understand religion in colonial Burma. -- Alicia Turner, author of Saving Buddhism: The Impermanence of Religion in Colonial BurmaNeither a triumphalist insider account of the heroes of the mission nor a Saidian takedown of imperialist Orientalists, Baptizing Burma examines a series of objects as a window onto the translation from Baptist to Buddhist and vice versa. In the process Kaloyanides provides new ways of thinking about the interaction between Christian missionaries and Buddhists that resonate with recent work on the material aspects of Protestant missions in Africa, the Americas, and other parts of Asia. Because of her close attention to Buddhist doctrine and history, she also offers insights into Buddhist materiality. Not only did Protestants adopt different approaches to the material when they stepped away from their pulpits back home to enter the missionary field, Buddhists too worked within different frameworks of the material depending on their status within local society. -- John Kieschnick, author of Buddhist Historiography in ChinaTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1: The Book: Religious Texts of Nineteenth-Century Burma2: The School: Models of Religious Imagination in Burmese Education3: The Pagoda: Icons and Iconoclasm4: The Portrait: American Jesus in BurmaConclusionNotesWorks CitedIndex
£25.50
McGill-Queen's University Press Seeding Buddhism with Multiculturalism
Book SynopsisHow Buddhist immigrants in Toronto transmit their teachings and traditions to the next generation.Trade Review"Seeding Buddhism with Multiculturalism offers an incredible amount of valuable, useful information that adds considerably to previous scholarship, enhancing the understanding of Buddhism in Canada in new and significant ways." Charles S. Prebish, Pennsylvania State University
£27.90
Temple University Press,U.S. Creating a Buddhist Community
Book SynopsisThe Wat Thai Buddhist Temple in Silicon Valley was founded in 1983 by a group of predominantly middle-class men and women with different ethnic and racial identities. The temple, which functions as a religious, social, economic, educational, and cultural hub, has become a place for the community members to engage in spiritual and cultural practices. In Creating a Buddhist Community, Jiemin Bao shows how the Wat Thai participants practice Buddhism and rework gender relationships in the course of organizing temple space, teaching meditation, schooling children in Thai language and culture, merit making, fundraising, and celebrating festivals. Bao's detailed account of the process of creating an inclusive temple community with Thai immigrants as the majority helps to deconstruct the exoticized view of Buddhism in American culture. Creating a Buddhist Community also explores Wat Thai's identification with both the United States and Thailand and how thisTable of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgments 1 Introduction: A Community in the Making 2 Creating a Temple Community 3 Erecting a Chapel: Carving Out Cultural Space 4 Monks in the Making 5 Merit Making: Transnational Circuits 6 Shaping and Performing Thai American Identities7 Conclusion: Interaction, Interdependence, and Transformations Notes GlossaryReferences Index
£21.59
Cornell University Press Remembering the Present
Book SynopsisThe book is ambitious and easy to read, has many rich descriptions, that would be good for undergraduates and graduate students interested in mindfulness, Southeast Asian Theravada Buddhism, and the anthropology of Buddhism. ? Religious Studies ReviewWhat is mindfulness, and how does it vary as a concept across different cultures? How does mindfulness find expression in practice in the Buddhist cultures of Southeast Asia? What role does mindfulness play in everyday life? J. L. Cassaniti answers these fundamental questions and more through an engaged ethnographic investigation of what it means to remember the present in a region strongly influenced by Buddhist thought.Focusing on Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar, Remembering the Present examines the meanings, practices, and purposes of mindfulness. Using the experiences of people in Buddhist monasteries, hospitals, markets, and homes in the region, Cassaniti shows how an attention to memTrade ReviewThe book is ambitious and easy to read, has many "rich descriptions," that would be good for undergraduates and graduate students interested in mindfulness, Southeast Asian Theravada Buddhism, and the anthropology of Buddhism * Religious Studies Review *The book is very clearly laid out, written in an engaging and accessible style, and it is appropriate for undergraduate classes and up. * MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY QUARTERLY *Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments Terms Introduction Part I. Thailand 1. Monks' Mindfulness 2. The Feeling of Mindfulness in Meditation 3. The Ghosts of Insanity in Lay Thai Life Part II. Burma and Sri Lanka 4. Burma 5. Sri Lanka Conclusion Notes Glossary References Index
£97.20
Cornell University Press Remembering the Present
Book SynopsisThe book is ambitious and easy to read, has many rich descriptions, that would be good for undergraduates and graduate students interested in mindfulness, Southeast Asian Theravada Buddhism, and the anthropology of Buddhism. ? Religious Studies ReviewWhat is mindfulness, and how does it vary as a concept across different cultures? How does mindfulness find expression in practice in the Buddhist cultures of Southeast Asia? What role does mindfulness play in everyday life? J. L. Cassaniti answers these fundamental questions and more through an engaged ethnographic investigation of what it means to remember the present in a region strongly influenced by Buddhist thought.Focusing on Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar, Remembering the Present examines the meanings, practices, and purposes of mindfulness. Using the experiences of people in Buddhist monasteries, hospitals, markets, and homes in the region, Cassaniti shows how an attention to memTrade ReviewThe book is ambitious and easy to read, has many "rich descriptions," that would be good for undergraduates and graduate students interested in mindfulness, Southeast Asian Theravada Buddhism, and the anthropology of Buddhism * Religious Studies Review *The book is very clearly laid out, written in an engaging and accessible style, and it is appropriate for undergraduate classes and up. * MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY QUARTERLY *Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments Terms Introduction Part I. Thailand 1. Monks' Mindfulness 2. The Feeling of Mindfulness in Meditation 3. The Ghosts of Insanity in Lay Thai Life Part II. Burma and Sri Lanka 4. Burma 5. Sri Lanka Conclusion Notes Glossary References Index
£25.19
Shambhala Publications Inc Teachings of the Buddha
Book Synopsis
£13.99
Wisdom Publications,U.S. The Signless and the Deathless: On the
Book SynopsisAn insightful examination of the end of suffering that draws much-needed attention to two overlooked factors of Nirvana: signlessness and deathlessness.Nirvana is a critical part of the Buddhist path, though it remains a difficult concept to fully understand for Buddhist practitioners. In The Signless and the Deathless: On the Realization of Nirvana, scholar-monk Bhikkhu Analayo breaks new ground, or rediscovers old ground, by showing the reader that realizing Nirvana entails “a complete stepping out of the way the mind usually constructs experience.” With his extraordinary mastery of canonical Buddhist languages, Venerable Analayo first takes the reader through discussions in early Buddhist suttas on signs (Pali nimitta), the characteristic marks of things that signal to us what they are, and on cultivating concentration on signlessness as a meditative practice. Through practicing bare awareness, we can stop defilements that come from grasping at signs—and stop signs from arising in the first place. He then turns to deathlessness. Deftly avoiding the extremes of nihilism and eternalism that often cloud our understanding of Nirvana, Venerable Analayo shows us that deathless as an epithet of Nirvana “stands for the complete transcendence of mental affliction by mortality”—ours or others’—and that it is achievable while still alive. Advanced practitioners and scholars alike will value the work for its meticulous academic expertise and its novel way of explaining the highest of all Buddhist goals—the final end of suffering.
£22.50
Althea Press Practicing Mindfulness: 75 Essential Meditations
Book SynopsisCalm the mind and begin the path to finding peace with these simple mindfulness meditations Mindfulness is an evidence-based method for reducing stress and anxiety, enhancing resilience, and maintaining mental well-being. Even short meditations can turn a bad day around, ground us in the present moment, and help us approach life with gratitude and kindness. Practicing Mindfulness was created by the founder of One Mind Dharma. He developed these 75 essential exercises to offer practical guidance for anyone who wants to realize the benefits of mindful meditation.This book includes: EVIDENCE-BASED ADVICE: Find expert advice on dealing with distorted or wandering thoughts and how to handle mental blocks. MEDITATIONS THAT GROW WITH YOUR CONFIDENCE LEVEL: Early meditations in Practicing Mindfulness take just 5 minutes and are highly accessible. As they progress, exercises grow with the reader, building on previous lessons to develop a transformative mindfulness practice. MEDITATIONS TO HELP IN SPECIFIC SITUATIONS: With meditations designed for specific situations or emotions, even experienced practitioners who have trained their mind will have a continuing resource for mindfulness at every moment. Begin a journey of peace and patience today on the path to a calmer, more balanced life with Practicing Mindfulness.
£12.99
£11.64
Zolag Abhidhamma in Daily Life
£20.90
Wisdom Moon Publishing Mudras of the Buddha (His Life and Works): Each
Book Synopsis
£28.65
Silkworm Books / Trasvin Publications LP The Ascendancy of Theravada Buddhism in Southeast
Book SynopsisThis wide-ranging account of early Buddhism in Southeast Asia overthrows dominant theories among both Western and Asian Scholars. The author argues that Pali-based Buddhism was brought from India and Sri Lanka by merchants, monks, and pilgrims by the fourth century. Several schools flourished alongside Brahmanism, Mahayanism, and local spirit beliefs--in coexistence rather than conflict. There was no "conversion" to Theravada in the eleventh century as the school was already well established. Prapod draws on a broad range of source material including inscriptions, texts, archaeology, iconography, architecture, and anthropology from India, Sri Lanka, China, and the region itself. He highlights the lived tradition of religious practice rather than scriptural sources.
£34.00
