Buddhism Books
Red Wheel/Weiser Secrets of Tantric Buddhism: Understanding the
Book Synopsis
£15.19
North Atlantic Books,U.S. Time to Stand Up: An Engaged Buddhist Manifesto
Book SynopsisTime to Stand Up retells the story of the historical Buddha, one of the greatest sacred activists of all time, as a practical human being whose teachings of freedom from suffering are more relevant than ever in this time of global peril. Evolving onward from the patriarchal template of spiritual warriors and their quests, former nun Thanissara explores awakening from within a feminine view where the archetypes of lover and nurturer are placed as central and essential for a sustainable world.Vital is an investigation into the pinnacle of Buddhist practice, the realization of the "liberated heart." Thanissara questions the narrative of "transcendence" and invites us into the lived reality of our deepest heart as it guides our journey of healing, reclamation, and redemption. As the book unfolds, the author examines traditional Buddhism--often fraught with gender discrimination--and asks the important question, "Can Buddhist schools, overly attached to hierarchal power structures, and often divorced from the radical and free inquiry exemplified by the Buddha, truly offer the ground for maturing awakening without undertaking a fundamental review of their own shadows?"Chapter by chapter, the book relates Siddhartha Gautama''s awakening to the sea-change occurring on Earth in present time as we as a civilization become aware of the ethical bankruptcy of the nuclear and fossil fuel industry and the psychopathic corporate and military abuse of power currently terrorizing our planet. Thanissara relates the Buddha''s story to real-life individuals who are living through these transitional times, such as Iraq war veterans, First Nation People, and the Dalai Lama. Time to Stand Up gives examples of the Buddha''s activism, such as challenging a racist caste system and violence against animals, stopping war, transforming a serial killer, and laying down a nonhierarchical structure of community governance, actions that would seem radical even today.Thanissara explores ways forward, deepening our understanding of meditation and mindfulness, probing its use to pacify ourselves as the cogs in the corporate world by helping people be more functional in a dysfunctional systems--and shows how these core Buddhist practices can inspire a wake-up call for action for our sick and suffering planet Earth.About the Sacred Activism seriesWhen the joy of compassionate service is combined with the pragmatic drive to transform all existing economic, social, and political institutions, a radical divine force is born: Sacred Activism. The Sacred Activism Series, published by North Atlantic Books, presents leading voices that embody the tenets of Sacred Activism--compassion, service, and sacred consciousness--while addressing the crucial issues of our time and inspiring radical action.
£12.59
North Atlantic Books,U.S. Moonlight Leaning Against an Old Rail Fence:
Book SynopsisA rich and original collection of Dharma teachings, Moonlight Leaning Against an Old Rail Fence weaves the poetic and the expository in a series of Zen poems and commentaries that invite both direct experience and meditative study. Paul Weiss evokes the awake, pristine, and poetic nature of our human experience while also examining the mechanisms of ego that define our personal and cultural experience of separation and suffering. Here you will find simple, ecstatic celebrations of luminous and transparent reality; clarification of technical points of practice; support for everyday life; and reflections on issues of history, culture, and human ecology. All become threads in a jeweled net of integrative spiritual thought and practice that will inform and encourage any reader''s practice, contemplation and personal growth. Moonlight Leaning Against an Old Rail Fence points beyond our literal fixations with language, ideas, and doctrines to the great ungraspable poetic reality that is expressed in all our spirituality and in all our human experience.
£15.29
Shambhala Publications Inc The Pocket Dalai Lama
Book SynopsisThis collection of wisdom on a wide range of topics is a pocket-sized inspirational companion for anyone—and the perfect short introduction to the Dalai Lama for the beginner. It includes short gems from many of his teachings made popular in such books as The Art of Happiness and Ethics for the New Millennium, as well as on subjects such as religion, politics, peacework, and human rights.
£9.83
Shambhala Publications Inc At Hell's Gate: A Soldier's Journey from War to
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£16.19
Shambhala Publications Inc Awake at Work: 35 Practical Buddhist Principles
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£15.29
Shambhala Publications Inc It's Up to You: The Practice of Self-Reflection
Book SynopsisOn the spiritual path we speak of enlightenment. But how do we reconcile the idea of enlightenment with what we see when we look in the mirror—when insecurities, doubts, and self-centered tendencies arise in our minds? Dzigar Kongtrül suggests that we need not feel “doomed” when these experiences surface. In fact, such experiences are not a problem if we are able to simply let them arise without judging them or investing them with so much meaning. This approach to experience is what Kongtrül calls self-reflection. Self-reflection is a practice, a path, and an attitude. It is the spirit of taking an interest in that which we usually try to push away. When we practice self-reflection we take liberation into our own hands and accept the challenge and personal empowerment in Kongtrül’s title: it’s up to you.
£16.19
Shambhala Publications Inc The Bodhi Tree Grows in L.A.: Tales of a Buddhist
Book SynopsisTruth is regularly stranger than fiction for the abbot of a Buddhist temple in the far-from-tranquil inner city of Los Angeles, California. Whether he is talking a dangerously unbalanced man out of buying a gun, confronting a naked woman in his meditation hall, or helping gamblers reform, Bhante Walpola Piyananda demonstrates that every experience can be an opportunity for learning and appreciating the Buddha''s teachings. Bhante Piyananda also reflects on social and political issues such as the racial tension in his neighborhood after the Rodney King trial and the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddha statues in Afganistan.
£999.99
Shambhala Publications Inc The Experience of Samadhi: An In-depth
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£999.99
Shambhala Publications Inc Light Comes Through: Buddhist Teachings on
Book SynopsisFresh and direct Buddhist teachings on how our natural wish to be happy is the best tool we have for true spiritual growth Buddhahood, says Dzigar Kongtrül, is nothing but an unobstructed experience of the nature of mind, boundlessly spacious and limitlessly compassionate. The trick is that in order to see the mind accurately, we must use the particular aspect of mind he calls natural intelligence. Natural intelligence enables us to discriminate between what helps or hinders us. But most of all, it’s the part of us that searches for happiness and meaning. In Light Comes Through, he shows us how to skillfully use our wish for happiness as a tool in awakening to the joyous wisdom of mind.“This is a wonderful fresh look at the amazing potential of our human mind.” —Pema Chödrön, author of When Things Fall Apart
£16.19
Shambhala Publications Inc In the Face of Fear: Buddhist Wisdom for
Book SynopsisMost of us have never experienced such deep anxiety and uncertainty in the world as we are in these current times; this anthology of Buddhist teachings offers an antidote. While we can’t control the home foreclosures, job losses, dwindling savings, and the other myriad challenges facing our society, Buddhism teaches us that there is one thing we can always control: our own state of mind. How we react to the ups and downs of life makes all the difference, and Buddhism offers a wealth of wisdom and practices to help us maintain a stable, wise, and helpful state of mind no matter what happens. In the Face of Fear shows us how to • remain open, joyful, and caring, even when life is stressful • avoid old behavior patterns that only make things worse • access our innate confidence and fearlessness • turn difficult times into opportunities for spiritual development • learn why caring for others is the best way to relieve our own suffering • discover that our true nature is always awake, wise, and good, no matter what is happening This anthology features the greatest contemporary Buddhist teachers and writers—people renowned for addressing precisely the problems we’re facing today—including the Dalai Lama, Pema Chödrön, Thich Nhat Hanh, Chögyam Trungpa, Sylvia Boorstein, Jack Kornfield, Norman Fischer, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Sharon Salzberg, and many others.
£18.90
Shambhala Publications Inc The Essence of Buddhism: An Introduction to Its
Book SynopsisA clear and concise introduction to the teachings and philosophies of the three main vehicles of Buddhism—Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana—through a Tibetan lensThis comprehensive guide to the Buddhist path from the Tibetan point of view is as accessible as it is complete. Traleg Kyabgon breaks the teachings down conveniently into the three traditional “vehicles,” while never letting us forget that the point of all the Dharma is nothing other than insight into the mind and heart. Along the way he provides vivid definitions of fundamental Buddhist concepts such as compassion, emptiness, and Buddha-nature and answers common questions such as:• Why does Buddhism teach that there is “no self”?• Are Buddhist teachings pessimistic?• Does Buddhism encourage social passivity?• What is the role of sex in Buddhist tantra?• Why is it said that samsara is nirvana?• Does it take countless lifetimes to attain enlightenment, or can it be achieved in a moment?
£999.99
Shambhala Publications Inc The Path Is the Goal: A Basic Handbook of
Book SynopsisLessons on the true purpose and power of meditation, from one of the great mastersAccording to the Buddha, no one can attain basic sanity or enlightenment without practicing meditation. It is the essential spiritual practice—and nothing else is more important. In The Path is the Goal, Chögyam Trungpa teaches us to let go of the urge to make meditation serve our ambition; thus we can relax into openness. We are shown how the deliberate practice of mindfulness develops into contrived awareness, and we discover the world of insight that awareness reveals. We learn of a subtle psychological stage set that we carry with us everywhere and unwittingly use to structure all our experience—and we find that meditation gradually carries us beyond this and beyond ego altogether to the experience of unconditioned freedom. The teachings presented here—all in Trungpa''s concise, accessible style—provide the foundation that every practitioner needs to awaken as the Buddha did.
£16.14
Shambhala Publications Inc Rebel Buddha: A Guide to a Revolution of Mind
Book SynopsisThere’s a rebel within you. It’s the part of you that already knows how to break free of fear and unhappiness. This rebel is the voice of your own awakened mind. It’s your rebel buddha—the sharp, clear intelligence that resists the status quo. It wakes you up from the sleepy acceptance of your day-to-day reality and shows you the power of your enlightened nature. It’s the vibrant, insightful energy that compels you to seek the truth. Dzogchen Ponlop guides you through the inner revolution that comes from unleashing your rebel buddha. He explains how, by training your mind and understanding your true nature, you can free yourself from needless suffering. He presents a thorough introduction to the essence of the Buddha’s teachings and argues that, if we are to bring these teachings fully into our personal experience, we must go beyond the cultural trappings of traditional Asian Buddhism. “We all want to find some meaningful truth about who we are,” he says, “but we can only find it guided by our own wisdom—by our own rebel buddha within.”
£17.19
Shambhala Publications Inc The Buddha Is Still Teaching: Contemporary
Book SynopsisWhen the Buddha set in motion the wheel of Dharma, he knew that the teaching he gave was inexhaustible—that every future generation would find its own skillful ways to convey it to the hearts and minds of those ready to hear. The Buddha Is Still Teaching is testimony to the fulfillment of that promise today. The selections it contains, from today’s most highly regarded contemporary Buddhist teachers, bring the Dharma eloquently to life for us in our own time, place, and culture. They demonstrate that two and a half millennia have done nothing to diminish the freshness of the Buddhist teachings, or their universal applicability to our lives. Contributors include: Ajahn Chah, Charlotte Joko Beck, Sylvia Boorstein, Tara Brach, Pema Chödrön, the Dalai Lama, Ram Dass, Mark Epstein, Norman Fischer, Natalie Goldberg, Joseph Goldstein, Dilgo Khyentse, Jack Kornfield, Noah Levine, Stephen Levine, Sakyong Mipham, Sharon Salzberg, Suzuki Roshi, Robert Thurman, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Tulku Thondup. To learn more about the author, visit his website at www.jackkornfield.org.
£20.70
Shambhala Publications Inc The Power of an Open Question: The Buddha's Path
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£15.19
Lantern Books,US The Great Compassion: Buddhism and Animal Rights
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£17.09
Select Books Inc The Buddha from Babylon: The Lost History and
Book SynopsisThe sudden death of the Persian Emperor in 522 BCE is one of history’s great mysteries. Was his demise self-inflicted, accidental, an assassination, or due to natural causes? The author contends that during this incident Siddhartha Gautama may have been the leader of Babylon's Magi, an interfaith order that assumed governance of the region. The situation exploded when Darius the Great seized the throne. Simultaneously the Magi Order was purged as Siddhartha, prince of the Saka nation headed back east to the Indus. Could this event have inspired the creation of Buddhism as a pacifist movement dedicated to the pursuit of self-transformation, goodwill, and universal compassion?The Buddha from Babylon: The Lost History and Cosmic Vision of Siddhartha Gautama uncovers new evidence that solves this age-old mystery and discovers Babylonian influences in the Buddha's revelations. The Buddha from BabylonL The Lost History and Cosmic Vision of Siddhartha Gautama is a double winn er of the USA Best Book Awards for (World) History-Non-Fiction and for Eastern Non-Fiction books.Trade ReviewTo know the truth of where and how Buddhism all began still holds mystery...The Buddha from Babylon could be the answer to many questions... This is a fascinating and hugely informative read. -- Mariel Hemingway, actor and producer; host of Spiritual Cinema; co-author of Running with NatureHarvey Kraft's ambitious and groundbreaking book, The Buddha from Babylon, challenges conventional beliefs about who the Buddha actually was and shows how Buddhism began just as the military might of the Persian Empire arises. -- David Rasch, PhD, Psychologist/Ombuds at Stanford University, and author of The Blocked Writer's Book of the DeadMr. Kraft will take you on a roller coaster of historical information; describing the cycle of religions in ancient times that were based on power and greed. -- Robyn Lebron, author, Searching for Spiritual Unity: A Guide to Forty of the World's ReligionsHarvey Kraft's perspective as a spiritual archaeologist allows him to merge his keen understanding of Buddhism and ancient religions into a unique perspective that is at once insightful and revolutionary. -- Dan Shafer, author of The Power of I AM, and the international bestseller, HyperTalk Programming
£17.05
Sounds True Inc Present Moment
Book SynopsisBuddhism teaches that the present moment contains the seeds of all things, including liberation from samsara (the world of suffering). In this live audio retreat with Thich Nhat Hanh, you experience firsthand the traditional Buddhist practices designed to touch the energy of mindfulness that you carry within, and learn how to open to the joy that is always present and waiting to enter our lives. As a humble Buddhist monk in 1966, Thich Nhat Hanh was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King, Jr. Since that time, he has developed a special way of teaching the dharma (essential Buddhist truths) in the West—a way that addresses the spiritual challenges unique to our day, while honoring all faiths. The seeds of internal and external peace are already inside you, he teaches. You need only learn to contact and nurture them. This is the path to transcending fear and anger; this is the path to a more peaceful world. You will learn a treasury of detailed meditations to help you walk, breathe, communicate—even cope with traffic—more deeply and consciously. The Present Moment is a rare opportunity to learn ancient Buddhist practices directly from a living master of the tradition—practices that are life-changing today, just as they were thousands of years ago. More than seven hours of direct instruction from this living master of Buddhist meditation techniques. Learn More About: The Five Skandhas • The Five Wonderful Precepts • The Heart Sutra • The Five Prostrations • Birth and death • How to practice breathing as the living dharma (truth) • The greatest gift of meditation and mindfulness: nonfear • How to break the habit of forgetfulness, and replace it with the real peace of mindfulness • Buddhist awareness practices to apply to driving your car, answering the phone, even eating and reading • The hungry ghost—what Thich Nhat Hanh calls the most important phenomenon of our time • Principles of Buddhist psychology • How to transform difficult emotions within yourself
£50.25
Sounds True Inc Awakening Compassion
Book SynopsisFor more than 800 years, Tibetan Buddhists have used the practice of lojong, or mind training, to transform difficulties into insights. Lojong training is grounded in a special meditation technique and complemented by 59 written maxims—a treasury of practical wisdom that inspires everyday awareness. On Awakening Compassion, Pema Chödrön, one of the Western world's best-known lojong teachers and practitioners, shows you how to use your own painful emotions as stepping stones to wisdom, compassion, and fearlessness. You will learn how to make friends with the painful parts of your life experience and how to use your natural courage and honesty to transform even the most difficult situations. With an informal teaching style, both playful and insightful, Pema Chödrön makes this timeless way of bringing compassion into the world easy to understand and apply to your own life. More than seven hours of practical, compassionate guidance for shedding your cocoon and meeting your world with fresh appreciation. Includes a nine-page study guide with lojong slogans and additional resources. Learn More About: How to see your life freshly, clearly, and vividly • Using the lojong slogans to cultivate your bravery • The attitude of a bodhisattva, or fully awakened person • Practical techniques for working with jealousy, resentment, and rage • How to open your heart in even the most difficult situations • On-the-spot practices for dealing with anger, jealousy, and fear • How to change the habits that shut you off from those who love you most • The secret of transforming conflict into genuine communication
£48.00
Sounds True Inc Science of Enlightenment: Teachings and
Book SynopsisWhat is enlightenment? Is it a myth or is it real? On The Science of Enlightenment, you will learn that the liberated state is as real as the sensations you are having right now. For it is through the investigation of your own thoughts and feelings that you can awaken to clear insight and a happiness independent of conditions: the state of enlightenment. Through his expertise in both science and spirituality, meditation teacher Shinzen Young demystifies the principles of awakening hidden within the world's great spiritual traditions and shows you how to use them in your own life. Here, in an unequaled 14-CD course covering traditional teachings, scientific insights, and practical instructions, you will test for yourself the discoveries of the great wisdom traditions, including Buddhism, Christianity, Jewish mysticism, Sufism, Hinduism, shamanism, and many others. Why is single-pointed concentration so highly regarded on every contemplative path? How do you move beyond emotional/intellectual blocks and into a state of highest presence? Where do psychic powers and other mystical phenomena fit in the architecture of enlightenment? How do you know if your meditation practice is working? On The Science of Enlightenment, Shinzen Young elucidates these questions with precision and intelligence, demonstrating why he is regarded as one of the Western world's most articulate and understandable teachers of classical mystical experience. The search for awakening is not limited to a chosen few. It is a field open for you to investigate—once you possess the inner technologies to do so. Now you can begin that investigation with The Science of Enlightenment. Includes six complete guided meditation sessions. Learn More About: Six common traps on the path to awakening - and how to avoid them • Ancient mystical teachings in clear, modern language • Fascinating research about meditation and your brain-wave states, perceptual acuity, oxygen levels, and aging • How meditation enhances your learning, athletic performance, relationships, and emotional life • Why your body is the greatest mystical teacher • How to digest harmful mental blockages through inner work • Samadhi—your inner microscope for self-understanding • Inner healing techniques you won't learn in psychotherapy • What to do if you lack discipline • An expansive survey of awakening practices from their tribal roots to the Information Age Course objectives: Discuss the benefits of having a regular meditation practice • Recognize the similarities between the world’s oldest and largest spiritual traditions in terms of practices of concentration and ideas of enlightenment • Utilize meditation practices that focus on relaxation, the body, thinking, the sense of self, expanding and contracting, and the sensory field • Describe the meaning of enlightenment and the Buddhist practices used to reach enlightenment • Summarize the Buddhist perspective on the self, "the no-self," and how this is brought into meditation practice • Apply Western scientific knowledge to Eastern spiritual practices in order to understand the benefits of both • Identify the differences between reaching the source of consciousness/enlightenment, and the realm of power/new age phenomena
£74.25
Sounds True Inc True Happiness
Book SynopsisAn American Buddhist nun examines the root of happiness, explains why our methods of obtaining happiness only make matters worse, unmasks the mystery of this paradox, and helps us cultivate a sense of happiness.
£56.25
Sounds True Inc Spontaneous Awakening
Book SynopsisEnter the “Ordinary State” of Enlightenment Many of us share the belief that enlightenment is rare—that true spiritual awakening only happens for extraordinary people. According to Adyashanti, this idea may actually be the most powerful impediment to our awakening. On Spontaneous Awakening, he invites you to inquire into the “ordinary nature” of enlightenment—and the profound truth of who you really are. “Do not think that enlightenment is going to make you special—it’s not. If you feel special in any way, then enlightenment has not occurred,” teaches Adyashanti. So where do we start? With the desire to look fearlessly at and inquire passionately into truth, explains Adyashanti. “When you stop resisting experience, what remains is the bliss of sheer nothingness. And everything that is possible lives in that nothingness.” With more than seven hours of teachings, two guided meditations, and an exclusive Sounds True interview, Spontaneous Awakening is an eye-opening program that explores topics including: The self-authenticating nature of spiritual discovery • The link between personal awareness and awareness itself • How attachment can lead to complete freedom and unattachment • Why genuine spiritual knowing requires mental subtraction—not addition.
£44.00
Sounds True Inc Falling into Grace: Insights on the End of
Book Synopsis"You've felt it your whole life. You've always known there's something inside of you that's sought to be born fresh and real–something far beyond your imagination trying to break out and be. Everyone feels this inside. But to allow life to express itself in that way, with that much abandon, requires a true surrender into the unknown."—AdyashantiAdyashanti asks us to let go of our struggles with life and open to the full promise of spiritual awakening: the end of delusion and the discovery and expression of our essential being. After 15 years as a spiritual teacher, Adyashanti has found that the simpler the teaching, the greater its power to initiate this awakening. On Falling into Grace, he shares what he considers fundamental insights to "open ourselves to that mysterious element that enters in the hidden and quiet moments and sparks a revolution in the way that we perceive life." Wherever you may be on your own spiritual path, you will find in these sessions down-to-earth guidance on breaking the trance of ego, experiencing the raw energy of emotion, cultivating inner stability, transcending the world of opposites, and more. In the same way that we fall into the arms of a loved one or drop our heads on the pillow at night, we can surrender into the beauty and truth of who and what we really are. Falling into Grace is a program that gets to the core of why we suffer, and allows us to explore Adyashanti's invitation "to be taken by a moment of grace and fall into a sense of life when it is not separate from you, when life is actually an expression of something indefinable, mysterious, and immense." Highlights: The human dilemma–the concept of a separate self and the choice to stop believing the thoughts that perpetuate suffering • “Taking the backward step” into the pure potential of the present moment • Why spiritual awakening can be a disturbing process • Intimacy and availability–feeling absolute union with every part of our experience • True autonomy–the unique expression of our own sense of freedom Adyashanti began teaching in 1996 at the request of his Zen teacher of 14 years. Adya's teachings have been compared to some of the early Ch'an (Zen) masters of China as well as teachers of Advaita Vedanta in India. His award–winning books include Emptiness Dancing, The End of Your World, and True Meditation.
£50.25
Sounds True Inc How to Meditate with Pema Chodron: A Practical
Book SynopsisIntroduces a complete course for those new to meditation, helping listeners honestly meet and compassionately relate with the mind--the fundamental skill in meditations--as they explore the basics of mindfulness, overcoming common obstacles, guided sessions for resting in the nature of the mind, and more.
£22.50
Penguin Putnam Inc The Essence of Happiness: A Guidebook for Living
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£16.96
Shanghai Press Chinese Zen: A Path to Peace and Happiness
Book SynopsisIn Chinese Zen, author Prof. Yansheng shows how Zen, with its universal concern for the human condition, can help the individual achieve happiness and spiritual stability through a "eureka moment" of enlightenment that liberates the mind from its world of competing interests.By drawing on the vast literature of Chinese Zen Buddhism, Prof. Yansheng presents traditional Buddhist sayings, stories and dialogues that illustrate the way historical masters of Zen sought to induce their pupils to reduced inner conflict. In so doing, he allows the reader a panoramic view of the origins and development of Zen Buddhism in China and demonstrates its influence on literature in particular.
£13.25
New World Library Sacred Jewels of Yoga: Wisdom from India's
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£12.99
Divine Arts The Sacred Sites of the Dalai Lamas
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£21.47
Stone Bridge Press A Straight Road with 99 Curves: Coming of Age on
Book Synopsis"Deeply involving, instructive, and capable of touching any reader who cares about the search for meaning."--Mitch Horowitz, author of Occult America "In being so frank about his own struggles and fantasies, Greg's personal tale becomes something more universal."--David R. Loy, author of Money, Sex, War, Karma: Notes for a Buddhist Revolution In 1971, when Greg Shepherd was in his early twenties, he left New Jersey and joined the Koko An Zendo community in Hawaii. What began as a quest for enlightenment became Greg's confrontation with his own inner demons: his need for approval, his distrust of authority, and his ego-driven fixation on achieving the profound spiritual breakthrough of kensho ("the Big K"). Later, in Japan, he struggled with prejudice and cultural rigidity and found his deeper meditations leading to actual panic attacks over fear of losing himself. Ultimately, he broke with Zen and his teachers to pursue a career in music. This frank memoir traces Greg Shepherd's meandering path from seeker to disillusionment, and, over a decade later, his way back to Zen and inner peace. We experience Zen practice in Japan and Hawaii and meet Zen masters Yamada Koun Roshi and Robert Aitken, the "dean of American Buddhism" (who had once pegged Greg as his successor). And we understand why Zen was so appealing to the American counterculture and how its profound lessons of focus and detachment remain insightful and important. Gregory Shepherd has studied Zen since the early 1970s in Hawaii and Japan. He is associate professor of music at Kauai Community College.Trade Review"Dug your book, Greg. Dug your version of the '99 curves'. It's shone light on mine."-Jeff Bridges, actor "His portrayal of his brash younger self is a fresh and intensely human portrait compared to the perfect, innocuous paragons of peace ordinarily presented in Zen texts... Shepherd's memoir transcends its subject matter and serves as a poignant reminder of something more fundamental to the human condition: the continual search for validity and meaning."--Publishers WeeklyTable of ContentsA Straight Road with Ninety Nine Curves: Coming of Age on the Path of Zen" By Gregory Shepherd TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE I return to Kamakura, Japan in 2002 for a short visit. I had left Yamada Koun Roshi’s San Un Zendo 18 years earlier after a falling out. Now, all these years later, I stand outside the temple gate, wondering what went wrong and why. I resolve to recall and write down the events of those days in order to try and make sense of them. I remember… CHAPTER TWO I remember my childhood in New Jersey where I was raised in a strict Catholic environment that I rebelled against. Rebellion becomes a salient part of my character both now and later in my Zen practice. The reader also meets my brother, Paul, a fellow traveler on the path of Zen. Together we begin to read all manner of esoteric literature and begin our fledgling practice. CHAPTER THREE Paul and I arrive in Hawaii where we promptly become residents of Koko An, the residential center for the Diamond Sangha which had been started by Robert Aitken in 1959. In addition to my zazen practice, I read everything about Zen that I can get my hands on. One of these books, “The Three Pillars of Zen”, has a section devoted to the personal enlightenment accounts of several people, including a man identified simply as “Mr. K.Y.” who has an experience of incredible magnitude. CHAPTER FOUR While at Koko An, I have an experience which I am convinced is a true kensho, or Enlightenment. I will find out for sure soon enough: “Mr. K.Y.” or “The Three Pillars of Zen” is coming to Koko An to lead a weeklong sesshin, or retreat. CHAPTER FIVE The sesshin begins. I go to dokusan, the one-on-one interviews between students and the teacher, and to discover to my great chagrin that Yamada Roshi does not think I’ve had kensho at all. I am crushed, but soon redouble my efforts at Enlightenment. CHAPTER SIX I spend a training period at Maui Zendo in preparation for another sesshin with Yamada Roshi who will return to Hawaii in several months. At the end of this sesshin, I ask Yamada if I might be able to come to Japan and study with him. He gives his permission. CHAPTER SEVEN I arrive in Japan and feel immediately disillusioned at the noise and pollution which stands in stark contrast to my idealized version of a land of refinement and sensitivity with shakuhachi flutes trilling over still waters. I go to a sesshin led by Yamada Roshi. He confirms my kensho experience…but I feel unchanged. Is there something wrong with me? Why haven't the heavens opened up in jubilation? CHAPTER EIGHT I begin my actual life in Japan, learning the language and customs, and teaching English to support myself. My disillusionment with the country increases, especially when I am continually gawked at in the streets and called names along the lines of "fucking foreigner". CHAPTER NINE I get to know Yamada Roshi better. One of most striking things I learn about him is that, despite his cataclysmic enlightenment experience, he has a volcanic temper on occasion. I find this both bewildering and liberating. I have a temper of my own and now don't feel so bad about it. On the other hand, I had thought that enlightenment as deep as his would have elevated him to a higher plane of existence where he remained eternally unperturbed by the trials of life. What's going on here? CHAPTER TEN I find deep in the mountains an old, abandoned hut near Engaku-ji, one of the most famous Buddhist temples in Japan. I immediately co-opt it on weekends for mountain zazen. It is peaceful and serene---until a group of schoolchildren stumble upon it and me inside sitting in the lotus position. They are dumbstruck until one of them shouts "Gaijin!" at the top of his voice and they all go running away as if they have had a face-to-face encounter with Godzilla. Later on, Yamada Roshi's wife broaches the topic of my future, implying that I will one day be a "wonderful roshi". This somehow does not jibe with my feelings about myself---especially since I have recently been experiencing bizarre panic attacks. How could I possibly lead others in their spiritual practice if I myself am so imperfect? I fly back to Hawaii, relieved to be out of Japan. CHAPTER ELEVEN Bob Aitken is now Aitken Roshi, having been "ordained" by Yamada Roshi. He is now a teacher in his own right, and he makes it clear that he wants me to be his successor. I still feel wholly unsuited for any such role, particularly since I am only 23 years old and continuing to have the baffling panic attacks. The cognitive dissonance between being groomed to be a Zen master and having unpredictable panic attacks is too much for me. I resolve to leave Zen life and do what I really want to do: pursue music. Aitken Roshi is crushed. Neither of us is a good communicator, however, and we part ways without discussion. A long estrangement begins. CHAPTER TWELVE I major in music at the University of Hawaii and begin a Master's degree in ethnomusicology with a concentration on Japanese music. Despite my earlier disillusionment with the culture, I still feel a strong pull back to the country. I apply for and win a long-term Graduate Fellowship from the Japanese Ministry of Education. I will be studying at Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music, and I will be living again in Kamakura. I begin attending San Un Zendo again, but my relationship with Yamada Roshi and the senior leaders at the temple deteriorate as I bridle against the authoritarianism implicit in Japanese Zen, something I feel is an unnecessary cultural accretion rather than anything intrinsically arising out of Buddhism. After my fellowship ends, I return to Hawaii without attempting a rapprochement with Yamada Roshi. CHAPTER THIRTEEN Back in Hawaii, I am unable to find employment in academia. I begin working as a lowly busboy at a TGI Friday's. I feel that I have wasted my life because of Zen. I had given up a full scholarship to an Ivy League university, traipsed to Hawaii and Japan to study Zen---and all I had to show for it was dead-end jobs. I sink to a very low point. A year or so later I am offered a teaching position at Kauai Community College. My economic salvation has come. But I am still deeply unsettled by the essential dukkha (unsatisfactoriness) of life. A series of events leads me back to zazen. Eventually, I return to the Diamond Sangha, but there is still a great deal of tension between me and Aitken Roshi over my leaving the sangha years earlier. However, he is now retired, and his successor, Michael Kieran, is someone I have known for years. We re-establish an easy rapport and I resume my koan study. In time, I have several Zen experiences that clarify my existential doubts. For the first time in my life, I feel whole. EPILOGUE I return to Kamakura to revisit San Un Zendo. Closure at last.
£10.99
Shambhala Publications Inc Bringing Home the Dharma: Awakening Right Where
Book SynopsisWe don’t have to look to the East for the secrets of awakening—the wisdom and peace we seek is available right here, in our ordinary daily lives If you want to find inner peace and wisdom, you don’t need to move to an ashram or monastery. Your life, just as it is, is the perfect place to be. Here Jack Kornfield, one of America’s most respected Buddhist teachers, shares this and other key lessons gleaned from more than forty years of committed study and practice. Topics include: • How to cultivate loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity • Conscious parenting • Spirituality and sexuality • The way of forgiveness • Committing ourselves to healing the suffering in the world Bringing Home the Dharma includes simple meditation practices for awakening our buddha nature—our wise and understanding heart—amid the ups and downs of our ordinary daily lives.
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Shambhala Publications Inc Opening the Treasure of the Profound: Teachings
Book SynopsisIn Tibet, vajra songs became popular when Milarepa gave teachings in that style to his disciples. His example influenced all Tibetan Buddhist schools, particularly the Kagyu lineages. People commonly memorized such songs and sang them with beautiful melodies. But vajra songs are much more than pleasant tunes or ordinary poetry. A vajra song reflects the enlightened mind of its author by encapsulating precisely profound meaning in just a few words. Thus, it can be difficult for the unenlightened to penetrate their meaning. Khenchen Konchog Gyaltshen learned to sing vajra songs at his mother''s knee. Later in life, he learned of their profound meaning from masters of Tibetan Buddhism, which allowed him to finally experience their depth in solitary retreat. Rinpoche brings this tradition into a Western context by translating songs composed by iconic Buddhist figures and explaining them in contemporary terms. Rinpoche presents the outer and inner meaning of nine vajra songs by Milarepa (ca. 1052–1135) and Jigten Sumgön (1143–1217). He describes the Buddhist path of wisdom and compassion that leads to ultimate peace and happiness, and shows how to develop our mental qualities. In ancient times, these teachings were given to help others reach spiritual maturity. Here, we are invited into the world of transmission from master to disciple in order to discover truth for ourselves—to open the eye of wisdom that reveals the mind that cannot be seen.
£999.99
Shambhala Publications Inc The Pocket Dalai Lama
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£12.44
Shambhala Publications Inc The Revolutionary Life of Freda Bedi: British
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£13.29
Wisdom Publications,U.S. Wisdom Energy: Basic Buddhist Teachings
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£12.34
Wisdom Publications,U.S. To Dispel the Misery of the World: Whispered
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£12.34
Wisdom Publications,U.S. Tantra: the Foundation of Buddhist Thought:
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£12.99
Wisdom Publications,U.S. Journey to Certainty: the Quintessence of the
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£14.24
Wisdom Publications,U.S. Twenty-First Century Buddhists in Conversation
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£14.24
Wisdom Publications,U.S. Buddhism: One Teacher, Many Traditions
Book SynopsisExplore the common ground underlying the diverse expressions of the Buddha's teachings with two of Tibetan Buddhism's bestselling authors.Buddhism is practiced by hundreds of millions of people worldwide, from Tibetan caves to Tokyo temples to redwood retreats. To an outside viewer, it might be hard to see what they all have in common. In Buddhism, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and American Buddhist nun Thubten Chodron map out with clarity the convergences and the divergences between the two major strains of Buddhism--the Sanskrit traditions of Tibet and East Asia and the Pali traditions of Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. Especially deep consideration is given to the foundational Indian traditions and their respective treatment of such central tenets as the four noble truths the practice of meditation the meaning of nirvana enlightenment. The authors seek harmony and greater understanding among Buddhist traditions worldwide, illuminating the rich benefits of respectful dialogue and the many ways that Buddhists of all stripes share a common heritage and common goals.
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Wisdom Publications,U.S. The Beautiful Way of Life: A Meditation on
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£12.34
Wisdom Publications,U.S. Buddhism for Dudes: A Jarhead's Field Guide to
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Wisdom Publications,U.S. How Do Madhyamikas Think?: And Other Essays on
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Wisdom Publications,U.S. The Dharma of Star Wars
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Wisdom Publications,U.S. The Karmapas and Their Mahamudra Forefathers: An
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Wisdom Publications,U.S. Illuminating the Thirty-Seven Practices of a
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£14.24
Wisdom Publications,U.S. Buddhahood Without Meditation: Volume 2: Volume 2
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£999.99
Wisdom Publications,U.S. The Buddha's Dream of Liberation: Freedom,
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£12.34
