East Asian religions and spiritual beliefs Books

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Book SynopsisPerhaps the most important book yet written on meditation, the process of inner transformation, and the integration of spiritual practice into our Western way of life, A Path With Heart brings alive the possibilities of inner peace, wholeness and the achievement of happiness. Written by a teacher, psychologist and meditation master of international renown, this is a warm, inspiring and, above all, practical book. Its gentle Buddhist wisdom will guide you through the ups and downs of contemporary living, such as addiction, psychological and emotional healing, problems with relationships and the difficulties of achieving a balanced life of simplicity.Trade ReviewA warm, inspiring and, above all, practical book * Pride Magazine *It's encouraging to find Westerners who've sufficiently assimilated the traditions of the East to be able to share them with others as Jack is doing. May such efforts further the peace of all beings. -- His Holiness the Dalai LamaThis important guidebook shows in detail and with great humour and insight the way to practise the Buddha's universal teachings here in the West. Jack Kornfield is a wonderful storyteller and a great teacher. -- Thich Nhat HanhJack Kornfield is a remarkable and thoughtful teacher. -- Sogyal Rinpoche

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Book SynopsisWhen the undefeated samurai Miyamoto Musashi retreated to a cave in 1643 and wrote The Book of Five Rings, a manifesto on swordsmanship, strategy, and winning for his students and generations of samurai to come, he created one of the most perceptive and incisive texts on strategic thinking ever to come from Asia. Musashi gives timeless advice on defeating an adversary, throwing an opponent off-guard, creating confusion, and other techniques for overpowering an assailant that will resonate with both martial artists and everyone else interested in skillfully dealing with conflict. For Musashi, the way of the martial arts was a mastery of the mind rather than simply technical prowess—and it is this path to mastery that is the core teaching in The Book of Five Rings. William Scott Wilson’s translation is faithful to the original seventeenth-century Japanese text while being wonderfully clear and readable. His scholarship and insight into the deep meaning of this classic are evident in his introduction and notes to the text. This edition also includes a translation of one of Musashi’s earlier writings, “The Way of Walking Alone,” and calligraphy by Japanese artist Shiro Tsujimura.

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Book SynopsisDating all the way back to the 5th century B.C., Chinese horoscopes contain a wealth of interesting stories and facts. From the twelve famous zodiac signs to elements and seasons that influence who you are, this little book contains everything you need to know about the Chinese lunar zodiac. Whether you were born in the year of the tiger or the rare year of the dragon, The Little Book of Chinese Horoscopes is packed full of fascinating facts and inspirational quotes about the origins and traits of each sign and how these influences will guide you through all walks of life, including relationships, jobs, health and more.

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Book SynopsisFor ?spiritual explorers? ready to travel beyond Western bounds, a beginner?s guide to Asian spiritual traditions spanning regions, cultures, and historyAsian spiritual practices, from yoga and tai chi to qigong and mindfulness meditations, permeate our culture. But these practices are often casually used in the West, and sometimes little understood. As informative as it is inviting, A Lamp unto Yourself introduces ?spiritual explorers? of all experience levels to embodied Eastern spiritual practices.Employing decades of personal and professional experience with Asian spiritualities, C. Pierce Salguero explains the origins of key Asian spiritual practices. He grounds them in their historical and philosophical contexts and provides information on how the reader can begin and deepen their personal practices. Salguero also discusses the focus of the path (heart, body, or perception) and describes what one might experience as they develop their practice. In A Lamp unto Yourself, readers will learn more about such traditions as mindfulness meditation, insight meditation, and loving-kindness meditation yogas, tai chi, and qigong Taoism and Advaita mantras, chakras, and tantra Those looking to begin practicing for the first time or to simply expand their ever-growing spiritual tool kits will feel empowered to explore Eastern spirituality with knowledge and autonomy. With Salguero as their guide, readers can confidently embark on their journeys to becoming, as Buddha would encourage, a lamp unto themselves.

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Book SynopsisAfter six years of solitude, Indian sage Ramana Maharshi reflects on the topics of peace, the self, and silence—featuring a foreword by Carl Jung The renowned Indian sage Ramana Maharshi is widely beloved—by Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, Taoists, and more—for the inspirational power of his teachings, which transcend all religious differences. Here is a collection of Sri Ramana’s instructions and discourses culled from three works: Who Am I?, Spiritual Instructions, and Maharshi’s Gospel. These teachings are arranged by topics such as work and renunciation, silence and solitude, peace and happiness, and the discipline of self-inquiry. Reading this book, presented in question-and-answer format, evokes the feeling of being with this outstanding teacher at one of his intimate teaching sessions.

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Book SynopsisDiscover the man behind the movement in this intimate biography of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder of the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).In 1965, a seventy-year-old man—soon to be known as Prabhupada—set sail from India to America with a few books in his bag, pennies in his pockets, and a message of love in his heart. He landed in New York at the peak of the revolutionary counterculture movement of the ’60s, and went on to spark a global spiritual renaissance that led to the creation of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, which has changed millions of lives.  Through the depiction of Prabhupada as both an enlightened luminary and a personable, funny, and conscientious individual, Swami in a Strange Land shows why cultural icons such as George Harrison and Allen Ginsberg incorporated Prabhupada’s teachings into their lives, and why millions more around the globe embarked upon the path of bhakti yoga in his footsteps.  Carefully researched, skillfully crafted, and extraordinarily intimate, this narrative follows Prabhupada as he rises from an anonymous monk to a world-renowned spiritual leader. Set in locations as far ranging as remote Himalayan caves and the gilded corridors of Paris’s City Hall, Swami in a Strange Land traces the rise of Eastern spirituality in the West—and in particular, the rise of yoga culture and vegetarianism and the concepts of karma and reincarnation.  A remarkable journey into the deepest dimensions of the human experience, Swami in a Strange Land shows how one man with a dream can change the world.

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Book SynopsisIn China, the art and practice of drinking tea is about much more than merely soaking leaves in a cup of hot water. The tradition is rooted in Daoism, and emerged from a philosophy that honoured living a life of grace and gratitude, balance and harmony, and fulfilment and enjoyment - what the ancient Chinese called Cha Dao, or the Way of Tea.Cha Dao takes us on a fascinating journey through the Way of Tea, from its origins in the sacred mountains and temples of ancient China, through its links to Daoist concepts such as Wu Wei or non-striving and the Value of Worthlessness, to the affinity between Tea Mind and the Japanese spirit of Zen. Interspersed are a liberal helping of quotes from the great tea masters of the past, anecdotes from the author's own trips to China, and traditional tea stories from China and Japan. The unique health benefits of tea are also explored, and a chapter is devoted to describing the history, characteristics and properties of 25 different tea varieties. This book will interest tea lovers, as well as those who want to learn more about tea culture, Daoist and Zen thought and practice, and Asian history and culture.Trade ReviewCha Dao is not only a wonderful book on tea, its history, and the joy of appreciating its warmth, aroma, and its many flavours, but is also an excellent primer on Daoist thinking and living. I loved this book. It informed me about tea and the customs surrounding it, lifted my spirit, and sharpened my mind. For those who enjoy tea, it deserves a place on your bookshelf. -- The Empty VesselThere is a wealth of discovery in this small book; the understanding of ancient philosophy and the place for tea in this ideology. It is a book to dip into over time; a book to seek new learning and different ways of thinking or being. -- Margaret Thornby's tea & tea room talkThis book interweaves the simple pleasure of drining tea with the Way of Dao, the ancient Chinese philosophy... Sitting down and enjoying a cup pf tea is one of life's simple pleasures, and this book has given me even more reasons to reach for the teapot. -- Kindred SpiritApproaches the heavenly drink not from the point of view of a nutritionist, purveyor or aficionado, but from a cultural and philosophical perspective. Towler is an instructor of Daoist meditation and qigong living ni Eugene, Oregon, and has for many hears been the editor of the Daoist journal The Empty Vessel. As a consequence of the author's particular interests, this book is about "the art and practice of drinking tea." In short, it has as much to do with the tea drinker as it does with the tea... Solala Towler has given us 169 pages of ruminations, citations, exotic stories, and thought provoking references. -- Huffington PostSolala Towler describes the various tea ceremonies, types of tea and medicinal benefits of tea. It's a fun romp of a read, not too heavy, saturated with history and philosophy, and of course, Tea. -- Dojo Rat BlogTable of ContentsIntroduction. 1. Cha Dao: The Way of Tea. 2. A Brief History of Tea in China. 3. Lu Yu Meets a True Tea Master. 4. Tea Mind/Zen Mind. 5. Just One Flower. 6. The Slippery Art of Wu Wei: Or, the Art of Doing Nothing. 7. One Last Cup. 8. The Uncarved Block. 9. The Man Who Knew Too Much: A Tale of Tea and Enlightenment. 10. The Value of Worthlessness. 11. A Daoist Tea Ceremony. 12. Making a Cup of Tea. 13. A Gong Fu Tea Ceremony. 14. The Health Benefits of Tea. 15. Types of Tea. 16. Tea Time. 17. A Few Last Words. Sources for Tea. Bibliography. About the Author.

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Book SynopsisSelected as One of the 100 Best Spiritual Books of the 20th Century, Yogananda''s Autobiography of a Yogi has been translated into over 50 languages, and is regarded worldwide as a spiritual classic. It reads like an adventure story while answering questions about religion, God, existence, yoga, higher consciousness, and the challenges of daily spiritual living.

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Book SynopsisA brilliant cross-cultural interpretation of a key text of yoga philosophy The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali is the foundational text of yoga philosophy, used by millions of yoga practitioners and students worldwide. Written in a question-and-answer format, The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali deals with the theory and practice of yoga and the psychological question of the liberation of the soul from attachments. This book is a new rendering into English of the Arabic translation and commentary of this text by the brilliant eleventh-century polymath al-Biruni. Given the many historical variants of the Yoga Sutras, his Kitab Batanjali is important for yoga studies as the earliest translation of the Sanskrit. It is also of unique value as an Arabic text within Islamic studies, given the intellectual and philosophical challenges that faced the medieval Muslim reader when presented with the intricacy of composition, interpretation, and allusion t

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Book SynopsisThe timeless wisdom of this classic Taoist text can become a companion on your own spiritual journey. The Chuang-tzu is the second major text of the Taoist tradition. It was compiled in the third century BCE and follows the lead of the best-known and oldest of all Taoist texts, the Tao-te-ching (Book of the Tao and Its Potency). Representing the philosophy of its main author, Chuang Chou, along with several other early Taoist strands, the text has inspired spiritual seekers for over two thousand years. Using parable, anecdote, allegory and paradox, the Chuang-tzu presents the central message of what was to become the Taoist school: a reverence for the Tao—the "Way" of the natural world—and the belief that you are not truly virtuous until you are free from the burden of circumstance, personal attachments, tradition and the desire to reform the world. In this special SkyLight Illuminations edition, leading Taoist scholar Livia Kohn, PhD, provides a fresh, modern translation of key selections from this timeless text to open up classic Taoist beliefs and practices. She provides insightful, accessible commentary that highlights the Chuang-tzu's call to reject artificially imposed boundaries and distinctions, and illustrates how you can live a more balanced, authentic and joyful life—at ease in perfect happiness—by following Taoist principles.Trade ReviewKohn (religion & East Asian studies, emerita, Boston Univ.; Daoism and Chinese Culture) draws on the second principal source text of the Taoist tradition, the Chuang-tzu—which we now know best for the famed "butterfly dream," an anecdote that has given rise to many philosophical questions—to clarify a number of Taoist beliefs and practices. Kohn's work is not a complete or scholarly version of the ancient text but a thematically arranged selection designed to appeal to Western readers. VERDICT Kohn’s introduction to a lesser-known exponent of the Tao should appeal, as intended, to many spiritual seekers, especially those interested in Asian traditions. * Library Journal *Table of ContentsIntroduction vii Universal Patterns 1. Perfect Happiness 3 2. The Universe 17 3. Life and Death 33 4. Cosmos and Destiny 47 Body and Mind 5. The Self 61 6. Dreams 75 7. The Human Mind 87 Self-Transformation 8. Oblivion 103 9. Realizing Tao 119 10. The Perfected 137 The New Life 11. Uselessness 153 12. Natural Skills 167 13. In the World 179 14. When in Power 193 Suggestions for Further Reading 207

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Book SynopsisThe enduring wisdom of the Tao Te Ching can become a companion for your own spiritual journey. Reportedly written by a sage named Lao Tzu over 2,500 years ago, the Tao Te Ching is one of the most succinct—and yet among the most profound—spiritual texts ever written. Short enough to read in an afternoon, subtle enough to study for a lifetime, the Tao Te Ching distills into razor-sharp poetry centuries of spiritual inquiry into the Tao—the "Way" of the natural world around us that reveals the ultimate organizing principle of the universe. Derek Lin's insightful commentary, along with his new translation from the original Chinese—a translation that sets a whole new standard for accuracy—will inspire your spiritual journey and enrich your everyday life. It highlights the Tao Te Ching’s insights on simplicity, balance, and learning from the paradoxical truths you can see all around you: finding strength through flexibility (because bamboo bends, it is tough to break); achieving goals by transcending obstacles (water simply flows around rocks on its way to the sea); believing that small changes bring powerful results (a sapling, in time, grows into a towering tree). Now you can experience the wisdom and power of Lao Tzu’s words even if you have no previous knowledge of the Tao Te Ching. SkyLight Illuminations provides insightful yet unobtrusive commentary that describes helpful historical background, explains the Tao Te Ching’s poetic imagery, and elucidates the ancient Taoist wisdom that will speak to your life today and energize your spiritual quest.Trade Review"Hits the mark! A native speaker of both Chinese and English, Lin adeptly bridges the gap between translation and interpretation ... applying [2,500-year-old teachings] to our modern world. Don't miss this book if you want ancient knowledge that can change life for the better today." —Edward Monaghan, UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center “A magnificent presentation of arguably the most perfect and complete spiritual teaching ever published, the Tao Te Ching. An absolute must in any home library, no matter what tradition one follows.” —Rabbi David A. Cooper, author of God is a Verb “Lin’s unique rendering captures the spiritual wisdom, poetic grace and immense practicality of this classic text. Will illuminate your way regardless of the path you follow.” —Philip Goldberg, author of Roadsigns: On the Spiritual Path—Living at the Heart of ParadoxTable of ContentsForeword by Lama Surya Das vii Introduction xi A Note on the Translation xxiii Tao Te Ching 1 Notes 165 Acknowledgments 167 Suggestions for Further Reading 169

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Book SynopsisAlexandra Chan thinks she has life figured out until, in the Year of the Ram, the death of her fatherher last parentbrings her to her knees, an event seemingly foretold in Chinese mythology. A left-brained archaeologist and successful tiger daughter, Chan finds her logical approach to life utterly fails her in the face of this profound grief. Unable to find a way forward, she must either burn to ash or forge herself anew. Slowly, painfully, wondrously, Chan discovers that her father and ancestors have left threads of renewal in the artifacts and stories of their lives. Through a long-lost interview conducted by Roosevelt's Federal Writers' Project, a basket of war letters written from the Burmese jungle, a box of photographs, her world travels, and a deepening relationship to her own art, the archaeologist and lifelong rationalist makes her greatest discovery to date: the healing power of enchantment. In an epic story that travels from prerevolution Chin

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Book SynopsisTantra is Magick. The practice of Tantra reaches back thousands of years. It is not a religion like Hinduism, though both share a sometimes uneasy coexistence. Hindus pray to and honour the gods at the direction of Brahmin priests, while every Tantric is a god doing his or her own will, and works with the gods and goddesses on an equal footing. Castes, taboos and proscribed sins are rejected by Tantrics. Tantra is about real freedom -- doing your True Will as the star within you is called to do. It is about following your own unique path without accepting dogma, religious texts, taboos or social classes. It requires only a strong, independent will, and a fiery desire for spiritual advancement and liberation. It calls for the embrace of intense practices to develop deep, personal relationships with the gods and goddesses you are drawn to, and the mastery of real magick to cause change in your life and the reality about you. Tantra for All is not a survey book about Tantra, nor is it only about sex magick. It is a book on how to do Tantra. It takes you into the Tantric circle of initiates, and provides direct instruction on how to practice effective and powerful Tantric Magick to attain balance, prosperity and spiritual liberation. Tantra for All provides detailed methods you can use to work directly with the gods, goddesses and spirits of Tantra to empower yourself and improve your life. If you follow the instructions, and do the work, you will attain remarkable success.

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Book SynopsisThe Letters of Chan Master Dahui Pujue offers a complete annotated translation, the first into English, of a Chan Buddhist classic, the collected letters of the Southern Song Linji Chan teacher Dahui Zonggao (1089-1163). Addressed to forty scholar-officials, members of the elite class in Chinese society, and to two Chan masters, these letters are dharma talks on how to engage in Buddhist cultivation. Each of the letters to laymen is fascinating as a document directed to a specific scholar-official with his distinctive niche, high or low, in the Song-dynasty social-political landscape, and his idiosyncratic stage of development on the Buddhist path. Dahui is engaging, incisive, and often quite humorous in presenting his teaching of constantly lifting to awareness the phrase (huatou), his favored phrases being No (wu) and dried turd. Throughout one''s busy twenty-four hours, the practitioner is not to perform any mental operation whatsoever on this phrase, and to take awakening as the stTrade Review[T]his book is a wonderful resource to all who would read Dahui's epistles. The inclusion of lucid translations from multiple historical commentariesa rich exegetical apparatusis a great contribution. We are all indebted to the translators' work. * Jason Protass, Reading Religion *Dahui's Letters is an important work of Southern Song Chan that has had profound influence throughout the East Asian Chan, Sŏn, and Zen worlds. This translation by Broughton will become required reading for students and scholars alike, as it illuminates the teachings of one of the Chan tradition's seminal thinkers, Dahui Zonggao. * Albert Welter, Professor of East Asian Studies, University of Arizona *The Letters of Dahui -- essential Chan/Zen reading for centuries now available to us! Written by the greatest Chan master of the Song to prominent lay people rather than to monks, these letters highlight the question of how to live a life of Zen in the midst of a noisy and contentious world -- perfect for our time! An essential text by the master translator of our time for Chan literature. * Dale Wright, David B. and Mary H. Gamble Professor in Religion, Occidental College *Table of ContentsABBREVIATIONS; LETTERS OF CHAN MASTER DAHUI PUJUE VOLUME ONE; CONTINUED [THIRD LETTER IN REPLY TO VICE MINISTER CENG]; LETTERS OF CHAN MASTER DAHUI PUJUE VOLUME TWO; FIVE-MOUNTAINS (GOZAN) EDITION OF LETTERS OF CHAN MASTER DAHUI PUJUE (DAHUI PUJUE CHANSHI SHU/DAIE FUKAKU ZENJI SHO); BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Book SynopsisDiscusses Hindu Advaita Vedanta as a philosophy of social justice for the modern world.Finalist for the 2016 Book Award for Excellence in the Study of Religion, in the Constructive-Reflective category presented by the American Academy of ReligionThis engaging and accessible work provides an introduction to the Hindu tradition of Advaita Vedanta and brings it into discussion with contemporary concerns. Advaita, the non-dual school of Indian philosophy and spirituality associated with Sa?kara, is often seen as "other-worldly," regarding the world as an illusion. Anantanand Rambachan has played a central role in presenting a more authentic Advaita, one that reveals how Advaita is positive about the here and now. The first part of the book presents the hermeneutics and spirituality of Advaita, using textual sources, classical commentary, and modern scholarship. The book''s second section considers the implications of Advaita for ethical and social challenges: patriarchy, homophobia, ecological crisis, child abuse, and inequality. Rambachan establishes how Advaita''s non-dual understanding of reality provides the ground for social activism and the values that advocate for justice, dignity, and the equality of human beings.

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Book SynopsisMongolia over the last decade has seen a substantial and ongoing gold rush. The widespread mining of gold looks at first glance to be a blessing for a desperately poor and largely pastoralist country where people''s lives were disrupted by the end of the USSR and tens of millions of livestock were killed in devastating droughts in the early 2000s. Volatility and uncertainty as well as political and economic turmoil led many people to join the hopeful search for gold. This activity, born out of uncertain times, poses an intense moral problem; in the land of dust, disturbing the ground and extracting the precious metal is widely believed to have calamitous consequences. With gold retaining strong ties to the landscape and its many spirit beings, the fortune of the precious metal is inseparable from the fears that surround mining. Tracing the continuities and discontinuities between human and nonhuman worlds, Mette M. High follows the paths of gold as it is excavated and converted intoTrade Review"Fear and Fortune is an important and timely ethnographic account of the Mongolian gold rush. Not only does it make a useful contribution to the burning issue of the environmental, social, and cultural consequences of mining economies, but it does so in an accessible and engaging style, rendering people's daily lives with an intimate yet tactful touch." -- Grégory Delaplace, coeditor of Frontier Encounters"Fear and Fortune is a well-crafted, highly accessible, and very attractive read on the Mongolian gold rush and the spirit forces that underpin it. Mette M. High fully succeeds in drawing in and keeping the reader's attention while presenting her findings at a brisk pace. She offers up some highly original discussions of what 'money’ constitutes in a part of the world where the same value is neither consistently nor automatically attributed to the national currency. Mongolians conceptualize, handle, and transact money in ways that fall outside of the usual expectations surrounding it. High enables us to have a uniquely up close and personal view onto gold mining and its international circuitry, based on a sensitive study of Mongolian sociality, miners, religious knowledge and practice, and ways of envisioning and experiencing what counts as `value’ in the Mongolian gold rush today." -- Katherine Swancutt, author of Fortune and the CursedTable of ContentsList of Illustrations ix Acknowledgmentsxi Note on Transliteration and Translationxv Introduction: Land of Fortune1 1 Burden of Patriarchy25 2 Power of Gold43 3 Angered Spirits59 4 PollutedMoney77 5 Wealth and Devotion93 6 Trading Gold111 Notes131 Glossary139 References141 Index157

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Book SynopsisSelected as One of the 100 Best Spiritual Books of the Twentieth Century, Paramahansa Yogananda''s Autobiography of a Yogi has been translated into over 50 languages, and is regarded worldwide as a spiritual classic. Autobiography of a Yogi remains the definitive introduction to yoga meditation, and is an absorbing exploration of the true meaning of life. Self-Realization Fellowship''s editions, and no others, incorporate all of the author''s significant revisions to the text of the 1946 first edition.This special, 75th Anniversary edition includes:More than 100 photos, in sepia duotone and full colourElegant moire fabric endsheetsGilded page endsA ribbon bookmarkLong-lasting Smythe-sewn bindingAcid-free archival paperOne book in particular stayed with Steve Jobs his entire life.Autobiography of a Yogi, the guide to meditation and spirituality that he had first read as a teenager, then re-read in India and had read once a year ever since. - Huffington Post review of the book Steve Jobs

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Book SynopsisIn 1993, archaeologists unearthed a set of ancient bamboo scrolls that contained the earliest known version of the Dao de jing. Composed more than two thousand years ago, this life-changing document offers a regimen of self-cultivation to attain personal excellence and revitalize moral behavior. Now in this luminous new translation, renowned China scholars Roger T. Ames and David L. Hall bring the timeless wisdom of the Dao de jing into our contemporary world.In this elegant volume, Ames and Hall feature the original Chinese texts of the Dao de jing and translate them into crisp, chiseled English that reads like poetry. Each of the eighty-one brief chapters is followed by clear, thought-provoking commentary exploring the layers of meaning in the text. This new version of one of the world’s most influential documents will stand as both a compelling introduction to Daoist thought and as the classic modern English translation.

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Book SynopsisHelp others. Help yourself. Be a better person, and make the world a better place. Using the wisdom of the East to instruct and inspire, Instant Karma is a universe of things a reader can do, right now, to accumulate good karma. And, like pennies going into a piggy bank, each is a seemingly little thing-but feed the bank day after day and feel it grow richer and happier.Created by Barbara Ann Kipfer, the author whose books-including 14,000 Things to Be Happy About, 8,789 Words of Wisdom, and The Wish List-have 1.2 million copies in print, Instant Karma is a compulsive, densely packed, chunky little book of 10,000 or so suggestions, wishes, thoughts, and the occasional heartening quotation.Line after line, page after page, mesmerizing to read and filled with inspiration, it is the best kind of call to action-good for you and good for others.

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Book SynopsisMoral thought and ethical practice in South Asia, past and presentTrade Review[A] welcome addition to the growing body of literature on ethics in South Asia. While not losing sight of the significance of texts and religion, the essays move the discussion . . . The recurring theme of embodiment of ethical knowledge through memorization and recitation is as much an important and useful intervention in the study of ethics, as it is in the study of the interface between text and performance in South Asia. * JRNL ASIAN STUDIES *Setting a novel and exciting agenda for the understanding of ways through which 'ethical lives' in South Asia are produced, debated and experienced in the every day, this volume will no doubt take a prominent place on the bookshelves of scholars and students researching ethics and morality in the subcontinent and beyond. * Pacific Affairs *This book is a competent and credible illustration of the richness of south Asian ethical traditions and the resources to be found there for a reorientation and renewal of our ethical sensitivity in changing times. It will be valuable book for anyone studying ethics in the south Asian context, and especially for historians and moral philosophers. * Economic and Political Weekly *This stimulating book well rewards a close and careful reading, and lays the foundation for much future research. * Biblio *Table of ContentsIntroduction / Anand Pandian and Daud AliPart 1. Traditions in Transmission 1. The Subhas.ita as an Artifact of Ethical Life in Medieval India / Daud Ali 2. Disciplining the Senses, Schooling the Mind: Inhabiting Virtue in the Tamil Tin.n.ai School / Bhavani Raman 3. Ethical Traditions in Question: Diaspora Jainism and the Environmental and Animal Liberation Movements / James LaidlawPart 2. Ethics and Modernity 4. Vernacular Capitalists and the Modern Subject in India: Law, Cultural Politics, and Market Ethics / Ritu Birla 5. The Ethics of Textuality: The Protestant Sermon and the Tamil Public Sphere / Bernard Bate 6. Empire, Ethics, and the Calling of History / Dipesh ChakrabartyPart 3. Practices of the Self 7. Between Intuition and Judgment: Moral Creativity in Theravada Buddhist Ethics / Charles Hallisey 8. Young Manliness: Ethical Culture in the Gymnasiums of the Medieval Deccan / Emma Flatt 9. Ethical Subjects: Time, Timing, and Tellability / Leela Prasad 10. Demoralizing Developments: Ethics, Class, and Student Power in Modern North India / Craig JeffreyPart 4. Ethical Lives of Others 11. Living by Dying: Gandhi, Satyagraha, and the Warrior / Ajay Skaria 12. Moral and Spiritual Striving in the Everyday: To Be a Muslim in Contemporary India / Veena Das 13. Ethical Publicity: On Transplant Victims, Wounded Communities, and the Moral Demands of Dreaming / Lawrence CohenList of ContributorsIndex

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Book SynopsisAncestors, Kings, and the Dao outlines the evolution of musical performance in early China, first within and then ultimately away from the socio-religious context of ancestor worship. The focus of this study is on excavated texts; it is the first to use both bronze and bamboo narratives to show the evolution of a single ritual practice.

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Book SynopsisAt once profound, spiritual, and witty, Master of the Three Ways is a remarkable work about human nature, the essence of life, and how to live simply and with awareness. In three hundred and fifty-seven verses, the author, Hung Ying-ming—a seventeenth-century Chinese sage—explores good and evil, honesty and deception, wisdom and foolishness, and heaven and hell. He draws from the wisdom of the “Three Creeds”—Taoism, Confucianism, and Zen Buddhism—to impress upon us that by combining simple elegance with the ordinary, we can make our lives artistic and poetic. This sense, along with a particular understanding of Zen that makes art from the simple in everyday life, has permeated Chinese and Japanese culture to this day. The work is divided into two books. The first generally deals with the art of living in society and the second is concerned with man''s solitude and contemplations of nature. These themes repeatedly spill over into each other, creating multiple levels of meaning.

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Book SynopsisSusan Snow Wadley is Ford Maxwell Professor of South Asian Studies and Anthropology at Syracuse University. She is author of Struggling with Destiny in Karimpur, 19251984 and co-author of a revised edition of William and Charlotte Wiser's classic Behind Mud Walls.

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Book SynopsisPractical Buddhist Teachings of Wisdom and Compassion. The Challenge of the Mind is a modern guide to the essential teachings of Buddha. Ryuho Okawa shows how we can apply Buddha’s essential teachings to cultivate deep wisdom and compassion to promote a happy and peaceful life. Presenting the essential tenets of the law of cause and effect, meditation, transcendental wisdom, egolessness, the middle way, the relationship between enlightenment and spiritual powers, and the nature of karma, The Challenge of the Mind is a contemporary guide to succinctly frame Buddhist teachings.

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Book SynopsisRediscovery of Chinese lost gods

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