Religion and beliefs Books

Book Synopsis“Draws on wisdom from both Theravada and Vajrayana traditions to offer a systematic and practical approach to liberation through mindfulness.” —Jack Kornfield, author of The Wise HeartBringing his experience as a monk, scientist, and contemplative, Alan Wallace offers a rich synthesis of Eastern and Western traditions along with a comprehensive range of mindfulness meditation practices interwoven throughout the text. An ideal reference for both students and teachers, Minding Closely presents the guided meditations systematically, beginning with very basic instructions, which are then gradually built upon as one gains increasing familiarity with the practice. This edition includes a new preface and three never-before-published translations by B. Alan Wallace from three renowned traditional Buddhist works on mindfulness.

Read more less

Book SynopsisNautilus Book Award Winner An intimate spiritual and literary journey exploring how Zen koans make us permeable to the joys and the anguish of this life—and to the primordial mystery we glimpse behind the veil of the everyday. In Through Forests of Every Color, renowned Zen teacher Joan Sutherland reimagines the koan tradition with allegiance to the root spirit of the koans and to their profound potential for vivifying, subverting, and sanctifying our lives. Her decades of practicing with koans and of translating them from classical Chinese imbues this text with a warm familiarity, an ease still suffused with awe.     Interlinked essays on “koans as art,” “keeping company with koans,” and “walking the koan way” intersperse with beautifully translated renditions of dozens of traditional Zen koans. Sutherland also shares innovative koans culled from Western literature, as well as teachings on how to create idiosyncratic koans or "turning words" from the circumstances of one''s own life.   “First honored is your yearning, the preparation made on faith that there is something that will receive you if you make yourself ready,” writes Sutherland of the koan seeker. “Bathed—attended to, washed free of complications—and then aspiring to the deepest kind of beauty—receptive, brave, dedicated, openhearted. Already you’ve begun to look like the thing you’re looking for.”

Read more less

Book SynopsisA tour-de-force guide to Zen Master Dogen’s most subtle and sophisticated philosophical premises: that being and time are inseparable.“Impermanence is time itself, being itself—yet time and being are not at all as we imagine them to be. To really understand and fully embrace this point is to live in a radically different world—a world of awakening, inclusion, and love. Zen Master Dogen frames the teaching on impermanence explicitly as a teaching about time—and all of Dogen’s profoundly poetic teachings flow from his seminal understanding of time, as expressed in Uji (Being-Time), the famous—and famously difficult—essay in his masterwork, Shobogenzo. In Uji, Dogen teaches that time itself, being itself, is luminous awakening. It is all-inclusive, all-elusive, ultimately healing, and eternal.             In this book, Shinshu Roberts does full justice, as does no other book I know of, to Dogen’s words. She offers interpretation of Uji only after careful consideration and marshaling of many sources—and offers simple everyday examples to illustrate points that seem at first abstruse. If this text causes you to doubt your most cherished concepts about your life, it will have done its work.” —from the Foreword by Norman Fischer Being-Time thoroughly explores Dogen’s teaching on how we practice as Buddhas by understanding the relationship between being and time as it is—and as we perceive it to be. Using Dogen’s Shobogenzo Uji (The True Dharma Eye, Being-Time), Shinshu Roberts offers a twofold analysis of this teaching: the meaning of the text and practice with the text, giving examples how we apply Dogen’s complex teaching to our daily lives. 

Read more less

Book SynopsisReimagining Buddhism through a feminine lens: A powerful memoir of healing, strength, and spiritual awakening.Written by the first and only layperson to receive full dharma transmission in the Suzuki Roshi Soto Zen lineage, A Bigger Sky explores what it means to traverse the gaps of a Buddhism created by and for men, navigate the seemingly contradictory domains of secular and spiritual life, and walk a path through the heart of the world. Blending memoir, Buddhist practice, and cultural observation, Weiss reorients Buddhism through a wider and more inclusive feminine lens. Her personal and spiritual journey speaks to the bits of brokenness in us all, shining a light on the different pathways we can walk to become whole. Through beautifully crafted prose, Weiss shares what it means to be an ordinary Bodhisattva, describing how the Buddha''s profound vision of freedom can be lived outside of institutions and rule-bound practice to support us in deepening our connection with ourselves, each other, and the planet. A Bigger Sky illuminates how integrating a more feminine approach to Buddhist teachings can be applied in spiritual practice, community, relationships, and day-to-day life.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn interdisciplinary deep dive into Buddhist jhāna meditation and how it can transform our understanding of self and consciousnessStates of profound meditative concentration, the jhānas are central to the earliest Buddhist teachings. For centuries in Southeast Asia, oral yogāvacara (yoga practitioner) lineages kept traditional jhāna practices alive, but in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, reforms in Theravāda Buddhism downplayed the importance of jhāna in favor of vipassanā (insight) meditation. Some began to consider the jhānas to be strictly the domain of monastics, unattainable in the context of modern lay life. In recent years, however, there has been a resurgence of interest in the jhānas, and as researcher Paul Dennison shows, the esoteric and sometimes “magical” pre-reform practices of Southeast Asia hold powerful potential for modern lay practitioners living in a more scientifically minded world. Drawing on traditional Buddhist doctrine, teachings from lesser-known meditation texts such as the Yogāvacara’s Manual, and findings from the first in-depth, peer-reviewed neuroscience study of jhāna meditation, Dennison unpacks this ancient practice in all its nuance while posing novel questions about perception, subjectivity, and the nature of enlightenment.

Read more less

Book SynopsisFrom narrowly surviving World War II through enduring the profound rigors of traditional Zen training, Tangen Harada?s fascinating life story and teachings present a classic picture of the Buddhist journey from suffering to realization.On August 15, 1945, at the age of twenty, Tangen Harada stood on an airfield and prepared to board the airplane on which he would undertake a suicide mission for his country. Only the voice of Emperor Hirohito on the radio?never before heard by the Japanese public?announcing Japan?s surrender saved his life. After returning from a Soviet POW camp in 1946, overcome with questions about the meaning of human life andsuffering, Harada sought out the counsel of a Zen master. He thus embarked on the path of awakening and liberation to which he would commit the rest of his life, eventually teaching thousands of people from around the world.Throw Yourself into the House of Buddha includes Tangen Roshi?s life story in his own words, as well as twenty-four teachings conveying the heart of his Zen understanding. Each chapter, paired with a beautiful calligraphy by the master, conveys his direct,uncompromising, yet encouraging message about the possibility of Zen realization.?Wake up,? writes Harada, ?and you can say for yourself, ?The sun is my eye, the wind my breath, all of space my heart, the mountain and ocean my body. The sun shining brightly, vividly, is the eye of my life. The vastness of the sky is my heart.? Who is the master of this boundless heart? No one else but you. This is your reality. Heaven and earth?same root, all things?one body.?

Read more less

Book SynopsisA clear, short, and delightful guide to practicing Vajrayana Buddhism, covering everything a beginner needs to know to get started, including instructions on the Vajrayana preliminary practices. If you are new to Tibetan Buddhism, this short work will help you get started with your practice, and if you are well steeped in these teachings, it will remind you of the essentials points. Framed as a commentary on the Tersar Ngondro by Dudjom Rinpoche, Awakening Wisdom is geared toward connecting people with practice.Part I covers motivation, posture and breathing, mantra practice, and the four reflections that turn the mind toward Buddhist practice. Part II covers mantras and tonglen, the compassion practice that helps us connect to the suffering of others. Part III provides guidance about the preliminary practices themselves: the practice of the threefold refuge; generating the altruistic mind, or bodhichitta; purification practice; mandala offering; and Guru Yoga, explaining how each practice is the antidote to a particular cause of suffering, or ?poison.? Part III also includes precious guidance about the Vajra Guru mantra and the transference of consciousness at the moment of death.While these may seem like technical subjects?and this is indeed a traditional presentation?Pema Wangyal?s writing is suffused with warmth and tenderness, making this book quite accessible and inviting to beginners.

Read more less

Book SynopsisInto the Mirror examines the materialism of the modern world through the profound teachings of Mahayana Buddhism and offers an accessible and powerful method for investigating the way our minds construct our worlds.Into the Mirror combines contemporary Western inquiries into the nature of consciousness, with classical Buddhist investigations into the nature of mind, to offer deep insights into the nature of reality. Andy Karr invites the reader to make this a personal, experiential journey through study, contemplation, and meditation.The first part of the book presents the Mahayana Buddhist approach to the path of freedom from suffering. It explores foundational teachings, such as the four truths, the notion of enlightenment, and the practice of meditation, from a fresh perspective. The second part deconstructs assumptions about mind and the material world using easily understood tools from contemporary Western philosophy. Part three presents a series of contemplative practices, ethics, and insights, starting with the Middle Way teachings on emptiness and interdependence, through Yogachara’s subtle understanding of non-duality, to the view that buddha nature is already within us to be revealed rather than something external to be acquired.Into the Mirror concludes with a call to cultivate compassion for beings and the environment right within this world of illusion.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisA fascinating guide to the mental, physical, and esoteric spiritual transformative Taoist practices designed to increase longevity and unity with the world?with commentary and interpretation on the traditional text by a contemporary academic and meditation practitioner.Taoist alchemical practices are renowned for their mental, physical, and spiritually transformative benefits?including longevity and increased connection to the world around us. In this guide to Master Huang Yuanji?s Taoist classic, Ge Guolong presents the basics of inner alchemy and the tradition?s most essential meditation practices?along with explanations of the fundamental theories and methods one needs to actually start walking the path.Historically, Taoist teachers borrowed complex terminology from astrology, numerology, and metallurgical alchemy to describe the process of individual transformation that occurs as a result of long-term meditation practice. Ge Guolong demystifies that classical terminology, illuminating Taoism?s straightforward and eminently practical philosophy. These vivid explanations of Huang Yuanji?s discourses?a Taoist master from the late-Ming, early-Qing Dynasty (1636?1912)?are particularly striking for their clarity, relevance to day-to-day life, and close relationship to the philosophy of such works as the Tao Te Ching and Chuang-tzu. Synthesizing numerous streams of Chinese philosophy and elucidating their lived practice, Taoist Inner Alchemy is as an excellent entry point to discover the riches of traditional Taoist thought and meditation.

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn instructional presentation of exercises rooted in the tradition of Dzogchen for enhancing self-awareness and developing clarity within sleep and dream states throughout all moments of the day and night.In Buddhist Dream Yoga, Chögyal Namkhai Norbu gives instructions for developing clarity within the sleep and dream states. He goes beyond the practices of lucid dreaming that have been popularized in the West by presenting methods for guiding dream states that are part of a broader system for enhancing self-awareness called Dzogchen. In this tradition, the development of lucidity in the dream state is understood in the context of generating greater awareness for the ultimate purpose of attaining liberation. Also includes: Specific methods for engaging with dreams and practices to help maintain one?s focus throughout both day and night Additional material from a profound and personal Dzogchen book written by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu over many years A text written by Jamgon Mipham, the nineteenth-century master of Dzogchen, which offers additional insights into this extraordinary form of meditation and awareness

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe fruit of some thirty years? experience leading Buddhist meditation retreats, this book touches on a wide range of topics in short sections that can be either read in sequence or browsed through at leisure. Leading meditation teacher Joseph Goldstein offers favorite Dharma stories, key teachings, and answers to most-asked questions, providing an overview of Buddhist practice and its context generally while focusing on vipassana meditation specifically. He covers what the path itself is composed of, how to practice, what freeing the mind is all about, how karma works, the connection between psychology and dharma practice, a look at what selflessness really is, and how to really be of benefit to others.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe cognitive science of religion does not have its own methodology, and yet from the very beginnings of the discipline, methodology has defined it not only in relation to the general study of religion in the humanities but also to the sciences interested in the mind. Scholars of the cognitive science of religion are using a range of methodologies, borrowing mostly from the cognitive sciences and experimental psychology, but also from biology, archaeology, history, philosophy, linguistics, the social and statistical sciences, neurosciences, and anthropology. In fact, this multi-disciplinarity defines the cognitive science of religion. Such multi-disciplinarity requires hard work and truly interdisciplinary teams, but also continual reflections on and debates about the methodologies being used. In fact, no study of the cognitive science of religion worth its name can rely on only one methodology. Triangulation is standard, but often even more approaches are used. This book consists of selected papers from the Journal for the Cognitive Science of Religion and the Journal of Cognitive Historiography. Each chapter demonstrates a particular method or group of methods and how those methods advance our knowledge of the religious mind from the ancient past up to today.Table of ContentsIntroduction: Studying the Religious Mind Armin W. Geertz Part I. Fieldwork Chapter One: Go WILD, Not WEIRD Martha Newson (University of Oxford), Michael Buhrmester (University of Oxford), Dimitris Xygalatas, and Harvey Whitehouse (University of Oxford) Chapter Two: Cognitively Informed Ethnography: Using Mixed Methods to Capture the Complexity of Religious Phenomena in Two Ecologically Valid Settings Hugh D. Turpin (Queens University Belfast and University of Oxford) and Mark Stanford (University of Oxford) Part II. Experimental Study of Religion Chapter Three: Introduction to Experimental Research of Religion Dimitris Xygalatas Chapter Four: The Experimental Study of Religion: or There and Back Again Jesper Sørensen (Aarhus University) and Kristoffer L. Nielbo Chapter Five: Fast and Slow: Questions and Observations in the Psychology of Religion Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi (University of Haifa) Chapter Six: The Embodiment of Worship: Relations among Postural, Psychological, and Physiological Aspects of Religious Practice Patty Van Cappellen and Megan E. Edwards (both at Duke University) Chapter Seven: Past Its Prime? A Methodological Overview and Critique of Religious Priming Research in Social Psychology Shoko Watanabe (University of Illinois) and Sean M. Laurent (Pennsylvania State University) Part III. Cognitive Neuroscience Chapter Eight: Religious Experience in Mediterranean Antiquity Istvan Czachesz Chapter Nine: Ritual Mourning in Daniel’s Interpretation of Jeremiah’s Prophecy Angela K. Harkins (Boston College) Chapter Ten: Tours of Heaven in Light of the Neuroscientific Study of Religious Experience Istvan Czachesz Chapter Eleven: (Religious) Language and the Decentering Process: McNamara and De Sublimitate on the Ecstatic Effect of Language Christopher T. Holmes (Emory University) Chapter Twelve: Do You Need Cognitive Neuroscience to Understand Religious Cognition, Experience and Texts? Patrick McNamara (Boston University School of Medicine) Part IV. Cognitive Historiography Chapter Thirteen: What Is Cognitive Historiography, Anyway? Method, Theory, and a Cross-Disciplinary Decalogue Leonardo Ambasciano Chapter Fourteen: The Rites of the Day of Blood (dies sanguinis) in the Graeco-Roman Cult of Cybele and Attis: A Cognitive Historiographical Approach Panayotis Pachis (Aristotle University) Chapter Fifteen: The Gendered Deep History of the Bona Dea Cult Leonardo Ambasciano Chapter Sixteen: Defilement and Moral Discourse in the Hebrew Bible: An Evolutionary Framework Yitzhaq Feder (University fo Haifa) Part V. Big Data Chapter Seventeen: Exploring the Challenges and Potentialities of the Database of Religious History for Cognitive Historiography Brenton Sullivan (Colgate University), Michael Muthukrishna (LSE), Frederick S. Tappenden (University of Alberta), and Edward Slingerland (University of British Columbia) Chapter Eighteen: An Introduction to Seshat: Global History Databank Part VI. Computational Approaches Chapter Nineteen: Mining the Past – Data-Intensive Knowledge Discovery in the Study of Historical Textual Traditions Kristoffer L. Nielbo, Ryan Nichols (California State University), and Edward Slingerland Chapter Twenty: Method, Theory, and Multi-Agent Artificial Intelligence: Creating Computer Models of Complex Social Interaction Justin E. Lane (NORCE, Norway) Chapter Twenty One: The Computational Science of Religion Justin Lane and F. LeRon Shults (University of Agder) Part VII. Open Science Chapter Twenty Two: Advancing the Cognitive Science of Religion through Replication and Open Science Suzanne Hoogeveen (University of Amsterdam) and Michiel van Elk (VU University) Chapter Twenty Three: Promoting the Benefits and Clarifying Misconceptions about Preregistration, Preprints, and Open Science for the Cognitive Science of Religion Christopher Kavanagh (University of Oxford) and Rohan Kapitány (keele University) Part VIII. Consilience Chapter Twenty Four: The Arts Transform the Cognitive Science of Religion Joseph Bulbulia (Victoria University of Wellington) Chapter Twenty Five: Toward a Second Wave of Consilience in the Cognitive Scientific Study of Religion Edward Slingerland

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis concise and accessible introduction brings the writings of Marx and Engels and later thinkers in the Marxist tradition including Althusser, Gramsci, the Frankfurt School as well as Liberation Theologians such as Gutierrez and Maduro, into focus in relation to questions of religion, social change and social justice. Marx was a nineteenth century thinker trying to develop a theory that could explain the dramatic social and technological changes that he lived through. Later thinkers modified and developed key elements of Marx' theoretical model, with religion - particularly Christianity - providing a vital point of critical self-reflection for thinkers in the Marxist tradition. This book tracks these modifications and developments to Marx' ideas, and their continuing relevance to contemporary debates about religion, social change and social justice.Table of ContentsPreface Chapter One: Introducing Marx Chapter Two: Marx: Religion, Ideology, Power and Change Chapter Three: Engels: The First Marxist Historian and Anthropologist of Religion Chapter Four: Ideology, Hegemony and Religion: Althusser, Gramsci and the Embrace of Uncertainty Chapter Five: The Frankfurt School: Horkheimer, Habermas and Religion Chapter Six: Marxism and Liberation Theology Chapter Seven: Conclusions Glossary

Read more less

Book SynopsisSince the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020s have been consistently framed as a time crisis. Rather than take this at face value, asking how religious people may handle a crisis or what religion can offer people who feel they are in crisis, this volume asks what happens when we classify something as a crisis, and what is at stake in linking these "crises" to "religion." Discourses of Crisis and the Study of Religion highlights how these terms and categories, though seemingly self-evident, serve particular social and political ends. After an opening section that explores the deployment of crisis rhetoric in various aspects of higher education, this volume structures the critical approach to the category of crisis through four distinct sections: Language, Lexicon, Locus, and Locution. The section on language examines the various rhetorical and theoretical frameworks for "crisis." The third section, Lexicon, considers the question of method in the study of religion, interrogating the ways in which perceived crises mark shifts in how we do our work. The section on locus takes up the concept of data for religion and crisis, analyzing examples of how the construction of "crisis" can force moments of decision, adaptation, and reaction. Examples compare instances from North America, Brazil, Mexico, and Russia. The final section, Locution, brings together senior scholars to assess recent approaches to "the role of religion in crisis" and offers alternatives to that framework in the field of religious studies. The volume concludes with an epilogue reflecting on how scholars themselves theorize (or choose not to theorize) crises in regard to their own lives. This volume, focusing on discourses of crisis during a time that is constantly mediated as "in crisis," shows us ways of doing religious studies that are up to the challenge of reflecting on the problems, strategies, and political structures through which we construct our social worlds.

Read more less

Book SynopsisBlack Rood tells the fascinating story of one of Scotland’s oldest and most significant crown jewels. Once as famous as the Stone of Scone, the Black Rood was a gold and jewel-studded reliquary for a piece of the True Cross. This profound and holy treasure was smuggled into Scotland after the Norman invasion by the sister of the last Anglo-Saxon king of England. On her marriage to King Malcolm III, the Black Rood passed into the Scottish royal family, and so became a symbol of the authority and legitimacy of Scotland’s kingship. Giving its name to the abbey and then the palace and now the parliament of Holyrood, the Black Rood was to help define Scotland as a kingdom which was at least the equal of England in the eyes of God, and in some ways superior to it. David Willem tells the story of the Black Rood though the lives of the kings and queens of Scotland and England who honoured it, treasured it, enacted themselves through it, fought over it, and who sometimes died clutching it, so creating a history in vivid human detail that ranges over a thousand years of Scottish and English history. At the same time, the author tells the story of two other similar reliquaries of the True Cross – the Croes Gneth of Wales and Ireland’s Cross of Cong. Like the Black Rood, these Irish and Welsh crown jewels helped define the autonomy and independence of their nations, and both were to follow similar trajectories through time. The book ends with the mystery of what happened to the Black Rood, and explores the possibility that, like the Cross of Cong, it might still exist and be waiting to be found. Together these stories create a new and compelling perspective on the relationships between Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland, just when those relationships are changing again for the first time in hundreds of years.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisDive deep into perseverance, one of the core practices of the bodhisattvas, with beloved teacher Lama Zopa Rinpoche as a guide.Awakening depends on fortitude; because, without fortitude there is no merit, as there is no movement without wind. —Shantideva, Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life Perseverance, or virya, is also translated as “energy,” “fortitude,” or “vigor.” One of the six perfections, or paramitas, it is one of the trainings of the bodhisattvas and a deeply necessary quality for the Buddhist path. But it’s far from the kind of head-down, stubborn determination the name could imply; instead, it’s joyful energy that enables us to practice. Rinpoche’s commentary is structured around the fifth and seventh chapters of the beloved Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life by the eighth-century philosopher-poet Shantideva. Interweaving h

Read more less

Book SynopsisAuthentic and practical teachings on what lies at the heart of Tibetan Buddhism, including karma, renunciation, bodhichitta, kindness, preparing for death, and much more.Perfect for practitioners, meditators, and anyone who wishes to better understand their own mind, this is an important message from a fresh voice within the tradition.Discover thoughtful advice and applicable practices for following a genuine Buddhist path and living a meaningful life in this succinct book. This profoundly graspable introduction to the heart of Tibetan Buddhism comes from a fresh voice within the tradition who has a growing online teaching presence. Khenpo Sherab Sangpo studied for decades with some of modern history''s greatest teachers in the Dzogchen lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, achieving impressive theoretical knowledge and experiential realization.This wide-ranging book offers easy-to-follow teachings and practices to cultivate a kind mind—bodhichitta&mdas

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"A solid and well-researched effort about this famous, often-sung song." * Library Journal *"His affection for his subject is contagious and his engagement comprehensive, and his account is full of fascinating detail." * Wall Street Journal *"Walvin's book is a testament to his excellence as a historian. . . . [He] gives us a meaningful survey of a beloved hymn that is well worth the reader's time. It would be of interest especially for those curious about the confluence of history, social change and religion. . . . Amazing Grace delivers an insightful look at the perennial appeal of a cherished classic." * National Catholic Reporter *"A short but fascinating book." * The Economist *"The author’s research and writing are powerful and compelling. If you’re interested in musical history, religion, and both the human and American experience, Amazing Grace sums up much of our complex, ever-evolving story." * 1776Books.net *Table of ContentsContents List of Illustrations Introduction 1 • The Young Sinner 2 • Slave Trader Turned Preacher 3 • Crossing the Atlantic 4 • America, Music, and “Amazing Grace” 5 • Music in Slavery and Freedom 6 • Singing and the World of Print 7 • Musical Entertainments 8 • “Amazing Grace” in Folk and Gospel Music 9 • Music for Troubled Times 10 • A Song for All Seasons 11 • Pandemic: An Anthem for Humankind 12 • With Amazing Grace Acknowledgments Notes Sources and Further Reading Index

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn LIVING LIKE YOU MEAN IT, author Ronald J. Frederick, does a brilliant job of describing why people are so afraid of their emotions and how this fear creates a variety of problems in their lives. While the problems are different, the underlying issue is often the same. At the core of their distress is what Dr.Trade Review"Finally, someone is helping us get closer to our emotions and who we are—instead of further away from our power. A moving and inspirational read for anyone in the challenging times we're all going through." —Melody L. Beattie, NY Times bestselling author of Codependent No More "What a joy it is to read Dr. Ron Frederick’s Living Like You Mean It. Well informed, accessible and engaging, this wonderful book is full of powerful strategies that will enliven your soul, enrich your relationships, and help you have a more deeply meaningful life. I recommend it with enthusiasm!" —John Bradshaw, NY Times bestselling author of Healing the Shame that Binds You "With compelling insight into the way emotion shapes our lives, Living Like You Mean It invites us on a tremendously useful journey into the mind and brain and shows us how the day-to-day ways we defend against feeling our feelings keeps us from living the lives we really want. But no more! Through practical suggestions, compelling stories, and powerful insights, this book dishes up a readily accessible plan to free us from the prison of our own fear of feeling. Frederick is a liberating guide—and after joining him on this trek, you’ll be ready to feel fully alive!" —Daniel J. Siegel, MD, director, the Mindsight Institute, and author of The Mindful Brain "Brimming with heart and soul, and scientifically sound, Living Like You Mean It is a brilliant book for anyone wanting to get unstuck and live a happier, more fulfilling life." —Marci Shimoff, NY Times bestselling author of Happy for No Reason "Ron Frederick is a master therapist and a gifted teacher. With energy and passion, he guides the reader through the vibrant inner landscape of the emotions. The tools and insights he offers can help prevent depression and anxiety. Even more, they point the way toward a vital and engaged life—a life fully lived." —Henry Emmons, MD, author of The Chemistry of JoyTable of ContentsAcknowledgments vii Introduction xiii Part One: Preparation 1 To Feel or Not to Feel 3 2 How the Heck Did I Get This Way? 23 Part Two: Taking Action 3 Step One: Becoming Aware of Your Feelings 45 4 Step One, Continued: Becoming Aware of Your Defenses 64 5 Step Two: Taming the Fear 87 6 Step Three: Feeling It Through 108 7 Step Four: Opening Up 131 8 Putting It All Together 151 Conclusion: Making a Choice 170 Appendix: Seeking Professional Help 173 Notes 175 The Author 179 Index 181

Read more less

Book SynopsisRediscover the Reformations in Europe with this insightful and comprehensive new edition of a long-time favorite Amongst the authoritative works covering the European Reformation, Carter Lindberg''s The European Reformations has stood the test of time. Widely used in classrooms around the world for over twenty-five years, the first two editions of the book were enjoyed and acclaimed by students and teachers alike. Now, the revised and updated Third Edition of The European Reformations continues the author''s work to sketch the various efforts to reform received expressions of faith and their social and political effects, both historical and modern. He has expanded his coverage of women in the Reformations and added a chapter on reforms in East-Central Europe. Comprehensively covering all of Europe, The European Reformations provides an in-depth exploration of the Reformations'' effects on a wide variety of countries. The author discusTrade Review“The third edition of Carter Lindberg’s book deserves a prominent place on the shelf of anyone who wishes to understand the larger scope of the events that rocked the Western church and European society in the sixteenth century.” - Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly, Vol. 120, No. 3 (Summer 2023)Table of ContentsList of Figures xi Preface to the Third Edition xiii Preface to the Second Edition xvi Preface to the First Edition xviii List of Abbreviations xxi 1 History, Historiography, and Interpretations of the Reformations 1 History and Historiography 1 Interpretations of the Reformations 6 Suggestions for Further Reading 19 2 The Late Middle Ages: Threshold and Foothold of the Reformations 20 Agrarian Crisis, Famine, and Plague 21 Towns and Cities: Loci of Ideas and Change 28 The Printing Press 29 Of Mines and Militancy 31 Social Tensions 32 The Crisis of Values 35 The Western Schism 35 Conciliarism 38 Anticlericalism and the Renaissance Papacy 43 Suggestions for Further Reading 45 Electronic Resources 45 3 The Dawn of a New Era 46 Martin Luther (1483–1546) 46 Theological and Pastoral Responses to Insecurity 51 Theological Implications 57 Indulgences: The Purchase of Paradise 59 The Squeaky Mouse 62 Politics and Piety 64 From the Diet of Worms to the Land of the Birds 66 The Diet of Worms 71 Suggestions for Further Reading 72 Electronic Resources 73 4 Wait for No One: Implementation of Reforms in Wittenberg 74 In the Land of the Birds 74 Melanchthon: Teacher of Germany 75 Karlstadt and Proto-Puritanism 76 Bishops, Clerical Marriage, and Strategies for Reform 78 The Gospel and Social Order 84 Suggestions for Further Reading 91 5 Fruits of the Fig Tree: Social Welfare and Education 92 Late Medieval Poor Relief 93 Beyond Charity 94 The Institutionalization of Social Welfare 98 Bugenhagen and the Spread of Evangelical Social Welfare 101 Education for Service to God and Service to the Neighbor 104 The Catechisms and Christian Vocation 106 Was the Early Reformation a Failure? 108 Suggestions for Further Reading 109 6 The Reformation of the Common Man 111 "Brother Andy" 111 Thomas Müntzer 117 Müntzer's Origins and Theology 118 Müntzer's Historical Development 121 On to the Land of Hus 122 The Revolution of the Common Man, 1524–1526 128 The Role of Anticlericalism 130 Luther and the Peasants' War 131 Suggestions for Further Reading 136 7 The Swiss Connection: Zwingli and the Reformation in Zurich 137 The Affair of the Sausages 137 Zwingli's Beginnings 137 Magistracy and Church in Zurich 140 Zwingli’s Reform Program 141 Excursus: Medieval Sacramental Theology 146 The Marburg Colloquy, 1529 154 Suggestions for Further Reading 159 8 The Sheep against the Shepherds: The Radical Reformations 160 The Anabaptists 161 Excursus: Reformation Understandings of Baptism 164 Zurich Beginnings 168 Anabaptist Multiplicity 173 The Münster Debacle 176 The Subversive Piety of the Spiritualists 179 Suggestions for Further Reading 181 9 Augsburg 1530 to Augsburg 1555: Reforms and Politics 183 The Trail of Worms 183 The Diet of Worms, 1521 185 The Diet of Speyer, 1526 186 The Diet of Speyer, 1529 187 The Diet of Augsburg, 1530, and the Augsburg Confession 188 The Right of Resistance to the Emperor 192 Reformation Ecumenism, War, and the Peace of Augsburg 193 Suggestions for Further Reading 198 10 "The Most Perfect School of Christ": The Genevan Reformation 199 John Calvin (1509–1564) 199 Journey to Geneva 202 The Reformation in Geneva 204 Sojourn in Strasbourg 206 Geneva under Calvin, 1541–1564 210 Calvin's Consolidation of His Authority 212 The Servetus Case 215 Protestant Mission and Evangelism: The "International Conspiracy" 218 Suggestions for Further Reading 220 11 Refuge in the Shadow of God's Wings: The Reformation in France 221 The Shield of Humanism 221 Evangelical Progress and Persecution 224 Calvin's Influence in France 226 The Colloquy of Poissy, 1561 231 The Wars of Religion, 1562–1598 232 The St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre 234 "Paris is Worth a Mass" 237 Suggestions for Further Reading 238 12 The Blood of the Martyrs: The Reformation in the Netherlands 239 "La Secte Lutheriane" 241 Dissident Movements 242 The Rise of Calvinism and the Spanish Reaction 243 A Godly Society? 246 Suggestions for Further Reading 247 13 The Reformations in England and Scotland 248 Anticlericalism and Lutheran Beginnings 249 The King's Great Matter 255 Passions, Politics, and Piety 257 Edward VI and Protestant Progress 259 Mary Tudor and Protestant Regress 261 Elizabeth I and the Via Media 263 Mary Stuart (1542–1587) and the Reformation in Scotland 267 Suggestions for Further Reading 271 14 Reformations in East-Central Europe 272 Bohemia 276 Livonia 277 Prussia and Poland 278 Antitrinitarian Developments 281 Slovakia and Hungary 283 Suggestions for Further Reading 288 15 Catholic Renewal and the Counter-Reformation 289 Late Medieval Renewal Movements 289 The Index and the Inquisition 295 Loyola and the Society of Jesus 299 The Council of Trent, 1545–1563 304 Suggestions for Further Reading 310 Electronic Resources 310 16 Legacies of the Reformations 311 Confessionalization 311 Politics 314 Culture 318 The Reformations and Women 318 Toleration and the "Other" 323 Economics, Education, and Science 328 Literature and the Arts 330 Back to the Future: The Reformations and Modernity 336 Suggestions for Further Reading 338 Electronic Resources 338 Chronology 339 Genealogies 345 The House of Valois and Bourbon, to 1610 346 The family of Charles V 347 The English crown, 1485–1603 348 Ottoman sultans, 1451–1648 349 Popes, 1492–1605 350 Maps 351 Europe about 1500 325 Germany at the time of the Reformations 353 The Empire of Charles V 354 The Ottoman Empire 355 The Portuguese and Spanish overseas empires 356 Religious divisions in Europe about 1600 357 Glossary 358 Appendix: Aids to Reformation Studies 361 Bibliography 364 Index 403

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisFind your voice, speak your truth, listen deeply—a guide to having more meaningful and mindful conversations through nonviolent communication We spend so much of our lives talking to each other, but how much are we simply running on automatic—relying on old habits and hoping for the best? Are we able to truly hear others and speak our mind in a clear and kind way, without needing to get defensive or go on the attack? In this groundbreaking synthesis of mindfulness, somatics, and Nonviolent Communication, Oren Jay Sofer offers simple yet powerful practices to develop healthy, effective, and satisfying ways of communicating.  The techniques in Say What You Mean will help you to: • Feel confident during conversation • Stay focused on what really matters in an interaction • Listen for the authentic concerns behind what others say • Reduce anxiety before and during difficult conversations • Find nourishment in day-to-day interactions   “Unconscious patterns of communication create separation not only in our personal lives, they also perpetuate patterns of misunderstanding and violence that pervade our world. With clarity and great insight, Oren Jay Sofer offers teachings and practices that train us to speak and listen with presence, courage, and an open heart.” —Tara Brach, author of Radical Acceptance and True Refuge

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe ESV Study Bible, Personal Size compresses the features of the award-winning ESV Study Bible into a smaller size for easier carrying.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe ESV Study Bible, Personal Size compresses nearly all the features of the award-winning ESV Study Bible into a smaller size for easier carrying.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe bestselling author of Who Ordered This Truckload of Dung? and one of the world’s most beloved Buddhist monks answers meditators’ questions.In Bear Awareness English monk Ajahn Brahm answers actual questions from his meditation students––questions you may have had as well. While most mindfulness meditation teachers praise the benefits of bare awareness, he teaches bear awareness. He helps us make friends with the scary things that come up on the cushion, and he knows how to lift the mood with a well-placed stuffed teddy––or a well-timed pun. The intimacy of the question-and-answer format provides a fresh experience of learning from a master meditator. Whether he is urging readers to fly Buddha Air (sit back and relax on your way to nirvana), giving tips for dealing with panic attacks or depression, or extolling the bliss of meditation that is better than sex, he gives us permission to enjoy our lives and our practice.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisDeepen your meditation by diving into the practices of the lamrim—the stages of the path to enlightenment.Buddhist tradition tells us that enlightenment is possible for each and every one of us. It’s actually the best thing we can do for others and for the world, but also the best thing we can do for ourselves, because it means being free from all misery, pain, depression, dissatisfaction, and negative emotions, and abiding forever in peace, joy, love, and compassion. What could be more wonderful than that? Kathleen McDonald (Sangye Khadro), a Western nun with decades of experience and author of the bestselling book How to Meditate, guides us through the next step in our meditation practice: the transformative meditations on the Tibetan lamrim stages to enlightenment. She helps us see that the whole purpose of meditation is to transform our mind in a constructive way. For this to happen, we need to become so thoroughly familiar with the

Read more less

Book SynopsisA new translation of Tibet''s most important manual for Mahāmudrā view and meditationThis classic Buddhist work, written in the sixteenth century, comprehensively presents the entire scope of the Tibetan Kagyu Mahāmudrā tradition. These profound yet accessible instructions focus on becoming familiar with the nature of one’s mind as the primary means to realize ultimate reality and thus attain buddhahood. Dakpo Tashi Namgyal’s manual for the view and practice of Mahāmudrā is widely considered the single most important work on the subject, systematically introducing the view and associated meditation techniques in a progressive manner.Moonbeams of Mahāmudrā, along with the Ninth Karmapa Wangchuk Dorje’s Dispelling the Darkness of Ignorance, are to this day some of the most studied texts on Mahāmudrā in the Kagyu monasteries throughout Tibet and the Himalayas. Elizabeth M. Callahan, a renowned translator of classical Kagyu literature, has provided new translations of these two texts along with ancillary materials and annotations, making this a genuine resource for both scholars and students of Tibetan Buddhism. This historic contribution therefore offers the necessary tools to properly study and apply the Mahāmudrā teachings in a modern context.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less