Religion and beliefs Books

Book SynopsisIn a life that saw him evolve from a staunchly religious Hindu to an ecumenical master of Buddhist insight meditation, Satyanārāyaṇ (S. N.) Goenka (1924–2013) emerged as a leader in the spread of lay mindfulness and insight meditation practice on a global scale. A second-generation Burmese of Indian origin, Goenka was a successful businessman before turning to Buddhist meditation for help with crippling migraines. Becoming first a close student and then assistant teacher under the innovative Burmese lay Buddhist teacher U Ba Khin, Goenka eventually felt the pull of karmic destiny to teach meditation in India and thereby repay the ancient debt that Burmese Buddhists owed to the original Indian Buddhist tradition. In the 1970s, as he became an integral part of the Indian Buddhist spiritual landscape, thousands of young people from the United States and Europe flocked to India to explore its spiritual possibilities. Out of this remarkable convergence was launched a global network of practitioners and meditation centers that would become Goenka’s legacy.Drawing heavily on Goenka’s own autobiographical writings and Dharma talks, Daniel Stuart draws the first comprehensive portrait of the master’s life and demonstrates that Goenka’s influences, teaching, and legacy are much more complex than has been commonly thought. Stuart incorporates a wide range of primary documents and newly translated material in Hindi and Burmese to offer readers an in-depth exploration of Goenka’s teachings and his practice lineage in Burma. Stuart further details the trials and tribulations Goenka faced in building a movement in India in the 1970s, developing a global network of meditation centers, and negotiating a range of relationships with students and religious leaders worldwide. This fascinating addition to the Lives of the Masters series reflects on Goenka’s role in the revival of Buddhism in postcolonial India and his emergence as one of the most influential meditation masters of the twentieth century.

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Book SynopsisA timely essay collection on the development and influence of secular expressions of Buddhism in the West and beyond. How do secular values impact Buddhism in the modern world? What versions of Buddhism are being transmitted to the West? Is it possible to know whether an interpretation of the Buddha’s words is correct? In this new essay collection, opposing ideas that often define Buddhist communities—secular versus religious, modern versus traditional, Western versus Eastern—are unpacked and critically examined. These reflections by contemporary scholars and practitioners reveal the dynamic process of reinterpreting and reimagining Buddhism in secular contexts, from the mindfulness movement to Buddhist shrine displays in museums, to whether rebirth is an essential belief. This collection explores a wide range of modern understandings of Buddhism—whether it is considered a religion, philosophy, or lifestyle choice—and questions if secular Buddhism is purely a Western invention, offering a timely contribution to an ever-evolving discussion. Contributors include Bhikkhu Bodhi, Kate Crosby, Gil Fronsdal, Kathleen Gregory, Funie Hsu, Roger R. Jackson, Charles B. Jones, David L. McMahan, Richard K. Payne, Ron Purser, Sarah Shaw, Philippe Turenne, and Pamela D. Winfield.

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Book SynopsisNagarjuna is famous in the West for his works not only on Madhyamaka but his poetic collection of praises, headed by In Praise of Dharmadhatu. This book explores the scope, contents, and significance of Nagarjuna''s scriptural legacy in India and Tibet, focusing primarily on the title work. The translation of Nagarjuna''s hymn to Buddha nature—here called dharmadhatu—shows how buddha nature is temporarily obscured by adventitious stains in ordinary sentient beings gradually uncovered through the path of bodhisattvas and finally revealed in full bloom as buddhahood. These themes are explored at a deeper level through a Buddhist history of mind''s luminous nature and a translation of the text''s earliest and most extensive commentary by the Third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje (1284–1339), supplemented by relevant excerpts from all other available commentaries. The book also provides an overview of the Third Karmapa''s basic outlook, based on seven of his major texts. He is widely renowned as one of the major proponents of the shentong (other-empty) view. However, as this book demonstrates, this often problematic and misunderstood label needs to be replaced by a more nuanced approach which acknowledges the Karmapa''s very finely tuned synthesis of the two great traditions of Indian mahayana Buddhism, Madhyamaka and Yogacara. These two, his distinct positions on Buddha nature, and the transformation of consciousness into enlightened wisdom also serve as the fundamental view for the entire vajrayana as it is understood and practiced in the Kagyu tradition to the present day.

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Book SynopsisFor over two decades, a white Catholic priest who pastors a black Chicago parish, Reverend Michael Pfleger, has never been far from the spotlight. His aggressive, innovative leadership has made St. Sabina one of the largest and most active black Catholic congregations in the country. At the same time Pfleger has been continually criticized as a trouble-making maverick and a publicity hound. This biography concentrates on Father Pfleger’s work at St. Sabina from his earliest days there and covers his activism, his work in the community, his battles with church leaders, and his strong relationship with his parishioners.

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Book SynopsisAccessing the Inherent Wakefulness at the Core of Your Being Your body is already awake. The journey of enlightenment, teaches Reggie Ray, ultimately leads you beyond the limits of the "head space" and into the living wisdom of the very cells that make up your physical form. With The Practice of Pure Awareness, Reggie shares what he sees as the essence of the Tibetan tantric tradition: allowing the depth and fullness of body-based or somatic intelligence to reveal itself. Nine Step-by-Step Sessions of Somatic Meditation Training How can we discover this perfect, somatic knowing? It begins by removing the blockages that manifest mentally, emotionally, and physically. Join Reggie Ray as he presents the practice of pure awareness in nine guided, sequential sessions that lead to the direct experience of our true nature. Emphasizing deep relaxation, the power in the lower belly, opening the central channel, and the significance of posture, Reggie helps us unfold ever-subtler realizations of our capacities to love and heal. Through Yin Breathing, Earth Descent, 12-Fold Lower Belly Breathing, and more, we journey through the channels of the subtle body, releasing old traumas and stuck energy. "Through these meditations," says Reggie, "our true selves begin to flower. We discover that, in essence, we are a river, a torrent, of love." The Practice of Pure Awareness invites us into embodied awakening—a fuller and richer experience than the more arid or "above-the-neck" states of consciousness we find in many conventional spiritual approaches. Through committed practice, the body itself becomes our guide, teacher, and protector, illuminating the perfection inside and around us.

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Book SynopsisA Teaching Memoir That Crosses the Barriers Between Worlds A shaman is one who has learned to move between two worlds: our physical reality and the realm of spirits. For John Lockley, shamanic training also meant learning to cross the immense divide of race and culture in South Africa. As a medic drafted into the South African military in 1990, John Lockley had a powerful dream. "Even though I am a white man of Irish and English descent, I knew in my bones that I had received my calling to become a sangoma, a traditional South African shaman," John writes. "I felt blessed by the ancient spirit of Africa, and I knew that I had started on a journey filled with magic and danger." His path took him from the hills of South Korea, where he trained as a student under Zen Master Su Bong, to the rural African landscape of the Eastern Cape and the world of the sangoma mystic healers, where he found his teacher in the medicine woman called MaMngwevu. In Leopard Warrior, John shares a gripping account of his experiences and the wisdom he learned over years of training. Here he invites you to discover: • Powerful insights into the spiritual tradition of the Xhosa lineage of South Africa—the tribe of Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu • Ubuntu—a core concept for recognizing and embracing our deep interconnection with all living things • Ancestor medicine—how we can learn to honor the blood in our veins, the heritage of our soul, and our shared humanity • Recovering our forgotten knowledge about the wisdom of our dreams, the spirits of plants and animals, and the power of the unseen world In traditional African healing circles, the leopard represents intuition, instinct, and harmony with nature and the spirit world. As John Lockley writes, "A leopard warrior is a spiritual soldier who mirrors the natural world and directs their gaze inward to answer the call of their spirit." With Leopard Warrior, he brings us an inspiring call to action—showing how we can bridge the barriers that divide us, embrace the gifts of our ancestors, and reclaim our rightful place as compassionate caretakers of our world.

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Book SynopsisA fascinating first-hand account of an awakening into a psychic consciousness, paired with a revolutionary analysis by a respected professor of religion   When Elizabeth Greenfield Krohn got out of her car with her two young sons in the parking lot of her synagogue on a late afternoon in September 1988, she couldn''t have anticipated she would within seconds be struck by lightning and have a near-death experience. She felt herself transported to a garden and engaging in a revelatory conversation with a spiritual being. When she recovered, her most fundamental understandings of what the world is and how it works had been completely transformed. She was “changed in a flash,” suddenly able to interact with those who had died and have prescient dreams predicting news events. She came to believe that some early traumatic and abusive experiences had played a part in preparing her for this experience.   Told in matter-of-fact language, the first half of this book is the story of Krohn’s journey, and the second is an interpretation and analysis by respected professor of religion Jeffrey J. Kripal. He places Krohn''s experience in the context of religious traditions and proposes the groundbreaking idea that we are shaping our own experiences in the future by how we engage with near-death experiences in the present. Changed in a Flash is not about proving a story, but about carving out space for serious discussion of this phenomenon.

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Book SynopsisThis no-holds-barred volume confirms the feelings of those who have always known something about the church just isn't right. Centuries of corruption continue even with the current pope, under whom many wealthy cardinals are enjoying incomprehensible luxury. Take top cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, for example, who recently spent €200.000 from a children's charity fund on the renovation of his luxurious penthouse apartment. Of course Bertone denies everything, but it's curious to see how often the Vatican's number two has been linked to financial fraud by the Italian Justice Department. According to Italian journalists Emiliano Fittipaldi and Gianluigi Nuzzi, millions of euros meant for charity are supposed to have been "stuck" within the administration and bureaucracy of the Roman Curia. Their sources are leaked Vatican documents, and the two people who have supposedly leaked these documents have since been arrested. These are a Spanish Opus Dei priest and a curious Italian woman, thought to be a mistress of one of the cardinals. I'm sure the pope means well, but he obviously isn't in control of the Curia of Cardinals.

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Book SynopsisA unique Buddhist tradition, accessible in English for the first time—translations of forty-five Cambodian Dharma songs, with contextualizing essays and a link to audio of stunning vocal performances.Until Nirvana’s Time is the first collection of traditional Cambodian Buddhist literature available in English, presenting original translations of forty-five poems. Introduced, translated, and contextualized by scholar and vocalist Trent Walker, the Dharma songs in this book reveal a distinctive Southeast Asian genre of devotion, mourning, and contemplation. Their soaring melodies have inspired Cambodians for generations, whether in daily prayers or all-night rituals. Trained in oral and written lineages in Cambodia, Walker presents a carefully curated range of poems from the seventeenth to twentieth centuries that capture the transformative wisdom of the Khmer Buddhist tradition. Many of the poems, having been transcribed from old cassette tapes or fragile bark-paper manuscripts, are printed here for the first time. A link to recordings of selected songs in English and Khmer accompanies the book. These frank and compelling poems offer mirrors to our own lives—even as they challenge Buddhist conventions of how to die, how to grieve, and how to repay the ones we love.

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Book SynopsisWhat is a knowledgeable, faithfully biblical response to transgenderism? In Affirming God's Image, J. Alan Branch takes a fair, respectful, and factual tone in addressing this complex issue through a biblical lens. You'll learn: Scientific research around the transgender experience An Overview of the history of transgenderism Important terminology surrounding gender issues Why people pursue gender reassignment surgery, and what happens after How to navigate conversations around this topic The book ends with two practical chapters for families and churches, giving you guiding principles for how to address this issue in a loving, Christ--honoring way. The first step to responding well to any situation is understanding it. Affirming God's Image equips you with the biblical, scientific, and practical knowledge you need for a wise response.

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Book SynopsisShake Your Bones, Listen to Your Dreams, and Feel the Earth Beneath Your Feet Inside you is a deep capacity for connection to nature, your ancestors, and the limitless wisdom and creativity you touch every night in your dreams. Yet in this modern age filled with distraction and anxiety, how do you restore your connection to these primal resources for living with power and purpose? "We are all bound together by a symphony of blood and bone," teaches John Lockley, one of the few white men in recent history to become a fully initiated sangoma—traditional priest and healer—in the Xhosa lineage of South Africa. With The Way of the Leopard, he brings you a treasury of practices informed by this powerful tradition to help you embrace your true gifts and become a healing presence in the world. An Audio Training Course Inspired by African Shamanic Wisdom The core spiritual teachings John teaches are all created to help you awaken to your own Ubuntu, or shared humanity. In these sessions, you’ll learn to activate the untapped power of your physical senses and intuition; discover how to honor your ancestors and draw upon their guidance; engage with your dreams as a spiritual practice; connect to nature through animal and plant medicine; and dance and shake your way to greater vitality, health, and aliveness. At the beginning of his sangoma apprenticeship, John Lockley’s teacher MaMngwevu gave him the name Cingolweendaba, which means "messenger," reflecting his calling to spread the essential values and principles of South African mysticism to a world in need of healing. "It doesn’t matter what color your skin is or what culture you’re from," John teaches. "If you are a human being with red blood, you can walk like the leopard and connect with the earth like the elephant." Join this remarkable teacher on The Way of the Leopard for a joyful and invigorating course to help you create a life rich in meaning and supported by spirit. HIGHLIGHTS • Activate your physical senses—how to unlock the hidden magic in your vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch • Ignite your intuition—practices to strengthen your "sixth sense" of deep knowing and spiritual awareness • Honoring your ancestors—powerful ways to connect to the living lineage in your blood and bones, as well as your adopted and spiritual ancestry • Shaking medicine—use your breath, body, and heart to activate your "lightning rod" (spine) for spiritual power and wisdom • Plant medicine—using plants in your environment for cleansing, healing, and connecting to the natural world • Overcoming obstacles—the most common roadblocks to spiritual practice and how to clear them • The practice of dreaming—how to receive the wisdom of your dreams and use them as a gateway to your true eternal nature • More the than seven hours of insights, guided practices, and healing wisdom from the shamanic tradition of South Africa with sangoma John Lockley

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Book SynopsisAngeles Arrien was an anthropologist and teacher whose work combined cultural anthropology, psychology, and comparative religion. The Four-Fold Way® is an educational experience that demonstrates how to "walk the mystical path with practical feet" and emphasizes four major principles that integrate ancient perennial wisdoms into contemporary life. Through invocation, stories, and guided meditations, Dr. Arrien offers tools and practices to deepen one’s experience and embodiment of character development in order to increase personal and professional effectiveness. The Four-Fold Way supports individual and collective growth in our work, health, families, communities, and relationship with the Earth.

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Book SynopsisIn Tea and Cake with Demons, Adreanna Limbach brings secular Buddhist teachings to a new generation by addressing one of the most pressing concerns we all face—authentic self-worth. "Our ambition, goal-setting, self-helping, and even our spiritual practices are often driven by the underlying sense that we just aren’t enough," writes Limbach. "But what if we could accept ourselves just as we are? Open our hearts and invite our demons to tea?" These demons, Limbach teaches, manifest for many of us as a chronic sense of "not-enoughness," inherited through cultural stories that send us conflicting messages: we’re supposed to feel happy and confident, but we’re also never quite worthy of those feelings. Using the Four Noble Truths as a guide, Limbach shares meditation practices, personal anecdotes, and traditional Buddhist tales that help us learn to befriend ourselves—even the more unsavory bits—so we can realize our full potential. A popular mindfulness teacher and emerging voice in modern Buddhism, Limbach brings a playful, fresh, and at times joyfully irreverent tone to walking the Eightfold Path.

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Book Synopsis"Perhaps you hunger to finally end the struggle of living from a consciousness of fear and separation. Perhaps you yearn for a saner, wiser, more spiritually elegant way to move through our world. Perhaps you are weary of the dizzying pace of a culture that drives us ever further from our true nature. There is another way: a way of Grace. This book is a hand of friendship to help you come to abide in the living presence that you are and always were."—Miranda Macpherson, The Way of Grace Many of us struggle to truly live what we believe spiritually. What if closing that gap wasn’t about trying harder, but something quite the opposite? The Way of Grace is a guide to spiritual surrender and nondual realization based on the practice of ego relaxation—a holistic, feminine approach to welcoming all of your experience and responding with compassion and wisdom in a world in need of your unique gifts. "Grace has four primary dimensions, or ways that it comes alive," explains Macpherson. "Ego relaxation gives us access to these dimensions, so we can stop trying to beat ourselves into spiritual shape and yield instead to an unshakable presence within." In The Way of Grace, she shares reflections, inquiries, and meditation practices for each phase of your journey: • Relaxing into the Ground of Grace—move beyond identification with your personality and return to the felt sense of your connection to Grace as your natural and ever-present foundation • Receiving the Blessings of Grace—move beyond "the spiritual poverty of lack" and rediscover the gift of life in every moment through the portals of trust, humility, patience, and joy • The Transforming Power of Grace—move beyond that which limits your full freedom through forgiveness, compassion, unwinding ego identity, and abiding in your boundless nature • Living the Embodiment of Grace—continue to surrender anything that binds you into self-centered patterns and behaviors and become a "Grace-delivery device," the presence of love here on Earth "Grace will always deepen, season, and bring out the very best in you," writes Macpherson. "You are its embodiment, always and forever." The Way of Grace will be your steady companion to "live as the fountain we were made to be, letting the living waters flow to quench our parched and tired Earth." Foreword by Russ Hudson.

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Book SynopsisFrom master baker, cook, and Zen priest Edward Espe Brown comes a collection of timeless essays on Zen, food, and life itself. Brown was one of the first Westerners to be ordained a priest by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, who had hoped that Zen might be transformed into a vibrant new form in the West. In The Most Important Point, Brown fulfills Suzuki’s wish with 60 essays that are distinctly American yet preserve the roots of traditional Japanese Zen. Drawing from his time in the kitchen and on the cushion, Brown explores a range of topics, from basic sitting practice to making the "perfect" biscuit and much more. "In the words of my teacher," reflects Brown, "the most important point is to find out what is the most important point." Flavored with wise insights and irreverent humor, The Most Important Point brings together a treasury of teachings to inspire your own discovery.

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Book SynopsisHeart-Centered Meditations for Opening to the Depths of All Your Experience Pain, loss, shame, sadness—suffering is an unavoidable part of being human. The practice of tonglen offers us a way to transform our relationship with suffering—our own and that which is all around us. In The Courage to Love the World, beloved teacher Pema Chödrön shares insightful and heartfelt stories about tonglen, along with direct instruction and guided practice. Recorded on retreat with an intimate group of students, this four-part series presents: Pema’s step-by-step guidance in the formal practice of tonglen • The importance of becoming a "Modern-Day Bodhisattva"—awaken your heart and be of benefit to beings • The practice of "compassionate abiding" in everyday life • Q&A with retreat participants addressing the most common questions that arise with practice • Tonglen as a practical skill for survival in today’s world "The practice of tonglen is one of bravery," teaches Pema, "It takes courage to develop a new relationship with suffering." Now, each of us can immerse ourselves in this ancient Tibetan practice for cultivating kindness and compassion under the guidance of one of our most beloved teachers.

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Book SynopsisRekindle Your Connection to the Divine and Ignite Your True Power Within each of us is a spark of pure divinity, a direct channel to Source that never goes out no matter what hardships we face. Although this spark has many names in many traditions, physician and bestselling author Dr. Lissa Rankin refers to it as the "Inner Pilot Light." In Your Inner Pilot Light, Lissa speaks with Sounds True founder and CEO Tami Simon about her own journey of discovering the Inner Pilot Light, sharing inspirational stories, guided meditations, and practices to help each of us awaken the eternal flame within. Tune into the wise voice within that knows just what you need, when you need it When we tend to our Inner Pilot Light—that flame of consciousness that is uniquely us yet part of a greater Divine fire—we tap into an unlimited source of wise guidance and unconditional love. In this seven-part program, you’ll learn to kindle your own Divine spark and bring greater alignment to your relationships, health, job, purpose, and more. As Lissa draws on her own experience of discovering her Inner Pilot Light, she’ll show you how to move closer to your own center, to reconnect with your creator, and to live a more fulfilling and joyful life. "When you start trusting the voice of your deepest truth," Lissa teaches, "you enter the mysterious landscape of the soul, one where you will discover a wellspring of meaning, purpose, and wholeness."

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Book SynopsisPause . . . breathe . . . smile. Three small words, yet each contains a universe of wisdom. Let the title be your guide in this inspiring book on awakening to the full depths of mindful living. The Pause is about setting our intention before we think, speak, or act—the ethical dimension of mindfulness. When we Breathe, we unite mind, body, and spirit, making every moment an opportunity for meditation. With a Smile, we open to a wisdom beyond words. This simple trio will water your innate seeds of awakening to help you pave your own path to fulfillment and peace.

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Book SynopsisExperience the Transformative Power of Tibetan Buddhism’s Gradual Path of Enlightenment "Enlightenment is an unfolding process—open to everyone." teaches Dr. Miles Neale. "However, in a culture that reduces, commodifies, and sensationalizes meditation, our challenge is to restore the depth, sophistication, and integrity of the complete spiritual path." With The Gradual Path, Dr. Neale presents a seven-session audio course to immerse you in the teachings and practices of the Lam Rim—Tibetan Buddhism’s time-tested path for psychological maturity and awakening. Created as an audio companion to Dr. Neale’s book Gradual Awakening, this course brings you a guided experience in the traditional Lam Rim journey, updated with insights from science and psychotherapy to root each step in our modern experience. Lam Rim—The Hero’s Journey of Awakening With passion and eloquence, Dr. Neale reveals how the Age of Reason’s "enlightenment" that originally emerged to free us from dogma and superstition evolved into a dangerous new "sickness of paradigm" that has given rise to our precarious global situation. By combining healthy scientific inquiry with the timeless power of the Lam Rim path, Dr. Neale invites us to catalyze genuine and sustainable well-being, compassion, and liberation—both for ourselves and the world around us. This path is a "hero’s journey" that begins with our inherent state of suffering and separation, then takes us through each step of transformation to becoming fully human. Do we need to become enlightened to make a difference in the world? "Though enlightenment is always here and possible," teaches Dr. Neale, "what matters most is to focus on the next incremental step ahead of you and awaken gradually—becoming a more mature, aware, insightful, and loving human being. Even making one small Lam Rim step brings a little more light in the world and makes a giant leap for humanity’s evolution." A portion of the proceeds from this program will benefit the Buddhist nuns of Kopan Monastery in Nepal.

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Book SynopsisRediscover the Promise of Enlightenment As Western culture has embraced practices like meditation and yoga, has something been lost in translation? "What we see in America today in both the yoga boom and mindfulness fad," writes Dr. Miles Neale, "is a presentation of technique alone, sanitized and purged of the dynamic teachings in wisdom and ethics that are essential for true liberation." For anyone seeking a path dedicated to both authentic personal growth and the overthrow of the nihilism, hedonism, and materialism that are threatening our planet, this compelling teacher presents a well-conceived, sustainable solution with Gradual Awakening. The core of this book is Tibetan Buddhism’s "gradual path"—or Lam Rim—interpreted with fresh insights from modern scientific research. Offering an illuminating new presentation of Tibet’s deep psychology, meditative techniques, and virtuous rituals, Dr. Neale presents a time-honored path of enormous transformational potential. Each chapter serves as a practical manual that will allow you to experiment with and actualize the benefits of role-modeling visualization, affirmations, contemplative themes, textual recitation, prayers, altars, offerings, and meditation. Here you’ll explore: • Uprooting the "sickness of paradigm"—why a complete spiritual practice must directly confront the fundamental human suffering caused by the modern ethos of scientific reductionism • The Lam Rim path—the history, heritage, and power of this 30-step "hero’s journey" of awakening • Evolutionary self-care—understanding the Buddhist concept of renunciation as a form of self-love and healing • Radical altruism—awakening Bodhicitta, our innate aspiration to evolve fully in service to others • Quantum vision—how the teaching of "emptiness" allows us to pierce the illusion of materialism and accurately perceive the subtlest nature of reality • Dr. Neale’s MAPS process (Maturity, Acceptance, Possibility, and Seeds) to integrate and manifest key insights and skills in your everyday life The mass-market dilutions of Eastern wisdom that focus on symptom relief and easy answers have left behind the ultimate promise of spiritual practice: enlightenment. "Enlightenment is an unfolding process—open to everyone." writes Dr. Neale. For most of us, this path to awakening must be realized through a gradual process: building on incremental insights into who we truly are, learning to care for ourselves and others, and discovering creative ways to engage the problems we all face. Gradual Awakening will serve as a lifelong companion for anyone willing to embrace a new paradigm that integrates science with spirit, theory with practice, and personal meditation with the desire to transform the world. A portion of the proceeds from this book will benefit the Buddhist nuns of Kopan Nunnery in Nepal.

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Book SynopsisWe all sit on the edge of a mystery. We have only known this life, so dying scares us—and we are all dying. But what if dying were perfectly safe? What if you could approach dying with curiosity and love? What if dying were the ultimate spiritual practice? Walking Each Other Home: Conversations on Loving and Dying reunites lifelong friends Ram Dass and Mirabai Bush, who speak on the spiritual opportunities in the dying process. They share intimate personal experiences and timeless practices for every aspect of this journey. In this unabridged audiobook, join these teachers as they explore what it means to live and die consciously, remember who we really are, and illuminate the path we walk together. Narrated by Mirabai Bush, with a preface read by Ram Dass. Archival recording of Ram Dass © Love Serve Remember Foundation. Archival recording of John O’Donohue from To Bless the Space Between Us (AW01197D).

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Book SynopsisA Pioneering Neuroscientist’s Essential Secrets for a Life of Greater Happiness and Freedom When he was a troubled 12-year-old boy, Jim Doty entered a magic shop looking for an entertaining illusion. Instead, he met an extraordinary woman named Ruth who taught him real magic—not illusions, but timeless wisdom for creating a life of connection and purpose. With Lessons from the Magic Shop, Dr. Doty now presents his first audio training program on the life-changing practices he learned in that fateful encounter—practices he has refined and deepened through personal experience, his years as a neurosurgeon, and his research into the power of altruism, empathy, and compassion. Practices for Retraining Your Brain and Opening Your Heart In this six-session audio workshop, Dr. Doty shares the four "magic tricks" he was taught for freeing yourself from anxiety and fear to become who you wish to be. You’ll learn simple and effective ways to relax your body to release stress, train your mind to quiet negative self-talk, open your heart to kindness and connection, and clarify your intention for manifesting your desired goals. As you practice, you will transform both your mind and body—awakening the virtues such as dignity, gratitude, and love that Dr. Doty describes as the "Alphabet of the Heart." "We each possess an extraordinary power to realize our greatest potential and live the life we want," teaches Dr. Doty. With Lessons from the Magic Shop, he peels back the curtain to reveal the secrets for connecting your mind and heart, healing your past, and opening to a life of fulfillment, contentment, and happiness.

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Book SynopsisA practical guide to experiencing natural awareness—an effortless and spacious state of resting in the depth or our being. Do you recall, as a child, being enthralled by a drifting cloud, a rain-soaked leaf, a wandering ladybug? Or suddenly having a sense of timelessness, contentment, and ease? If so, then you've already had a taste of natural awareness. Known and revered in many traditions as a complement to focused mindfulness training, natural awareness transcends even these wondrous childhood moments. Some describe it as a profound "awareness of awareness"—an effortless, boundless state of resting in the depth of our being. For those new to meditation and experienced meditators alike, these 72 "mini-chapters" guide you on an in-depth odyssey into natural awareness, illuminated by many simple and enjoyable insights and exercises. The Little Book of Being invites you to explore: The spectrum of awareness practices, from focused mindfulness to flexible mindfulness to natural awareness • How classical mindfulness and effortless natural awareness enrich and shape each other, and how to practice both • Three ways to move into natural awareness—relaxing effort, broadening awareness, and dropping objects • A treasury of "glimpse practices" to spark natural awareness anytime, in just a few moments • How to bring this way of "simply being" into your daily life, into your connection with others, and into the world "At first natural awareness may seem far away, just a whisper, but then it will begin to grow and expand and permeate aspects of living. Over time we may feel more peace, more connection to ourselves. We may find ourselves taking life a bit more lightly. We may feel a sense of relaxed `beingness’ throughout the day, and when we do get caught in our dramas, we may find ourselves moving out of them quicker than we imagined we could." —Diana Winston

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Book SynopsisHow can we access the awakened state that is our birthright? Dzogchen, the Natural Great Perfection, is one of Tibetan Buddhism’s most guarded and revered teachings, offering us a direct path for scaling the pinnacle of enlightenment in this lifetime. In Dzogchen Meditation Training, American-born Tibetan lama and meditation master Surya Das shares these teachings in his most immersive audio program to date. Drawing on nearly 50 years of experience, Surya Das presents a powerful, in-depth series of meditations and inquiries for coming into deeper communion with all of life and uncovering your luminous true nature.

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Book Synopsis"Effortless mindfulness" is a new way to immediately enter an optimal flow state available to us in the midst of our busy lives. In The Way of Effortless Mindfulness, Loch Kelly teaches that when you "unhook" awareness from chattering thoughts, you can access a peaceful mind and a naturally embodied wakefulness. From this heartful space, students report they find that right action comes easily and a loving tenderness for all of life is freely available. This follow-up to Kelly’s award-winning Shift into Freedom outlines practical and supportive material from neuroscience, psychology, and the wisdom of various spiritual traditions. Here you will find a reader-friendly guide to understanding exactly what effortless mindfulness is, practices for engaging with it, and how to avoid the pitfalls to the full embodiment of this timeless awareness. The Way of Effortless Mindfulness offers a compelling introduction to the next stage in the ongoing mindfulness revolution.

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Book SynopsisDeepen your practice with this audio journey into the source-language teachings of yoga Yoga practitioners know there’s more to the path than asana, or physical postures—but how do we access the deeper wisdom of yogic philosophy? More than 2,000 years ago, the legendary master Patanjali answered this question in 195 pearls of insight known as the Yoga Sutras. Now Sanskrit and Ayurveda teacher Nicolai Bachman offers The Yoga Sutras, an audio program with a fresh approach to working with Patanjali’s seminal text for guidance and inspiration on your own journey toward clarity and happiness. Why do we react the way we do in certain situations? How can suffering be an opportunity for growth? Why are nonviolence and truth important to a student? Patanjali’s sutras offer an illuminating perspective on these questions and more. To help integrate this wisdom into our modern life, Bachman offers a unique approach. Instead of reading each sutra sequentially from beginning to end, he focuses on and discusses 51 key concepts. By exploring these principles and learning to chant the sutras in Sanskrit, the essence of yogic philosophy is revealed—helping us open to its heart and soul. The Yoga Sutras invites you to discover a variety of practical tools and heartfelt insights for transforming your practice, including: Six sessions full of insights to further your learning about yoga’s essential principles • A guided reading of the complete sutras with pronunciation instructions for following along • Key concepts for understanding the social, religious, and historical context of the sutras • Teachings on humility, the inner light of awareness, the nature of suffering, the importance of nonviolence, the meaning of liberation, and much more As you immerse yourself in Patanjali’s sutras, the heart of yoga—and what yoga means for you personally—will unveil itself in new and profound ways. Whether you’re a seasoned teacher or a student looking to go deeper with your practice, this essential course offers a treasury of teachings to help realize the "outer joy and inner happiness" of yoga.

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Book SynopsisIn the midst of fear, anger, or sadness, the feelings we want to avoid can open the way to fearlessness, our basic goodness, and true freedom This supportive series of talks brings us the beloved Tibetan Buddhist teacher Pema Chödrön at her best—helping to guide us back to our wisest and most heartful selves. Here, she shares three simple, time honored steps or "attitudes" to practice when we are in pain or crisis: • Finding the stillness and space within our inner storms so that we can act rather than react • Transforming our emotions and welcoming them as friends • Using all of our felt experiences—positive and negative—as a direct path not only to immediate relief but to real courage, nurtured through compassion The feelings that we want to run from, Pema tells us, offers us the very fuel we need to grow our strength and self-acceptance. With Three Steps to Courage, listeners will learn how to do just that—with welcome support and inspiration along the way.

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Book SynopsisGlobal Phenomenologies of Religion offers a new way of looking at the past, current and future trajectory of the study of religion. The phenomenology of religion was once widely acknowledged to be the core of the study of religion as an autonomous discipline. First used as a term by the Dutch scholar Chantepie de la Saussaye in 1887, it was developed by Gerardus van der Leeuw in the 1930s and 40s, became popular in the 1960s and 70s and then met severe criticism, virtually disappearing by the beginning of the twenty-first century. This book adds to our global understanding of the history of the study of religion. Interviews with scholars from ten different countries offer a lived history, covering more than half a century. The resulting picture is diverse and nuanced, revealing important national and regional differences, and challenging long-held views about the rise and decline of this venerable approach to the study of religion.Table of ContentsIntroduction Satoko Fujiwara, David Thurfjell and Steven Engler 1. Semantic Confusions and the Mysteries of Life —Sweden Interviewee: Ulf Drobin, Stockholm University Interviewer: David Thurfjell 2. Universal Parallels, Meaningful Lives and Predisposed Minds - Finland Interviewees & Interviewers: Veikko Anttonen, University of Turku (retired), and Teuvo Laitila, University of Eastern Finland 3. Phenomenology of Religion Meets Theory of Science: A Lethal Encounter —Germany Interviewees: Peter Antes, Leibniz University of Hannover (retired), and Hubert Seiwert University of Leipzig Interviewer: Katja Triplett, University of Leipzig 4. NEC CUM TE NEC SINE TE: The Phenomenologies of Religion— Italy Interviewee: Giovanni Casadio, University of Salerno Interviewer: Alessandro Testa, Charles University, Prague 5. “What’s Wrong with Philosophy?”— Japan Interviewees: Toshimaro Hanazono, University of Tohoku (retired), and Yoshiko Oda Interviewer: Satoko Fujiwara 6. The Grammar to Read ‘Religion in Culture’: From ‘Phenomenology of Religion’ to ‘Studies of the Religious Phenomenon – South Korea Interviewee: Chin-Hong Chung, Seoul National University Interviewer: Sukman Jang, Seoul National University 7. Philosophical, Existential and Therapeutic Phenomenologies of Religion – Canada Interviewee: Earle H. Waugh, University of Alberta Interviewer: Steven Engler 8. “Why … So Complicated?”; “a Term with No Subscribers”—The United States Interviewees: Charles Long, University of California, Sana Barbara (retired), and Ivan Strenski, University of California, Riverside (retired) Interviewer: Eric Ziolkowski, Lafayette College 9. A Proposal for an Epistemologically Humble Phenomenology – The United Kingdom Interviewee: Denise Cush, Bath Spa University Interviewer: Suzanne Owen, Leeds Trinity University 10. “There Was No Dutch School of Phenomenology of Religion”: Academic Implacability and Historical Accidents – The Netherlands Interviewee: Jan G. Platvoet, Leiden University (retired) Interviewer: Markus Altena Davidsen, Leiden University Afterword Satoko Fujiwara, David Thurfjell and Steven Engler

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Book SynopsisRenewal in the Church is not primarily about topics and issues, as some so tediously seem to think. Those who think the Church would be stronger if it changed some of its teachings dont seem to take seriously enough the experience of those churches that have already changed those same teachings. This book is written as a series of letters on renewal. But, these are not letters previously sent to individuals and now being brought together. They were written for this book. They have been called letters instead of chapters to allow for their different lengths and the different levels of scholarship required by each topic. It also allows for a more personal style of writing. The chosen topics are all relevant to renewal, and the comments are limited to how they open up opportunities for renewal, or illustrate the ongoing need for it within the Catholic Church. This is an international Church which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the beginning of Vatican II in 2012. It is a timely moment to reflect on the Church and its continual renewal in todays world.

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