Search results for """ "Zen in the Martial Arts""

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Book SynopsisFirst published in 1570, Joachim Meyer's _The Art of Comba__t_ is among the most important texts in the rich corpus of German martial arts treatises of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Meyer is unique in offering full recommendations on how to train for various weapons forms. He divides his book into five parts by weapon types: longsword; dusack (a practice weapon analogous to a sabre); rapier; dagger; and staff weapons. For each weapon, Meyer lays out the principles of its use and the vocabulary of techniques, and then describes a range of specific 'devices', attack combinations for use in combat. This rational approach, along with Meyer's famous and profuse woodcut illustrations, make this a crucial source for understanding the history and techniques of medieval and Renaissance martial arts. In the first ever English translation of this important work, Jeffrey Forgeng has sought to improve accessibility of the text. His Introduction is the first substantial account to be published in English of the German Fechtbuch corpus, and the Glossary likewise is the first of its kind to be published in English.

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Book Synopsis'The monk who taught the world mindfulness' TimeIn this masterful work, one of the most revered spiritual leaders in the world today shares his wisdom on how to be the change we want to see in the world. In these troubling times we all yearn for a better world. But many of us feel powerless and uncertain what we can do. Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) is blazingly clear: there's one thing that we have the power to change-and which can make all the difference: our mind. How we see and think about things determines all the choices we make, the everyday actions we take (or avoid), how we relate to those we love (or oppose), and how we react in a crisis or when things don't go our way.Filled with powerful examples of engaged action he himself has undertaken, inspiring Buddhist parables, and accessible daily meditations, this powerful spiritual guide offers us a path forward, opening us to the possibilities of change and how we can contribute to the collective awakening and environmental revolution our fractured world so desperately needs.Trade ReviewOne of the most influential spiritual leaders of our times * Oprah *Thich Nhat Hanh's empowering voice and example will be valuable to those seeking wisdom in a frenetic, threatened world * Publishers Weekly *

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Book Synopsis“Somebody comes into the Zen center with a lighted cigarette, walks up to the Buddha statue, blows smoke in its face, and drops ashes on its lap. You are standing there. What can you do?” This is a problem that Zen Master Seung Sahn is fond of posing to his American students who attend his Zen centers. Dropping Ashes on the Buddha is a delightful, irreverent, and often hilariously funny living record of the dialogue between Korean Zen Master Seung Sahn and his American students. Consisting of dialogues, stories, formal Zen interviews, Dharma speeches, and letters using the Zen Master’s actual words in spontaneous, living interaction with his students, this book is a fresh presentation of the Zen teaching method of “instant dialogue” between Master and student which, through the use of astonishment and paradox, leads to an understanding of ultimate reality.

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Book SynopsisMartial Arts expert Antony Cummins reveals the hitherto hidden world of Viking hand-to-hand combat, employing the sword, the spear, the axe and the shield. Based upon a careful analysis of the Norse Sagas, the techniques described are recreated precisely, from knocking down a spear in mid-flight to the shield cleave. Illustrated with over 250 images, The Illustrated Guide to Viking Martial Arts in effect represents the earliest combat manual in the world. This insight into the warriors who were the scourge of Dark Age Europe is a feat of textual interpretation and imagination.

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Book SynopsisAs part of the Zen tradition, this collection of koans is accompanied by insightful words of wisdom on the lessons that each koan can teach about how to find peace, joy, and fulfillment in every moment of life. Reprint. 15,000 first printing.

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Book SynopsisBruce Lee siempre se consideró a sí mismo un artista marcial en primer lugar, y luego un actor. A la edad de 13 años comenzó a tomar lecciones de kung-fu en el estilo wing chung para aprender defensa personal, y durante los diecinueve años siguientes transformó su conocimiento en una ciencia, un arte, una filosofía y un modo de vida. Entrenó su cuerpo mediante el ejercicio y la práctica; entrenó su mente mediante la lectura y la reflexión, y dedicó gran parte de su juventud a registrar sus pensamientos y sus ideas.Fue en 1970, a raíz de una grave lesión en la espalda, cuando sus médicos le ordenaron que abandonara totalmente la práctica de las artes marciales. El largo y difícil periodo en que la lesión lo mantuvo inactivo se convirtió en la ocasión perfecta para que Lee volcara en papel los conceptos y principios sobre los que había fundamentado su arte, y el resultado es El Tao del Jeet Kune Do, una obra maestra de la filosofía y la técnica del arte marcial.Las páginas de este icónico volumen, publicado originalmente en 1975, representan el trabajo de la vida de Bruce Lee y reflejan la sabiduría de uno de los artistas marciales más importantes de la historia.

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Book SynopsisThe most prestigious and influential book on strategy and dealing with conflict, beautifully translated for clear, accessible reading.In the words of Sun Tzu, "To win without fighting is best." This timeless Chinese classic captures the essence of military strategy used in ancient East Asia, with lessons on how to handle conflict confidently, efficiently, and successfully. The techniques and instructions discussed in The Art of War apply to competition and conflict on every level, from the interpersonal to the international. Its aim is invincibility, victory without battle, and unassailable strength through an understanding of the physics, politics, and psychology of conflict. Thomas Cleary''s translation is a breakthrough achievement that has been a gold standard among translations for three decades, offering the complete text in eminently readable prose with short commentaries by other ancient Chinese strategists and philosophers interwoven throughout.

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Book SynopsisIn Spaces in Translation, Christian Tagsold explores Japanese gardens in the West and ponders their history, the reasons for their popularity, and their connections to geopolitical events. He concludes that a process of cultural translation between Japanese and Western experts created an idea of the Orient and its distinction from the West.Trade Review"Christian Tagsold provides a detailed social and intellectual history and a phenomenological study all at once. There is nothing remotely like this book, and with it, Tagsold becomes a central figure in the study of Japanese gardens." * Kendall Brown, California State University, Long Beach *Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1. From China to Japan: The History of Asian Spaces Chapter 2. Discourses of Spaces Chapter 3. Spreading the Japanese Garden Worldwide Chapter 4. Between Essence and Invention Chapter 5. Zen and the Art of Gardens Chapter 6. Elements of the Japanese Garden Chapter 7. Authoritarian Gardens Chapter 8. Connecting Spaces, Disconnecting Spaces Chapter 9. Postmodernizing Japanese Gardens Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index Acknowledgments

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Book SynopsisA beautifully compelling and liberating guide to the original nature of Zen in ancient China by renowned author and translator David Hinton.Buddhism migrated from India to China in the first century C.E., and Ch''an (Japanese: Zen) is generally seen as China''s most distinctive and enduring form of Buddhism. In China Root, however, David Hinton shows how Ch''an was in fact a Buddhist-influenced extension of Taoism, China''s native system of spiritual philosophy. Unlike Indian Buddhism''s abstract sensibility, Ch''an was grounded in an earthy and empirically-based vision. Exploring this vision, Hinton describes Ch''an as a kind of anti-Buddhism. A radical and wild practice aspiring to a deeply ecological liberation: the integration of individual consciousness with landscape and with a Cosmos seen as harmonious and alive.In China Root, Hinton describes this original form of Zen with his trademark clarity and elegance, each chapter exploring in enlightening ways a core Ch''an concept--such as meditation, mind, Buddha, awakening--as it was originally understood and practiced in ancient China. Finally, by examining a range of standard translations in the Appendix, Hinton reveals how this original understanding and practice of Ch''an/Zen is almost entirely missing in contemporary American Zen, because it was lost in Ch''an''s migration from China through Japan and on to the West.Whether you practice Zen or not, taking this journey on the wings of Hinton''s remarkable insight and powerful writing will transform how you understand yourself and the world.

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Book SynopsisThe incomparable poetry of Han Shan (Cold Mountain) and his sidekick Shih Te, the rebel poets who became icons of Chinese poetry and Zen, has long captured the imagination of poetry lovers and Zen aficionados. Popularized in the West by Beat Generation writers Gary Snyder and Jack Kerouac, these legendary T?ang era (618?907) figures are portrayed as the laughing, ragged pair who left their poetry on stones, trees, farmhouses, and the walls of the monasteries they visited. Their poetry expressed in the simplest verse but in a completely new tone, the voice of ordinary people. Here premier translator J. P. Seaton takes a fresh look at these captivating poets, along with Wang Fan-chih, another ?outsider? poet who lived a couple centuries later and who captured the poverty and gritty day-to-day reality of the common people of his time. Seaton?s comprehensive introduction and notes throughout give a fascinating context to this vibrant collection.

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The long-awaited collection of some of the best columns, principally on sport, written by Martin Kelner, gathered together for the first time with some memoires and unpublished material. With a foreword by Gary Lineker.

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Book SynopsisThis project addresses the contexts of Practice as Research and how to undertake it. This second iteration updates thinking and practices but sustains a direct and clear approach on how to become a practitioner-researcher. New features include an extension of range “beyond” the arts and a case for intra-disciplinarity in Practice Research as an influence in the formation of the “future university”. A comparison is made between Artistic Research and Practice Research recognizing that research through practices with being-doing-knowing is central to both. Acknowledging the current crisis in legitimation, a broad view is taken of how things might be known by an onto-epistemology for the twenty-first century foregrounding the bodymind but sustaining rationality and community by way of Other/other dialogic exchange. Perspectives from around the world in Part II offset the more Eurocentric emphasis in Part I. Table of Contents1. Introduction; Robin Nelson.- 2. Lineages and principles: the what, where, when and why of PaR; Robin Nelson.- 3. How to be both: from practitioner to practitioner-researcher; Robin Nelson.- 4. Concepts in Contexts; Robin Nelson.- 5. Process: documentation and publication; Robin Nelson.- 6. PaR doctorates - a guideline/clew to a successful outcome for all (candidates, examiners, supervisors, administrators, regulators); Robin Nelson.- 7. Asia(s); Maiya Murphy.- 8. Australasia; Suzanne Little.- 9. Nordic Contexts; Stefan Östersjö.- 10. North America; Bruce Barton.- 11. South Africa; Kat Lowe & Alex Halligey.- 12. South America; Ciane Fernandes & Melina Scialom.

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Book SynopsisJudo, or the Way of Gentleness, an ideal form of physical exercise and a reliable system, of self-defense, was specially created from traditional Japanese martial arts. This book by the creator of Kodokan judo is uniquely comprehensive and the most authoritative guide to this martial art ever published. Over a hundred years ago Jigoro Kano mastered swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat. Failing to discover any underlying principle, he set about designing a new martial art to reflect the concept of maximum efficiency in the use of physical and mental

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Book SynopsisFor thousands of years, mathematicians have used the timeless art of logic to see the world more clearly. In The Art of Logic, Royal Society Science Book Prize nominee Eugenia Cheng shows how anyone can think like a mathematician - and see, argue and think better. Learn how to simplify complex decisions without over-simplifying them. Discover the power of analogies and the dangers of false equivalences. Find out how people construct misleading arguments, and how we can argue back. Eugenia Cheng teaches us how to find clarity without losing nuance, taking a careful scalpel to the complexities of politics, privilege, sexism and dozens of other real-world situations. Her Art of Logic is a practical and inspiring guide to decoding the modern world.Trade ReviewMind-expanding ... a meaningful contribution to creating a better society as well as happier conversations and relationships * Guardian *A mathematician's thought-provoking attempt to lay out the tools of rational argument -- Michael Brooks * New Statesman Books of the Year *With humour, grace, and a natural gift for making explanations seem fun, Eugenia Cheng has done it again. This is a book to savour, to consult, and to buy for all your friends. You'll think more clearly after reading this book, something that is unfortunately in short supply these days. I am buying several copies to send to heads of state. -- Daniel Levitin, bestselling author of The Organised Mind & A Field Guide to Lies and StatisticsIn an era awash with conflict, exploitation, tribalism and fake news, the "illuminating precision" offered by logic is important. Cheng harnesses the power of abstraction to explore real-life phenomena such as sexism and white privilege. She walks us through the grand terrain of logic, from axioms to proofs. And she reveals how to build arguments as long chains of logical implications - a "virtuosic and masterful" skill that, combined with intelligent emotional engagement, can cut through pervasive irrationality * Nature *A perceptive analysis of logic and its limitations ... Cheng is successful not only in helping readers think more clearly, but in helping them understand why others sometimes appear to be illogical. This book has the potential to help understanding and avoid confrontational arguments that serve only to entrench opposing views * Times Higher Education *Radical and liberating * Emerald Street *We're thankful that someone like Eugenia Cheng is here; someone to eloquently and efficiently expound on concepts like logic and truth at a time when their very basis seems to come under attack ... We're forever on the lookout for someone to make mathematics both fun and accessible, and it looks like we've found that person in Eugenia Cheng * How it Works Magazine *A concert pianist, mathematician, polyglot and YouTube star, Cheng has carved out quite a niche for herself ... she brings an ebullient enthusiasm that's infectious * Guardian *Witty, charming, and crystal clear. Eugenia Cheng's enthusiasm and carefully chosen metaphors and analogies carry us effortlessly through the mathematical landscape -- Ian StewartClear, clever and friendly -- Alex Bellos

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Book SynopsisIn this new edition, authors Shapiro and Carlson draw from Eastern wisdom and practices as well as Western psychological theory and science to explore why mindful awareness is integral to the therapeutic healing process and to show clinicians how to connect with this deeper awareness.Trade Review2017 Choice Outstanding Academic Title “Unreservedly recommended for professional, college, and university library Psychology/Psychiatry collections and supplemental studies reading lists.” —Midwest Book Review “Shapiro and Carlson offer the most clearly and cogently written description of this most remarkable convergence of an ancient spiritual practice and modern psychological science that I have read. It should be a first choice for students, clinicians, and researchers.” —PsycCRITIQUES® “Any clinician or researcher entering the field of mindfulness with beginning or intermediate experience will find this book of significant value. General readers will find a concise summary of the transformative features of mindful living and seeing.” —ChoiceAny clinician or researcher entering the field of mindfulness with beginning or intermediate experience will find this book of significant value. General readers will find a concise summary of the transformative features of mindful living and seeing. * Choice *Shapiro and Carlson offer the most clearly and cogently written description of this most remarkable convergence of an ancient spiritual practice and modern psychological science that I have read. It should be a first choice for students, clinicians, and researchers. * PsycCRITIQUES *Unreservedly recommended for professional, college, and university library Psychology/Psychiatry collections and supplemental studies reading lists. * Midwest Book Review *Table of Contents Foreword to the First EditionJon Kabat-Zinn Acknowledgments IntroductionPart I: What Is Mindfulness? And How Is It Applicable to Clinical Work? Chapter 1: What Is Mindfulness? Chapter 2: The Mindful Therapist Chapter 3: Mindfulness-Informed Therapy Chapter 4: Mindfulness-Based PsychotherapyPart II: Does It Help? And How Does It Help? Chapter 5: Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Mental Health Populations Chapter 6: Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Medical Populations Chapter 7: How Is Mindfulness Helpful? Mechanisms of MindfulnessPart III: Expanding the Paradigm Chapter 8: Mindfulness and Self-Care for the Clinician Chapter 9: Exploring the Farther Reaches of Human Potential Chapter 10: Future Directions Appendix A: Body Scan Instructions Appendix B: Sitting Meditation Instructions Appendix C: Walking Meditation Instructions Appendix D: Resources References Index About the Authors

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Book SynopsisA guide to developing the art of finding serenity by understanding the sources of our anxiety and frustrations. Almost all of us wish we could be calmer; it is one of the distinctive longings of the modern age. Across history people have sought adventure and excitement, however a new priority for many of us is a desire to be more tranquil. This is a book designed to support us in our endeavours to remain calm against all the adversities life throws at us. A calm state of mind is not a divine gift, we can alter our responses to everyday things and educate ourselves in the art of remaining calm, not through slow breathing or special teas, but through thinking. This is a book that explores the causes of our greatest stresses and anxieties and gives us a succession of highly persuasive, beautiful and sometimes dryly comic arguments with which to defend ourselves against panic and confusion. Part of a new essential paperback series from The School of Life, covering a range of emotional lessons needed in order to lead fulfilled and happy lives.Trade ReviewReader Reviews: 'A thought-provoking and intelligent book ... Full of ideas to reflect upon and introduce into our world for a calmer life' 'Beautifully written and incredibly comforting. The writing itself makes you feel calm, and it seems to instil a seed of hope in you that you really can lead a more calm and peaceful life'

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisCamillo Palladini's unpublished 'Discourse on Fencing' is crucial to a modern understanding of Renaissance rapier play. For the first time, this stunning book reproduces the manuscript in its entirety. It is perfect for students of fencing, lovers of Italian art, 16th-century researchers, and historical reenactors and interpreters.Trade ReviewHistorians of swordsmanship have been waiting since 1882 to see Palladini in print, and here it is at last. Scholars will find it refreshing to study an unfamiliar Renaissance fencing treatise which constructively mocks the mathematical fantasies of Camillo Agrippa. -- Sydney Anglo

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Book SynopsisPresents wide-ranging and up-to-date interpretations of the Zhuangzi, the Daoist classic and one of the most elusive works ever written.A literary and philosophical masterpiece of its age, and yet one of the most puzzling and elusive texts ever written, the Zhuangzi has been continuously reinterpreted. Here the age-old hermeneutic project of reading the Zhuangzi is brought up to the present with new essays addressing an array of interrelated topics from a variety of perspectives. These include how the work stands in relation to such issues as mystical experience, skeptical and relativist attitudes, individual value, ethical orientation, folk psychologies and popular beliefs, and rhetorical logic and structure. By providing ten uneven perspectives on such matters, this volume contributes to the ongoing discourse on Zhuangzi''s philosophy by placing it within our present interpretive context and pushing that context to new limits.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisA history of the encounter between Europeans and the colonized people with a groundbreaking analysis of four types of Malagasy folklore: riddles, proverbs, hainteny (dialogic exchanges of traditional metaphors), and oratory.

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Book SynopsisVijnana Bhairava Tantra focuses on dharana (concentration), offering 112 techniques for daily life. It helps both adept and distracted minds develop concentration and meditation. The text includes Sanskrit slokas, transliteration, translation, and commentary, based on the author's in-depth study and personal experience.

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Book SynopsisThis pictorial guide with supporting text is the first of its kind, illuminating the fundamentals of the arts of tai chi and qi gong through metaphor and visuals that are easy to understand.Beginning students will learn basic principles in a simple format, while experienced stylists will discover nuances that shed light on the secrets of deep, internal, and energetic training that powers the well-documented health and healing benefits of the arts.Trade Review'Paul Cavel is a gifted teacher who is able to embody the arts and break them down into easy-to-follow steps. I have seen him help others build extraordinary energetic foundations in their bodies. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to learn or deepen the internal principles that give shape to tai chi and qi gong forms.'-Tai Chi Master and author Bruce Frantzis'Metaphors, images and symbols are the language of our subconscious minds. They help to convey meaning to our consciousness and hence store in the memory quite easily and naturally. If they are chosen well, they are able to penetrate the deeper layers of our consciousness and trigger the deeply imprinted wisdom of our body. The images Paul offers can shorten the process of transmitting information, enhance our learning and awaken our bodily intelligence. This way of teaching requires a very deep level of understanding of the material and, indeed, of human nature itself. Paul obviously has both.'-From the Foreword by Dr Michael MettnerTable of ContentsAbout the Author About the Artist Acknowledgements Foreword by Michael Mettner Introduction All Forms Are Not Created Equal Myth Is an Image Journey towards Unity Through the Eyes of the Ancients How Principles Are Presented Three Stages for Embodying Internal Principles Why Use Tai Chi Postures? Visual Lexicon Who Can Benefit from This Book? Creating a Practice Microcosm Part 1 Fundamental Principles: Nuts and Bolts Principle 1: Cultivate the Arts Separate and Combine Cyclic Training Principle 2: The Rule of Third Principle 3: Become Sung Principle 4: Build the Pyramid of Giza 11 Steps to Good Posture Principle 5: Breathe with the Diaphragm Principle 6: The Mind's Focus Principle 7: Grow Your Root Phase 1: Plant Your Feet and Sink Your Qi Phase 2: Release Tension to Develop Your Root Principle 8: Moving in Three-Dimensional Space Principle 9: Arms Are Led by Hands and Wrists Principle 10: Create Circular Motion Principle 11: Water Doesn't Flow through a Kinked Hose Principle 12: Shifting Weight Is Like Walking Upstairs Principle 13: The Body Turns Like a Revolving Door Principle 14: The Down Creates the Up Principle 15: Move Like a Puppet on a String Principle 16: Don't Play the Juggler The Five Primary Principles Part 2 Internal Principles for Connectivity and Flow Principle 17: Warm Up Body and Mind Beginning Form Principle 18: The Body Operates Like the Powertrain of a Car Peng (Ward Off) Principle 19: Soften to Close, Release to Open Lu (Roll Back) and Ji (Press) Principle 20: The Body Makes Use of Anchors An (Push) Principle 21: Opposites Spread Open the Body Single Whip Principle 22: Grow Like a Tree Lift Hands Principle 23: The Six Connections Shoulder Strike Principle 24: Tune in to Heaven Above and Earth Below White Crane Spreads Its Wings Principle 25: Create Balanced Openings Brush Knee Principle 26: The Continuum of Empty versus Full Play Guitar (Play the Lute) Principle 27: All Body Parts Move Like a Swiss Clock Step Forward, Parry and Punch Principle 28: Balance Yin and Yang Energies Apparent Close Up Principle 29: The Body Moves in Circles Cross Hands Part 3 Deeper Principles for Fluidity and Energy Development Principle 30: Generate Internal Momentum Embrace the Tiger, Return to the Mountain Principle 31: Turbine Power Eradicates Inertia Fist under Elbow Principle 32: Swing the Pendulum Repulse Monkey Principle 33: Spring the Five Bows Slanted Flying Principle 34: Unify the Yin Snake and the Yang Crane White Crane Spreads Its Wings Principle 35: Sinking Creates Rising Needle at Sea Bottom and Fan through Back Principle 36: Energy Moves Fluids, Fluids Nourish the Body Turn and Chop with the Fist Principle 37: Balance the Sphere Lu and Ji Principle 38: Become a Sandbag Single Whip Principle 39: Ride the Wave Waving Hands Like Clouds Principle 40: Moving into Stillness Single Whip Principle 41: Gather and Bank Closing Form Principle 42: Postures Link into Fluid Forms Afterword Blood and Qi Are Inseparable The Fabric of the Internal Arts Practicalities To Advance, First Retreat Moving towards the Tai Chi Space References

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Book SynopsisThis book offers a new history of a major medieval genre, affective meditations on the Passion. It argues that women were instrumental in the creation of this genre, and it illuminates how these scripts for the performance of prayer served to construct compassion itself as an intimate and feminine emotion.Trade Review"Brilliant and lucid. . . . a stunning book" * Common Knowledge *"In her rich and provocative study, Sarah McNamer provides some novel, sometimes polemical answers. . . . A must-read for any student of late medieval religion or literature-deeply thoughtful, wide-ranging, and superbly written, a model of what the new history of emotions can do for medievalists." * Journal of English and Germanic Philology *"Sarah McNamer's book offers a series of salutary exercises in rethinking. . . . The reader is treated to a skillful, often convincing, reassembly of well-known elements. What emerges each time is an entirely novel thesis that challenges standard literary history." * American Historical Review *"McNamer is doing nothing less than writing a new history of medieval affective spirituality." * Speculum *"Elegantly written and boldly conceived, Affective Meditation and the Invention of Medieval Compassion invites us to think more deeply about where compassion comes from, how it has to do with gender, and what it produced." * Journal of Religious Cultures *"This nuanced exploration of devotional meditation on Christ's Passion by medieval Christians combines detailed archival research with theologically astute analysis of the Passion's depiction in devotional books and visual art." * Choice *"A major book that offers a wide range of literary, religious studies, and historical scholars a new narrative for a familiar cultural transformation." * Andrew Galloway, Cornell University *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Intimate Scripts in the History of Emotion PART I. THE ORIGINS OF AN AFFECTIVE MODE 1. Compassion and the Making of a True Sponsa Christi 2. The Genealogy of a Genre 3. Franciscan Meditation Reconsidered PART II. PERFORMING COMPASSION IN LATE MEDIEVAL ENGLAND 4. Feeling Like a Woman 5. Marian Lament and the Rise of a Vernacular Ethics 6. Kyndenesse and Resistance in the Middle English Passion Lyric Notes Works Cited Index of Manuscripts Index Acknowledgments

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Book SynopsisDisease and death are undeniably integral parts of human life. Yet when they manifest we are easily caught unprepared. To prepare for these, we need to learn how to skilfully face illness and passing away. A source of practical wisdom can be found in the early discourses that record the teachings given by the Buddha and his disciples.The chief aim of this book is to provide a collection of passages taken from the Buddha's early discourses that provide guidance for facing disease and death. The present anthology focuses on the theme of compassion, and is concerned with anukampa: compassion as the underlying motivation in altruistic action. The book combines translations of Buddhist Sanskrit discourse from the Chinese original, with introductions that explain the basic message, clarify terminology and ideas contained in the discourse, and draw out some of their practical implications.Table of ContentsIntroduction1 The Buddha as a Physician2 Sick Body and Healthy Mind3 The Arrow of Pain4 Qualities of a Patient and a Nurse5 The Healing Potential of the Awakening Factors6 Mindful Pain Reduction7 Enduring Pain with Mindfulness8 Insight Instead of Concentration9 Mindfulness When Sick10 Liberating Teachings by the Patient11 A Curative Meditation Programme12 Fearlessly Facing Disease13 Deathbed Instructions14 Dying and the Divine Abodes15 Detachment and Terminal Disease16 Buddhist Hospice17 The Last Words of an Accomplished Lay Disciple18 Mindfully Facing the Time of Death19 The Liberating Potential of Death20 The Power of Insight at the Time of Dying21 The Inevitability of Death22 Mindful Freedom from Grief23 The Buddha's Decease24 Recollection of DeathConclusion and Meditation InstructionsAppendixReferencesList of AbbreviationsSubject IndexIndex Locorum

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Book SynopsisLet's work together to develop inner light and counteract the darkness! --- Illustrated throughout in full colour, this booklet features 28 meditations and soul exercises to help develop courage and internal strength, supporting our inner being and spiritual self. The meditations can aid in clearing our emotional space and illuminating our thinking - strengthening health, bringing healing to dark impulses and assisting us in integrating death as an important part of life. The exercises are also a contribution to easing the tensions felt in the collective consciousness during this time of multiple global crises. --- In the concluding chapter, based on concepts from the research of Rudolf Steiner, the author puts into perspective the spiritual struggle underlying the coronavirus crisis.

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Book SynopsisOne of the greatest religious leaders of our age shows us how to use meditation to achieve enlightenment.Trade ReviewPraise for The Art of Happiness series: 'An intriguing encounter between East and West' * Mail on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisNegotiating the Landscape explores the question of how medieval religious identities were shaped and modified by interaction with the natural environment. Focusing on the Benedictine monastic community of Stavelot-Malmedy in the Ardennes, Ellen F. Arnold draws upon a rich archive of charters, property and tax records, correspondence, miracle collections, and saints'' lives from the seventh to the mid-twelfth century to explore the contexts in which the monks'' intense engagement with the natural world was generated and refined.Arnold argues for a broad cultural approach to medieval environmental history and a consideration of a medieval environmental imagination through which people perceived the nonhuman world and their own relation to it. Concerned to reassert medieval Christianity''s vitality and variety, Arnold also seeks to oppose the historically influential view that the natural world was regarded in the premodern period as provided by God solely for human use anTrade Review"Arnold has made an imaginative and entirely original contribution to the massive amount of scholarship on medieval monasticism as well as to the new and still small field of medieval environmental history." * American Historical Review *"Negotiating the landscape breaks new ground i[n] its approach to cultural and environmental matters as well as our understanding of both. It demonstrates the possibility of developing research on the relationship between pre-modern human beings, their environments, and their ideas about those environments." * European Review of History *"A well‐conceived and well‐researched study . . . that will richly reward readers interested in medieval environmental studies and in the general topic of monastic use and understanding of land, both wild and cultivated." * Sehepunkte *"A capacious and thorough account. . . . In a precisely executed first monograph, Arnold seeks to provide broad applicability through a focused case study, a locus for the apprehension of the diverse environmental practices and experiences of medieval people." * Parergon *"By suggesting new approaches, this perceptive study encourages further work on topics of environmental perception and the construction of medieval cultural landscapes." * Journal of Interdisciplinary History *"Ellen Arnold's study of two monasteries in the forest of the Ardennes pioneers a culture-based approach to the environmental history of medieval Europe. From what may appear sterile and intractable sources, she extracts the diverse conceptual frameworks within which the monks dealt with the natural world, and in doing so convincingly challenges any simple view of early medieval 'wilderness.' Medievalists and environmentalists will learn much from this book." * Richard C. Hoffmann, York University *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Approaching the Medieval Landscape 1 Chapter 1. Religious Roots: Foundation in the ''Forest Wilderness'' 31 Chapter 2. Controlling the Domesticated Landscape: Value, Ownership, and Religious Interpretations 62 Chapter 3. Fighting over Forests: Establishing Social and Religious Authority 110 Chapter 4. Creating Conflict: Forests in the Monastic Imagination 145 Chapter 5. The Religious Landscape and Monastic Identity 173 Epilogue: The Passio Agilolfi Revisited 213 Timeline 219 Handlist of Sources 223 Notes 227 Bibliography 271 Index 289 Acknowledgments 299

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