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Showing 81 - 100 of 2441 items
By Melvin Mcleod. 2015
Leading voices of Buddhism discuss issues and ideas important to Buddhists in the twenty-first century.Twenty-First-Century Buddhists collects the very best…
of the round-table discussions recorded in the pages of Buddhadharma magazine over the past twenty years. These conversations between a who's who of contemporary Buddhist teachers, ranging over topics from student-teacher relationships to the place of prayer and the leadership roles of women in modern Buddhism, are always lively and insightful. With participants such as Bhante Gunaratana, Shohaku Okumura, Sharon Salzberg, John Tarrant, and Jack Kornfield, discussions equally represent old-school and newly emergent Buddhist traditions. Contributers include: Bhikkhu Bodhi Jack Kornfield Joseph Goldstein David R. Loy Robert Thurman Yongyey Mingyur Rinpoche Anne Carolyn Klein B. Alan Wallace Taigen Dan Leighton Andrew Olendzki Reginald Ray Ringu Tulku and many more.By Jamgon Kongtrul, Ron Garry. 1999
It is crucial for students of Vajrayana Buddhism to find an authentic wisdom teacher and know how to properly rely…
upon that teacher in order to awaken to their buddha nature and thereby attain full enlightenment. Fortunately, the topic has been thoroughly explored by Jamgon Kongtrul in the tenth chapter of The Treasury of Knowledge. This essential text clearly lays out what credentials and qualities one should look for in a wisdom teacher, why a wisdom teacher is necessary, and how the relationship between this teacher and disciple best develops once it is established.By Dalai Lama, Jeffrey Hopkins. 2011
Each one of us is responsible for all of humankind, and for the environment in which we live. . .…
. We must seek to lessen the suffering of others. Rather than working solely to acquire wealth, we need to do something meaningful, something seriously directed toward the welfare of humanity as a whole. To do this, you need to recognize that the whole world is part of you. --from How to Be Compassionate The surest path to true happiness lies in being intimately concerned with the welfare of others. Or, as His Holiness the Dalai Lama would say, in compassion. In How to Be Compassionate, His Holiness reveals basic mistakes of attitude that lead us to inner turmoil, and how we can correct them to achieve a better tomorrow. He demonstrates precisely how opening our hearts and minds to other people is the best way to overcome the misguided ideas that are at the root of all our problems. He shows us how compassion can be a continuous wellspring of happiness in our own lives and how our newfound happiness can extend outward from us in ever wider and wider circles. As we become more compassionate human beings, our friends, family, neighbors, loved ones--and even our enemies--will find themselves less frequently in the thrall of destructive emotions like anger, jealousy, and fear, prompting them to become more warmhearted, kind, and harmonious forces within their own circles. With simple language and startling clarity, His Holiness makes evident as never before that the path to global harmony begins in the hearts of individual women and men. Enlivened by personal anecdotes and intimate accounts of the Dalai Lama's experiences as a student, thinker, political leader, and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, How to Be Compassionate gives seekers of all faiths the keys to overcoming anger, hatred, and selfishness-- the primary obstacles to happiness--and to becoming agents of positive transformation in our communities and the world at large.By Peter Schwieger. 2015
A major new work in modern Tibetan history, this book follows the evolution of Tibetan Buddhism's trülku (reincarnation) tradition from…
the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries, along with the Emperor of China's efforts to control its development. By illuminating the political aspects of the trülku institution, Schwieger shapes a broader history of the relationship between the Dalai Lama and the Emperor of China, as well as a richer understanding of the Qing Dynasty as an inner Asian empire, the modern fate of the Mongol empire, and current Sino-Tibetan relations.Unlike other pre-twentieth century Tibetan histories, this volume rejects hagiographic texts in favor of diplomatic, legal, and social sources held in the private, monastic, and bureaucratic archives of old Tibet. This approach draws a unique portrait of Tibet's rule by reincarnation while shading in peripheral tensions in the Himalayas, eastern Tibet, and China. Its perspective fully captures the extent to which the emperors of China controlled the institution of the Dalai Lamas, making a groundbreaking contribution to the past and present history of East Asia.By Khenpo Yeshe Phuntsok. 1971
Walk step by step through the stages of this tantric ritual of purification with inspired commentary and forty full-color illustrations.The…
force of our past actions makes it hard to attain our goals, including success in meditation. And so Buddhism has developed methods for purifying our past, clearing the obstacles to success and fulfillment. One of the most popular methods for karmic housekeeping, one common to all schools of Tibetan Buddhism, is the preparatory practice of visualizing the buddha Vajrasattva and reciting his hundred-syllable mantra. It is considered an essential foundation for the success of spiritual endeavor. The practice of Vajrasattva is often the first experience practitioners have of trying to perform tantric ritual. Combining prayers, visualizations, mantra recitations, and multiple styles of meditation, it can be hard for those who did not grow up in the tradition to know how to proceed. This friendly volume by a young Tibetan lama with many followers in China lays out the practice step by step accompanied by sixty color illustrations.By David Kherdian. 2004
A simple, uplifting telling of the life of Buddha by an award-winning, best-selling author. This is the first account of…
the Buddha story that does not separate, but blends the elements of history, apochrypha, and the Buddhist tenets into a compelling, page-turning narrative: it establishes Buddha as an exceptional mortal who embodies the search for immortaility and the end of suffering. Not for Buddhist insiders, but for all readers, this tale reaches across time to those with similar yearnings and needs, because all humans wish to elude death.By Christian Bernert, Rongtonpa. 2017
A seminal commentary on one of the most important works of Mahayana Buddhism.According to tradition, Distinguishing the Middle from the…
Extremes (Madhyāntavibhāga) was revealed by Maitreya to Asaṅga, and the radical view it presents forever changed the way Mahayana Buddhists perceive reality. Here, the Tibetan master Rongtön unpacks this manual and its practices for us in a way that is at once accessible and profound, with actual practical meditative applications. The work explains the vast paths of the three vehicles of Buddhism, emphasizing the view of Yogācāra, and demonstrates the inseparability of experience and emptiness. It offers a detailed presentation of the three natures of reality, an accurate understanding of which provides the antidotes to confusion and suffering. The translator’s introduction presents a clear overview of all the concepts explored in the text, making it easy for the reader to bridge its ideas to actual practice.By Kathleen Dowling Singh, Anyen Rinpoche, Allison Choying Zangmo. 2016
A daily companion for embracing life, preparing for death, and awakening to reality.Anyen Rinpoche, Tibetan Buddhist master and teacher, and…
his longtime student and translator Allison Choying Zangmo present ancient and rich teachings on death in a contemporary, accessible manner. Learn how to release your attachments, embrace impermanence, cultivate virtue, and see the world as it really is--one day at a time. Their practical, disciplined timeline encourages step-by-step development of qualities such as lovingkindness, compassion, generosity, and patience. Each day offers a short teaching followed by a specific, concrete exercise to help you reflect on and fully integrate the message. Through vivid and evocative contemplative scenarios and action items, Living and Dying with Confidence brings practice off the cushion and into ordinary life.By Peter Harvey. 2013
This extensively revised and updated second edition draws upon recent scholarship to present a comprehensive overview of the development of…
Buddhism in Asia and the West. Detailed references to secondary literature and a section on web resources make it ideal for students of religion, philosophy or Asian studies.By Hugo Munsterberg. 1993
Zen & Oriental Art is an indispensable, beautifully illustrated introduction to the influences of Zen on Oriental painting. folk art,…
and architecture, with a special section on the role of Zen in twentieth-century art and architecture in the West. Dr. Munsterberg quite naturally begins with an explanation of Zen Buddhism itself, and the historical development of Zen in India and China. Zen's particularly rapid adoption in Japan is covered in the next chapter, which is followed by sections on the Zen art of ink painting in both China and Japan. Also described are the influences of Zen on Japanese architecture, and the intimate connection of the religion with the Japanese tea ceremony. Of particular interest to Western readers is the chapter on Zen andtwentieth-century Western art.By Thich Nhat Hanh, Wietske Vriezen. 2011
Planting Seeds: Practicing Mindfulness with Children is the fruit of decades of development and innovation in the Plum Village community's…
collective practice with children. Based on Thich Nhat Hanh's over 30 years of teaching mindfulness and compassion to parents, teachers, and children, the book and enclosed CD covers a wide range of contemplative and fun activities parents and educators can do with their children or students. They are designed to help relieve stress, increase concentration, nourish gratitude and confidence, deal with difficult emotions, touch our interconnection with nature, and improve communication.Planting Seeds offers insight, concrete activities, and curricula that parents and educators can apply in school settings, in their local communities or at home, in a way that is meaningful and inviting to children. The key practices presented include mindful breathing and walking, inviting the bell, pebble meditation, the 2 Promises or ethical guidelines for children, children's versions of Touching the Earth and Deep Relaxation, eating meditation and dealing with conflict and strong emotions. Also included are the lyrics to the songs on the enclosed CD that summarize and reinforce the key teachings, as well as a chapter on dealing effectively with conflict in the classroom or difficult group dynamics, based on a conference with Thich Nhat Hanh, teachers and students.The accompanying CD has inspiring recordings of all the songs in the book as well as a guided pebble meditation, total relaxation and children's touching the earth. Beautiful, color illustrations by Wietske Vriezen Illustrator of Mindful Movements (ISBN-13: 978-1-888375-79-4) accompany the various practices.Any adult wishing to plant seeds of peace, relaxation and awareness in children will find this book and CD helpful. It is full of wisdom on how to simply be with children and nourish their compassion for themselves and others.Illustrated by Wietske Vriezen Illustrator of Mindful Movements (Mindful Movements - Ten Exercise for Well Being ISBN-13: 978-1-888375-79-4)Includes 1 audio CD, 6 mindfulness cards, and 3 cut-out mindfulness postersBy Paul Williams. 2008
Originating in India, Mahayana Buddhism spread across Asia, becoming the prevalent form of Buddhism in Tibet and East Asia. Over…
the last twenty-five years Western interest in Mahayana has increased considerably, reflected both in the quantity of scholarly material produced and in the attraction of Westerners towards Tibetan Buddhism and Zen. Paul Williams’ Mahayana Buddhism is widely regarded as the standard introduction to the field, used internationally for teaching and research and has been translated into several European and Asian languages. This new edition has been fully revised throughout in the light of the wealth of new studies and focuses on the religion’s diversity and richness. It includes much more material on China and Japan, with appropriate reference to Nepal, and for students who wish to carry their study further there is a much-expanded bibliography and extensive footnotes and cross-referencing. Everyone studying this important tradition will find Williams’ book the ideal companion to their studies.By Kodo Matsunami. 1955
This title was originally published in print form by Tuttle Publishing in 1976.This book, as the author explains in his…
preface, does not attempt to give an exposition of any particular thought from the authoritative point of view. It is rather, a collection of essays on Buddhism as understood by a Japanese student who sets out on a journey in search of his true self. As such ir expresses the author's desire to write a comprehensive book on Buddhism from within - a book that will lead the reader to an understanding of Buddhism as it existed in the past and continues to exist today.By Susan Murcott. 2006
First Buddhist Women is a readable, contemporary translation of and commentary on the enlightenment verses of the first female disciples…
of the Buddha. Through the study of the Therigatha, the earliest-known collection of women's religious poetry, the book explores Buddhism's 2,600-year-long liberal attitude toward women. Utilizing commentary and storytelling, author Susan Murcott traces the journey of wives, mothers, teachers, courtesans, prostitutes, and wanderers who became leaders in the Buddhist community, acquiring roles that even today are rarely filled by women in other, patriarchal religions.By Anne M. Blackburn. 2010
Modernizing and colonizing forces brought nineteenth-century Sri Lankan Buddhists both challenges and opportunities. How did Buddhists deal with social and…
economic change; new forms of political, religious, and educational discourse; and Christianity? And how did Sri Lankan Buddhists, collaborating with other Asian Buddhists, respond to colonial rule? To answer these questions, Anne M. Blackburn focuses on the life of leading monk and educator Hikkaduve Sumangala (1827–1911) to examine more broadly Buddhist life under foreign rule. In Locations of Buddhism, Blackburn reveals that during Sri Lanka’s crucial decades of deepening colonial control and modernization, there was a surprising stability in the central religious activities of Hikkaduve and the Buddhists among whom he worked. At the same time, they developed new institutions and forms of association, drawing on pre-colonial intellectual heritage as well as colonial-period technologies and discourse. Advocating a new way of studying the impact of colonialism on colonized societies, Blackburn is particularly attuned here to human experience, paying attention to the habits of thought and modes of affiliation that characterized individuals and smaller scale groups. Locations of Buddhism is a wholly original contribution to the study of Sri Lanka and the history of Buddhism more generally.By Jack Kornfield. 2002
You hold in your hand an invitation: To remember the transforming power of forgiveness and lovingkindness. To remember that no…
matter where you are and what you face, within your heart peace is possible. In this beautiful and graceful little book, internationally renowned Buddhist teacher and meditation master Jack Kornfield has collected age-old teachings, modern stories, and time-honored practices for bringing healing, peace, and compassion into our daily lives. Just to read these pages offers calm and comfort. The practices contained here offer meditations for you to discover a new way to meet life’s greatest challenges with acceptance, joy, and hope. From the Hardcover edition.By Jeff Eisenberg. 2017
A raucous, irreverent look into the Buddhist and Martial Arts worlds Can we be martial arts practitioners and Buddhists at…
the same time? Can these practices actually complement each other, in mindfulness? How do we reconcile Buddhist concepts like non-violence with a fighting practice like judo, karate or jiu jitsu? Long-standing martial arts instructor and meditator Jeff Eisenberg addresses these and other questions in his own inimitable style, employing autobiographical anecdotes, along with martial arts fighting strategies, koan and sutra teachings, and Buddhist folk stories. Fighting Buddha outlines why the true test of a martial artist’s skill and of a Buddhist’s application of mindfulness is during a situation that is the least conducive for it—usually not inside the Dojo or Zendo. Challenging the belief that fighting martial arts styles are not conducive to a meditative practice, the book discusses the difference between violence and the use of force as it relates to the Buddha’s teaching of “cause no harm”, exploring the common misunderstanding that meditative moments are exclusive to only select activities. Further topics are the struggles of beginning training and practice, the importance of identifying goals, choosing a teacher and training in support of these goals. And, far from being the often-perceived ending, Jeff concludes that enlightenment and the black belt are really only a beginning.By Albert Low, Richard Bryan Mcdaniel. 2012
[Zen Masters of China presents more than 300 traditional Zen stories and koans, far more than any other collection. Retelling…
them in their proper place in Zen's historical journey, it also tells a larger story: how, in taking the first step east from India to China, Buddhism began to be Zen.]The stories of Zen are unlike any other writing, religious or otherwise. Used for centuries by Zen teachers as aids to bring about or deepen the experience of awakening, they have a freshness that goes beyond religious practice and a mystery and authenticity that appeal to a wide range of readers.[Placed in chronological order, these stories tell the story of Zen itself, how it traveled from West to East but also how it was transformed in that journey, from an Indian practice to something different in China (Ch'an) and then more different still in Japan (Zen). The fact that its transmission was so human, from teacher to student in a long chain from West to East, meant that the cultures it passed through inevitably changed it.Zen Masters of China is first and foremost a collection of mind-bending Zen stories and their wisdom. More than that, without academic pretensions or baggage, it recounts the genealogy of Zen Buddhism in China and, through the stories themselves, illuminates how Zen became what it is today.]By Sister Dang Nghiem. 2010
This extraordinary story takes the reader from the rice fields of Vietnam to the peaceful surrounding of Thich Nhat Hanh's…
monastery in Plum Village. Healing traces a young woman's path from an abusive childhood in a war-torn Vietnam, to a promising career as a medical doctor and poet, to finally finding true happiness as a nun. With humor, insight, and an irrepressible sense of joy, Sister Dang Nghiem story demonstrates how one woman's unique path can provide clarity and guidance for everyone.