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The Diamond Sutra and The Sutra of Hui-neng
By Christmas Humphreys, A F Price, W.Y. Evans-Wentz, Wong Mou-Lam. 1936
The Diamond Sutra, composed in India in the fourth century CE, is one of the most treasured works of Buddhist…
literature and is the oldest existing printed book in the world. It is known as the Diamond Sutra because its teachings are said to be like diamonds that cut away all dualistic thought, releasing one from the attachment to objects and bringing one to the further shore of enlightenment. The format of this important sutra is presented as a conversation between the Buddha and one of his disciples. The Sutra of Hui-neng, also known as the Platform Sutra, contains the autobiography of a pivotal figure in Zen history and some of the most profound passages of Zen literature. Hui-neng (638-713) was the sixth patriarch of Zen in China, but is often regarded as the true father of the Zen tradition. He was a poor, illiterate woodcutter who is said to have attained enlightenment upon hearing a recitation of the Diamond Sutra. Together, these two scriptures present the central teaching of the Zen Buddhist tradition and are essential reading for all students of Buddhism.Dewdrops on a Lotus Leaf: Zen Poems of Ryokan
By John Stevens. 1993
The Japanese poet-recluse Ryokan (1758-1831) is one of the most beloved figures of Asian literature, renowned for his beautiful verse,…
exquisite calligraphy, and eccentric character. Deceptively simple, Ryokan's poems transcend artifice, presenting spontaneous expressions of pure Zen spirit. Like his contemporary Thoreau, Ryokan celebrates nature and the natural life, but his poems touch the whole range of human experience: joy and sadness, pleasure and pain, enlightenment and illusion, love and loneliness. This collection of translations reflects the full spectrum of Ryokan's spiritual and poetic vision, including Japanese haiku, longer folk songs, and Chinese-style verse. Fifteen ink paintings by Koshi no Sengai (1895-1958) complement these translations and beautifully depict the spirit of this famous poet.Zen Lessons: The Art of Leadership
By Thomas Cleary. 1989
This guide to enlightened conduct for people in positions of authority is based on the teachings of several great Chinese…
Zen masters. Drawing on private records, letters, and long-lost documents of the Song dynasty (tenth to thirteenth centuries), Zen Lessons consists of short excerpts written in language that is accessible to the reader without any background in Eastern philosophy. This book serves as a guide to recognizing the qualities of a genuine Zen teacher; it also serves as a study of the character and conduct necessary for the mastery of any position of power and authority--whether religious, social, political, or organizational.Zen Heart: Simple Advice for Living with Mindfulness and Compassion
By Ezra Bayda. 2008
There's a secret to spiritual practice, and it's surprisingly simple: learn to be present with attention. Do that, and the…
whole world becomes your teacher, you wake up to the sacredness of every aspect of existence, and compassion for others arises without even thinking about it. In Zen Heart, Bayda provides a wealth of practical advice for making difficult experiences a valued part of the path and for making mindfulness a daily habit.Buddhism for Dummies
By Jonathan Landaw, Stephan Bodian. 2003
The Beginner's Guide to Insight Meditation
By Jean Smith, Arinna Weisman. 2001
The Beginner's Guide to Insight Meditation offers advice about going on retreat and help in choosing a teacher and a…
sangha (practice community), as well as suggestions for further reading and information on various Insight Meditation or Vipassana centers and resources. Here is an enormously practical book that covers every aspect of the teachings a beginner needs to get started.Attaining the Way: A Guide to the Practice of Chan Buddhism
By Master Sheng Yen. 2006
This is an inspiring guide to the practice of Chan (Chinese Zen) in the words of four great masters of…
that tradition. It includes teachings from contemporary masters Xuyun and Sheng Yen, and from Jiexian and Boshan of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Though the texts were written over a period of hundreds of years, they are all remarkably lucid and are perfect for beginners as well as more advanced practitioners today. All the main points of spiritual practice are covered: philosophical foundations, methods, approaches to problems and obstacles--all aimed at helping the student attain the way to enlightenment.The Poetry of Zen
By J. P. Seaton, Sam Hamill. 2004
A Zen poem is nothing other than an expression of the enlightened mind, a handful of simple words that disappear…
beneath the moment of insight to which it bears witness. Poetry has been an essential aid to Zen Buddhist practice from the dawn of Zen--and Zen has also had a profound influence on the secular poetry of the countries in which it has flourished. Here, two of America's most renowned poets and translators provide an overview of Zen poetry from China and Japan in all its rich variety, from the earliest days to the twentieth century. Included are works by Lao Tzu, Han Shan, Li Po, Dogen Kigen, Saigyo, Basho, Chiao Jan, Yuan Mei, Ryokan, and many others. Hamill and Seaton provide illuminating introductions to the Chinese and Japanese sections that set the poets and their work in historical and philosophical context. Short biographies of the poets are also included.Light Comes Through: Buddhist Teachings on Awakening to Our Natural Intelligence
By Dzigar Kongtrul. 2008
Buddhahood, says Dzigar Kongtrül, is nothing but an unobstructed experience of the nature of mind, boundlessly spacious and limitlessly compassionate.…
The trick is that in order to see the mind accurately, we must use the particular aspect of mind he calls natural intelligence. Natural intelligence enables us to discriminate between what helps or hinders us. But most of all, it's the part of us that searches for happiness and meaning. In Light Comes Through, he shows us how to skillfully use our wish for happiness as a tool in awakening to the joyous wisdom of mind.Insight Meditation: A Psychology of Freedom
By Joseph Goldstein. 1993
The fruit of some twenty years' experience leading Buddhist meditation retreats, this book touches on a wide range of topics…
raised repeatedly by meditators and includes favorite stories, key Buddhist teachings, and answers to most-asked questions.The Inner Tradition of Yoga: A Guide to Yoga Philosophy for the Contemporary Practitioner
By Michael Stone, Richard Freeman. 2008
There is more to the tradition of yoga than toning and strengthening. At the root, there is a vast and…
intriguing philosophy that teaches the ethics of nonviolence, patience, honesty, and respect. Michael Stone provides an in-depth explanation of ancient Indian yogic philosophy along with teachings on how to bring our understanding of yoga theory to deeper levels through our practice on the mat--and through our relationships with others.Living in the Light of Death: On the Art of Being Truly Alive
By Larry Rosenberg. 2000
This book presents the Buddhist approach to facing the inevitable facts of growing older, getting sick, and dying. These tough…
realities are not given much attention by many people until midlife, when they become harder to avoid. Using a Buddhist text known as the Five Subjects for Frequent Recollection, Larry Rosenberg shows how intimacy with the realities of aging can actually be used as a means to liberation. When we become intimate with these inevitable aspects of life, he writes, we also become intimate with ourselves, with others, with the world--indeed with all things.Mindfulness on the Go: Simple Meditation Practices You Can Do Anywhere
By Jan Chozen Bays. 2014
If you’ve heard about the many benefits of mindfulness practice but think you don’t have time for it in your…
busy life, prepare to be proven delightfully wrong. Mindfulness is available every moment, including right now, as Zen teacher Jan Chozen Bays shows with these twenty-five mindfulness exercises that can be done anywhere. Use them to cultivate the gratitude and insight that come from paying attention with body, heart, and mind to life’s many small moments.This is an abridged edition of How to Train a Wild Elephant.One Robe, One Bowl: The Zen Poetry of Ryokan
By John Stevens. 2005
The hermit-monk Ryokan, long beloved in Japan both for his poetry and for his character, belongs in the tradition of…
the great Zen eccentrics of China and Japan. His reclusive life and celebration of nature and the natural life also bring to mind his younger American contemporary, Thoreau. Ryokan's poetry is that of the mature Zen master, its deceptive simplicity revealing an art that surpasses artifice. Although Ryokan was born in eighteenth-century Japan, his extraordinary poems, capturing in a few luminous phrases both the beauty and the pathos of human life, reach far beyond time and place to touch the springs of humanity.Meditation on Perception
By Bhante Henepola Gunaratana. 2014
Use the unique Buddhist practice of meditation on perception, as taught by the best-selling author of Mindfulness in Plain English,…
to learn how shifting your perspective can transform mental and physical health.Perception--one of the basic constituents of the body and mind--can be both a source of suffering and pain, as well as a source of happiness and health. The Buddhist tradition teaches that perception can be trained and ultimately purified through the practice of meditation. When we understand how perception impacts our lives, we can use it, just as we do any other object of meditation, to overcome harmful ways of thinking and acting and to develop healthy states of mind instead. In Meditation on Perception Bhante G brings us, for the first time in English, an illuminating introduction to the unique Buddhist practice of meditation on perception as taught in the popular Girimananda Sutta. The ten healing practices that comprise meditation on perception make up a comprehensive system of meditation, combining aspects of both tranquility and insight meditation. Tranquility meditation is used to calm and center the mind, and insight meditation is used to understand more clearly how we ordinarily perceive ourselves and the world around us. Alternating between these two practices, meditators cultivate purified perception as explained by the Buddha. As a result of these efforts, we progress on the path that leads to freedom, once and for all, from illness, confusion, and other forms of physical and mental suffering. Meditation on Perception gives us the keys to move beyond ordinary, superficial perception into an enlightened perspective, freed from confusion and unhappiness.Lessons for the Living: Stories of Forgiveness, Gratitude, and Courage at the End of Life
By Stan Goldberg. 2009
When Stan Goldberg was diagnosed with cancer, he chose to face his fear by helping others who were already in…
the process of dying: Stan signed up as a hospice volunteer and spent several years at the bedsides of the terminally ill. In this book, Stan shares the remarkable stories of people he met who were facing the end of life. Their stories shine a light on the human capacity for beauty, insight, forgiveness, and gratitude, as we see how people like us deal with anxiety and sadness with bravery and love. But what's especially remarkable is that the bravery and love aren't as much expressed in grand, dramatic gestures as they are in ordinary acts and small accomplishments: in simple efforts at kindness, in asking for and receiving forgiveness, in the abandonment of anger, and in learning to speak directly from the heart--and to listen in the same way. What Stan ultimately discovers--and shares here--are not lessons in dying, but rather, lessons in learning how to live.Lady of the Lotus-Born: The Life and Enlightenment of Yeshe Tsogyal
By Gyalwa Changchub, N Nyingpo. 1993
The first Tibetan to attain complete enlightenment was in all probability the woman Yeshe Tsogyal, the closest disciple of Padmasambhava,…
the master who brought Buddhism to Tibet in the eighth century. This classical text is not only a biography but also an inspiring example of how the Buddha's teaching can be put into practice. Lady of the Lotus-Born interweaves profound Buddhist teachings with a colorful narrative that includes episodes of adventure, court intrigue, and personal searching. The book will appeal to students of Tibetan Buddhism and readers interested in the role of women in Buddhism and world religions.What Makes You Not a Buddhist
By Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse. 2007
So you think you're a Buddhist? Think again. Tibetan Buddhist master Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse, one of the most creative and…
innovative lamas teaching today, throws down the gauntlet to the Buddhist world, challenging common misconceptions, stereotypes, and fantasies. With wit and irony, Khysentse urges readers to move beyond the superficial trappings of Buddhism--beyond the romance with beads, incense, or exotic robes--straight to the heart of what the Buddha taught.Turning the Wheel of Truth: Commentary on the Buddha's First Teaching
By Ajahn Sucitto. 2010
Buddhist teachings like the eightfold path, the four noble truths, and karma pervade Buddhist literature--but how often do we read…
what the Buddha himself had to say about these topics? Here is an accessible look at the Buddha's First Discourse, which contains the foundation for all further Buddhist teaching. Ajahn Sucitto offers a new translation of this revolutionary teaching, known as The Discourse That Sets Turning the Wheel of Truth. He then walks us through the text, offering engaging and practical point-by-point commentary that makes the Buddha's words come alive and reveals how the text's wisdom can inspire our own liberation.Unlearning Meditation: What to Do When the Instructions Get In the Way
By Jason Siff. 2010
When we meditate, our minds often want to do something other than the meditation instructions we've been taught. When that…
happens repeatedly, we may feel frustrated to the point of abandoning meditation altogether. Jason Siff invites us to approach meditation in a new way, one that honors the part of us that doesn't want to do the instructions. He teaches us how to become more tolerant of intense emotions, sleepiness, compelling thoughts, fantasies--the whole array of inner experiences that are usually considered hindrances to meditation. The meditation practice he presents in Unlearning Meditation is gentle, flexible, permissive, and honest, and it's been wonderfully effective for opening up meditation for people who thought they could never meditate, as well as for injecting a renewed energy for practice into the lives of seasoned practitioners.