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Posthuman Buddhism and the Digital Self: The Production of Dwellspace
By Les Roberts. 2024
In Posthuman Buddhism and the Digital Self, Les Roberts extends his earlier work on spatial anthropology to consider questions of…
time, spaciousness and the phenomenology of self. Across the book’s four main chapters – which range from David Bowie’s long-standing interest in Buddhism, to street photography of 1980s Liverpool, to the ambient soundscapes of Derek Jarman’s Blue, or to the slow, contemplative cinema of Tsai Ming-Liang – Roberts lays the groundwork for the concept of ‘dwellspace’ as a means by which to unpick the shifting spatial, temporal and experiential modalities of everyday mediascapes. Understood as a particular disposition towards time, Roberts’s foray into dwellspace proceeds from a Pascalian reflection on the self/non-self in which being content in an empty room vies with the demands of having content in an empty room. Taking the idea of posthuman Buddhism as a heuristic lens, Roberts sets in motion a number of interrelated lines of enquiry that prompt renewed focus on questions of boredom, distraction and reverie and cast into sharper relief the psychosocial and creative affordances of ambience, spaciousness and slowness. The book argues that the colonisation of ‘empty time’ by 24/7 digital capitalism has gone hand-in-hand with the growth of the corporate mindfulness industry, and with it, the co-option, commodification and digitisation of dwellspace. Posthuman Buddhism is thus in part an exploration of the dialectics of dwellspace that orbits around a creative self-praxis rooted in the negation and dissolution of the self, one of the foundational cornerstones of Buddhist theory and practice.
Buddha, Volume 1: Kapilavastu (Buddha #1)
By Osamu Tezuka. 2006
Osamu Tezuka's vaunted storytelling genius, consummate skill at visual expression, and warm humanity blossom fully in his eight-volume epic of…
Siddhartha's life and times. Tezuka evidences his profound grasp of the subject by contextualizing the Buddha's ideas; the emphasis is on movement, action, emotion, and conflict as the prince Siddhartha runs away from home, travels across India, and questions Hindu practices such as ascetic self-mutilation and caste oppression. Rather than recommend resignation and impassivity, Tezuka's Buddha predicates enlightenment upon recognizing the interconnectedness of life, having compassion for the suffering, and ordering one's life sensibly. Philosophical segments are threaded into interpersonal situations with ground-breaking visual dynamism by an artist who makes sure never to lose his readers' attention. Tezuka himself was a humanist rather than a Buddhist, and his magnum opus is not an attempt at propaganda. Hermann Hesse's novel or Bertolucci's film is comparable in this regard; in fact, Tezuka's approach is slightly irreverent in that it incorporates something that Western commentators often eschew, namely, humor.
True Love: A Practice for Awakening the Heart
By Thich Nhat Hanh. 1997
In this little treasure, Thich Nhat Hanh offers a Buddhist view of love along with techniques for manifesting it in…
our daily lives. In his characteristically direct, simple, and compassionate style, he explores the four key aspects of love as described in the Buddhist tradition: lovingkindness, compassion, joy, and freedom. In order to love in a real way, Thich Nhat Hanh explains, we need to learn how to be fully present in our lives. In True Love he offers readers the technique of conscious breathing as a method for synchronizing the mind and body to establish the conditions of love. He goes on to offer a mantra practice for generating love that consists of expressing four key statements or intentions in our relationships. These include: "Dear one, I am really there for you"; "Dear one, I know that you are there, and I am really happy about it"; "Dear one, I know that you are suffering, and that is why I am here for you"; and "Dear one, I am suffering, please help me." In the concluding section of the book, Thich Nhat Hanh explains how love can help us to heal our own pain, fear, and negativity. He explains that we must not regard negative emotions as bad and repress them. We must recognize them as part of us and allow them into our consciousness, where they can be cared for by the "loving mother of mindfulness."
Foucault, Buddhism and Disciplinary Rules
By Malcolm Voyce. 2017
This book suggests that previous critiques of the rules of Buddhist monks (Vinaya) may now be reconsidered in order to…
deal with some of the assumptions concerning the legal nature of these rules and to provide a focus on how Vinaya texts may have actually operated in practice. Malcolm Voyce utilizes the work of Foucault and his notions of 'power' and 'subjectivity' in three ways. First, he examines The Buddha's role as a lawmaker to show how Buddhist texts were a form of lawmaking that had a diffused and lateral conception of authority. While lawmakers in some religious groups may be seen as authoritative, in the sense that leaders or founders were coercive or charismatic, the Buddhist concept of authority allows for a degree of freedom for the individual to shape or form themselves. Second, he shows that the confession ritual acted as a disciplinary measure to develop a unique sense of collective governance based on self regulation, self-governance and self-discipline. Third, he argues that while the Vinaya has been seen by some as a code or form of regulation that required obedience, the Vinaya had a double nature in that its rules could be transgressed and that offenders could be dealt with appropriately in particular situations. Voyce shows that the Vinaya was not an independent legal system, but that it was dependent on the Dharmaśāstra for some of its jurisprudential needs, and that it was not a form of customary law in the strict sense, but a wider system of jurisprudence linked to Dharmaśāstra principles and precepts.
Cyber Zen ethnographically explores Buddhist practices in the online virtual world of Second Life. Does typing at a keyboard and…
moving avatars around the screen, however, count as real Buddhism? If authentic practices must mimic the actual world, then Second Life Buddhism does not. In fact, a critical investigation reveals that online Buddhist practices have at best only a family resemblance to canonical Asian traditions and owe much of their methods to the late twentieth-century field of cybernetics. If, however, they are judged existentially, by how they enable users to respond to the suffering generated by living in a highly mediated consumer society, then Second Life Buddhism consists of authentic spiritual practices. Cyber Zen explores how Second Life Buddhist enthusiasts form communities, identities, locations, and practices that are both products of and authentic responses to contemporary Network Consumer Society. Gregory Price Grieve illustrates that to some extent all religion has always been virtual and gives a glimpse of possible future alternative forms of religion.
Zeal for Zen
By Norimoto Iino. 1967
The Zen scholar and author of Hints in Haiku offers a revealing introduction to Zen thought and practice in this…
collection of essays. In 1964, when he accepted a visiting professorship at Coe College teaching non-Western studies, Norimoto Iino wrote this uniquely insightful introduction to Zen for his students. As he says in the preface, &“Zen is a subject notoriously elusive. It goes beyond the happiest form of linguistic expression.&” And yet, Iino pursues his topic with illuminating clarity and probing insight. In Zeal for Zen, Iino discusses Zen as an ever-evolving way of seeing and a powerful antidote to the egoistic pursuit of power. He covers a wide range of topics, from Soto Zen and Zen prayer to mathematics, modern physics, and the Zenlike works of English philosopher Alfred North Whitehead.
Psychoanalysis and Zen Buddhism (Condor Bks.)
By Erich Fromm. 1960
The renowned psychoanalyst and New York Times–bestselling author of The Art of Loving unites philosophy from the East and West.…
In 1957, social philosopher and psychoanalyst Erich Fromm invited Daisetz T. Suzuki, the most famous Zen Buddhist master in the Western world, to a seminar at his new home in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Their discussion was one of the highlights of Fromm&’s life, and the paper Fromm presented (and later expanded into a book) was a watershed work. Fromm demonstrates his mastery of the philosophy and practice of Zen, perfectly articulating how Zen tenets fit into the ideas of psychoanalysis. In this text, he creates new perspectives on both systems of thought. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Erich Fromm including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author&’s estate.
Awakening My Heart: Essays, Articles and Interviews on the Buddist Life
By Andrea Miller. 2019
Informative interviews and profiles of the likes of Ram Dass, Tina Turner, Jane Goodall, and more, plus other writings offer…
insight on the Buddhist life.From Andrea Miller—an editor and staff writer at Lion&’s Roar, the leading Buddhist magazine in the English-speaking world—comes a diverse and timeless collection of essays, articles, and interviews. Miller talks to Buddhist teachers, thinkers, writers, and celebrities about the things that matter most and she frames their wisdom with her own lived experience.In Awakening My Heart, we hear Tina Turner on the power of song, Ram Dass on the importance of service, Jane Goodall on the compassion that exists in the natural world, and Robert Jay Lifton on the darkest deeds of humanity—and how to prevent such things from ever happening again. Moreover, Miller—with her gently probing questions—gets to the bottom of the friendship between Zen master Bernie Glassman and Hollywood&’s Jeff Bridges, and she also takes a playful look at the difference between Michael Imperioli, the serious Buddhist practitioner, and the unhinged mobster character he played in The Sopranos.Insight teacher Gina Sharpe coaches Miller on how to start facing the racism that exists even in the most liberal communities, while Robert Waldinger, a Zen priest and the leader of the world&’s longest running study of human happiness, teaches her the key to being truly happy. Miller also brings the wisdom of a thirteenth-century Zen text into her very own galley kitchen and takes a look at animals through a quirky dharma lens. Finally, she goes on retreat with two of the world&’s most beloved contemporary Buddhist teachers, Pema Chödrön and Thich Nhat Hanh, and travels to India to follow in the footsteps of the Buddha himself.Praise for Awakening My Heart &“A lovely repast of stories and inspiring conversations with Buddhist masters and celebrities, reminding us to relax and smile. The good medicine of the dharma comes in a thousand forms.&” ―Jack Kornfield &“This book is a concise, witty, and intelligible way to understand Buddhism.&” ―bell hooks, author of All About Love &“Andrea Miller is one of contemporary Buddhism&’s most original and arresting voices. Awakening My Heart has that rare combination of insight and empathy that distinguishes the very best spiritual literature. It is an inspiring, expansive, and probing exploration of what it means to be alive and practicing the dharma today.&” —Shozan Jack Haubner, author of Zen Confidential &“These lovely pieces span a huge, eclectic range from rock stars and actors to gurus and birds. There is joy in these pages, and the stories here will cause you to love life, and people, all the more.&” ―Barry Boyce, Editor-in-Chief, Mindful magazine
This study presents details about the life and philosophy of the founder of Buddhism, Prince Gautama of India or the…
Buddha, in the form of a poem as told from an imaginary Buddhist character. When originally published in 1926, little was known of Buddhism in Europe and Arnold aimed to inform the west of basic Buddhist concepts and the effects this had on India and Hinduism. This title will be of interest to students of Religion and Asian studies.
Butterflies on a Sea Wind: Beginning Zen
By Anne Rudloe. 2002
This memoir by a marine biologist &“sings the life of a beginning Zen practitioner. . . . [with] a haunting, beautiful appreciation of…
the natural world.&”(Publishers Weekly) Anne Rudloe was attracted to Zen as a college student. But it seemed premature for a twenty-one-year-old to focus on the difficulties of life when she'd hardly begun to live. Twenty-five years later, she was ready to explore the spiritual discipline that originated in Asian monasteries more than a millennium ago. Rudloe's quest is compellingly chronicled in Butterflies on a Sea Wind, which combines the rigor of formal monastic Zen practice with the challenges of integrating Zen concepts into modern daily life. Her narrative describes both the physical and mental demands of Zen retreats and how she applied what she learned there to her work as a marine biologist in Florida, as well as to the rigors of raising children and caring for an elderly grandmother. In words that intimately draw in her readers, she describes how Zen helps us look inward and use the wisdom we find there to reach out to others. During the 1990s, the number of organized Buddhist centers in this country grew more than 40 percent, from 429 to 1,062. While there are many books about Zen on the market today, few give a clear picture of what it's like to actually sit down and begin a meditation practice and then apply it to a daily life. Likewise, few books discuss the types of issues most people face every day: raising a family and earning a living. Butterflies on a Sea Wind does all this and more.
God's Generals: The Military Lives of Moses, the Buddha & Muhammad
By Richard A. Gabriel. 2016
It is one of the more startling facts of military history that the founders of three of the four 'great…
religions'—Judaism, Buddhism, and Islam—were also accomplished field generals with extensive experience in commanding men in battle. One of these, Muhammad, fought eight battles and was wounded twice, once almost fatally. Another, Siddhartha Gautama (later to become the Buddha), witnessed so much battlefield carnage that he suffered a psychological collapse. Moses had become so much a 'god-intoxicated' personality, it is a reasonable suspicion that he, like the Buddha, was murdered. Indeed, had the experiences of these men in war not been so successful, it is quite possible that their achievements as religious leaders would never have occurred. For all three, war and religion were so closely intertwined in their personalities that it is difficult to discern where the influence of one ended and the other began. This book attempts to explore the military lives of Moses, the Buddha and Muhammad, and the role their war experiences played in their religious lives.
This book offers a new interpretation of the relationship between 'insight practice' (satipatthana) and the attainment of the four jhànas…
(i.e., right samàdhi), a key problem in the study of Buddhist meditation. The author challenges the traditional Buddhist understanding of the four jhànas as states of absorption, and shows how these states are the actualization and embodiment of insight (vipassanà). It proposes that the four jhànas and what we call 'vipassanà' are integral dimensions of a single process that leads to awakening. Current literature on the phenomenology of the four jhànas and their relationship with the 'practice of insight' has mostly repeated traditional Theravàda interpretations. No one to date has offered a comprehensive analysis of the fourfold jhàna model independently from traditional interpretations. This book offers such an analysis. It presents a model which speaks in the Nikàyas' distinct voice. It demonstrates that the distinction between the 'practice of serenity' (samatha-bhàvanà) and the 'practice of insight' (vipassanà-bhàvanà) – a fundamental distinction in Buddhist meditation theory – is not applicable to early Buddhist understanding of the meditative path. It seeks to show that the common interpretation of the jhànas as 'altered states of consciousness', absorptions that do not reveal anything about the nature of phenomena, is incompatible with the teachings of the Pàli Nikàyas. By carefully analyzing the descriptions of the four jhànas in the early Buddhist texts in Pàli, their contexts, associations and meanings within the conceptual framework of early Buddhism, the relationship between this central element in the Buddhist path and 'insight meditation' becomes revealed in all its power. Early Buddhist Meditation will be of interest to scholars of Buddhist studies, Asian philosophies and religions, as well as Buddhist practitioners with a serious interest in the process of insight meditation.
Encyclopedia of Buddhism
By Damien Keown and Charles S. Prebish. 2007
Reflects the current state of scholarship in Buddhist Studies, its entries being written by specialists in many areas, presenting an…
accurate overview of Buddhist history, thought and practices, most entries having cross-referencing to others and bibliographical references. Contain around 1000 pages and 500,000 words, totalling around 1200 entries.
Long Quiet Highway: Waking Up in America
By Natalie Goldberg. 1993
The author of Writing Down the Bones shares her story of self-discovery through Zen Buddhism, in &“beautiful and simple prose&”…
(Library Journal). In this autobiographical work, Natalie Goldberg takes us on a journey from her suburban childhood to her maturation as a writer. From the high-school classroom where she first listened to the rain, to her fifteen years as a student of Zen Buddhism, Natalie Goldberg&’s path is by turns illuminating, disciplined, heartbreaking, hilarious, and healing. Along the way she reflects on her life and work in prose that is both elegant and precise, reminding the reader of what it means to be fully alive. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Natalie Goldberg, including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author&’s personal collection.
Critical Buddhism: Engaging with Modern Japanese Buddhist Thought (Routledge Critical Studies In Buddhism Ser.)
By James Mark Shields. 2011
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the relative calm world of Japanese Buddhist scholarship was thrown into chaos with…
the publication of several works by Buddhist scholars Hakamaya Noriaki and Matsumoto Shiro, dedicated to the promotion of something they called Critical Buddhism (hihan bukkyo). In their quest to re-establish a "true" - rational, ethical and humanist - form of East Asian Buddhism, the Critical Buddhists undertook a radical deconstruction of historical and contemporary East Asian Buddhism, particularly Zen. While their controversial work has received some attention in English-language scholarship, this is the first book-length treatment of Critical Buddhism as both a philosophical and religious movement, where the lines between scholarship and practice blur. Providing a critical and constructive analysis of Critical Buddhism, particularly the epistemological categories of critica and topica, this book examines contemporary theories of knowledge and ethics in order to situate Critical Buddhism within modern Japanese and Buddhist thought as well as in relation to current trends in contemporary Western thought.
Be a Light Unto Yourself: Discovering and Accepting Who You Are from the Words of the Buddha
By Priya Hemenway. 2003
An accessible self-help guide to learning to trust yourself, inspired by the spiritual teachings of the Buddha.Gautama Buddha was the…
founder of what we know as Buddhism, a spiritual tradition that is recognized throughout the world as one of compassion, peace, and understanding. Like his final words, Gautama Buddha's teachings were often simple phrases that carried profound thoughts and implications. When the words of the Buddha were gathered together, a special collection was made - The Dhammapada or The Way of Truth. Be a Light Unto Yourself relates the story of Gautama Buddha and the spiritual revolution he began. It is a collection of teachings that relate strongest to the power and depth of the statement “Be a light unto yourself.” This book teaches you to know yourself and to always look within yourself for guidance and to trust your own senses. Among the teachings you'll find:“Your life is determined by the nature of mind . . . A silent mind creates a peaceful life. Happiness will follow this mind like an ever-present shadow.”“Not in the sky, not in the deepness of the sea, not in the rocky clefts of the mountains is there a spot in the world where you can hide from yourself.”“If you can govern your anger like a charioteer his chariot, you are a real driver; otherwise you simply hold the reins.”
Be a Light Unto Yourself: Discovering and Accepting Who You Are from the Words of the Buddha
By Priya Hemenway. 2003
An accessible self-help guide to learning to trust yourself, inspired by the spiritual teachings of the Buddha.Gautama Buddha was the…
founder of what we know as Buddhism, a spiritual tradition that is recognized throughout the world as one of compassion, peace, and understanding. Like his final words, Gautama Buddha's teachings were often simple phrases that carried profound thoughts and implications. When the words of the Buddha were gathered together, a special collection was made - The Dhammapada or The Way of Truth. Be a Light Unto Yourself relates the story of Gautama Buddha and the spiritual revolution he began. It is a collection of teachings that relate strongest to the power and depth of the statement “Be a light unto yourself.” This book teaches you to know yourself and to always look within yourself for guidance and to trust your own senses. Among the teachings you'll find:“Your life is determined by the nature of mind . . . A silent mind creates a peaceful life. Happiness will follow this mind like an ever-present shadow.”“Not in the sky, not in the deepness of the sea, not in the rocky clefts of the mountains is there a spot in the world where you can hide from yourself.”“If you can govern your anger like a charioteer his chariot, you are a real driver; otherwise you simply hold the reins.”
Butterflies on a Sea Wind: Beginning Zen
By Anne Rudloe. 2002
This memoir by a marine biologist &“sings the life of a beginning Zen practitioner. . . . [with] a haunting, beautiful appreciation of…
the natural world.&”(Publishers Weekly) Anne Rudloe was attracted to Zen as a college student. But it seemed premature for a twenty-one-year-old to focus on the difficulties of life when she'd hardly begun to live. Twenty-five years later, she was ready to explore the spiritual discipline that originated in Asian monasteries more than a millennium ago. Rudloe's quest is compellingly chronicled in Butterflies on a Sea Wind, which combines the rigor of formal monastic Zen practice with the challenges of integrating Zen concepts into modern daily life. Her narrative describes both the physical and mental demands of Zen retreats and how she applied what she learned there to her work as a marine biologist in Florida, as well as to the rigors of raising children and caring for an elderly grandmother. In words that intimately draw in her readers, she describes how Zen helps us look inward and use the wisdom we find there to reach out to others. During the 1990s, the number of organized Buddhist centers in this country grew more than 40 percent, from 429 to 1,062. While there are many books about Zen on the market today, few give a clear picture of what it's like to actually sit down and begin a meditation practice and then apply it to a daily life. Likewise, few books discuss the types of issues most people face every day: raising a family and earning a living. Butterflies on a Sea Wind does all this and more.
Empty Logic: Madhyamika Buddhism from Chinese Sources
By Hsueh-Li Cheng. 1945
&“Covers the basic philosophy and arguments of Mādhyamika, as well as discussing its possible influence on other forms of Buddhist…
thought, including Zen.&”—Journal of Chinese Philosophy The chief purpose of Empty Logic is to expound the Mādhyamika philosophy of emptiness as presented in Chinese sources and to clarify misconceptions about this important Buddhist ideology. It is an attempt to present the earlier Chinese San-lun exposition of Nāgārjuna&’s thought. To followers of Mādhyamika, the doctrine of emptiness is not a metaphysical theory; rather it is essentially a way of salvation. Few people know that one of the most significant outcomes of Nāgārjuna&’s teaching was the creation of Zen (Ch&’an) Buddhism in China. In this work, Hsueh-li Cheng provides a general background of Buddhism to give a historical perspective of Mādhyamika thought and development. After exploring the various meanings and use of emptiness in the process of salvation and illustrating the relationship between Mādhyamika and Zen, Cheng investigates how Mādhyamikas addresses the concepts of reality, God, and knowledge. There follows a brief comparison between Nāgārjuna&’s, Kant&’s, and Wittgenstein&’s philosophies to suggest the unique nature of Nāgārjuna&’s teaching and explain why his beliefs cannot be classified alongside the other two thinkers. Teaching emptiness as the middle way, the revolutionary Mādhyamika branch of Buddhism offers a singular and fascinating path to achieving liberation from the evil and suffering of the world.
How Not to Be a Hot Mess: A Buddhist Survival Guide for Modern Life
By Nico Hase, Devon Hase. 2020
The dumpster fire of life rages on, but you got this. Practice six rules to keep you grounded, weather the…
storm, and actually be a decent person.It may seem like the world is going to hell in a hand basket right now. Whether it's big stuff like politics and climate change, or just the daily spin of paying your bills, getting to work on time, and fending off social media trolls, we can all admit, modern life ain't easy. Here are six really good guiding principles, inspired from the ancient wisdom of Buddhism and mindfulness practice, to keep you anchored and steady amidst the chaos.