Spirituality Buddhism

The Library of Wisdom and Compassion collects the Dalai Lama’s decades of presentations of every step of the path to enlightenment. It has been compiled and coauthored by one of his chief Western disciples, the American nun Thubten Chodron. This first volume provides a wealth of reflections on Buddhist history and fundamentals, contemporary issues, and the Dalai Lama’s own personal experiences.

Written for both those new to Buddhism and seasoned practitioners alike, Refuge in Small Things is 108 Buddhist lessons, fables, stories, and personal reflections designed to awaken truths that exist within each of us already, even when life's challenges make them difficult to recall.

We all go through hard times. We can experience moments when life feels like an uphill struggle, leading to unhappiness and stress. Perhaps we are feeling sad, anxious, or struggling to deal with something bigger, such as a bereavement, a loss, a painful ending or a broken heart. It is during these challenging times that we could do with some help with our thoughts and feelings.

One of the world's leading authorities on Zen Buddhism, D. T. Suzuki was the author of more than a hundred works on the subject in both Japanese and English, and was most instrumental in bringing the teachings of Zen Buddhism to the attention of the Western world. Written in a lively, accessible, and straightforward manner, An Introduction to Zen Buddhism is illuminating for the serious student and layperson alike.

A Temporary Affair is a collection of talks given at Sunday morning sittings at the Ithaca Zen Center by Yoshin David Radin, abbot and founder of the Ithaca Zen Center for the past 40 years. The talks contained here were given at a time when Yoshin’s health was severely compromised by end stage renal failure. In February 2019, he received a kidney transplant from a member of Ithaca Zen Center, to whom the publication is dedicated. The collection of 31 talks contains the insight of the individual dharma talks themselves.

The mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II is not only a tale of injustice; it is a moving story of faith. In this pathbreaking account, Duncan Ryuken Williams reveals how, even as they were stripped of their homes and imprisoned in camps, Japanese American Buddhists launched one of the most inspiring defenses of religious freedom in our nation's history, insisting that they could be both Buddhist and American.

Positive psychology - with its focus not on mental "disease" but rather on what actually makes people happy - has revolutionized the way that we look at mental health. What many people don't realize, however, is that positive psychology is not as young a field of inquiry as we think. In fact, according to Joseph Emet, the original positive thinker was the Buddha himself.

Jataka Kathayen are said to have been inspired by the previous births of Siddhartha Gautama aka Lord Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. During these births, he was considered to have been born as human or as various animals and was on the path to enlightment. Lord Buddha used these stories to impart important wisdom to his disciples. And we are bringing 51 such most inspiring Jataka Kathayen or Jataka Tales to you to enjoy and learn from them.

At 36 years old, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche was a rising star within his generation of Tibetan masters and the respected abbot of three monasteries. Then one night, telling no one, he slipped out of his monastery in India with the intention of spending the next four years on a wandering retreat, following the ancient practice of holy mendicants. His goal was to throw off his titles and roles in order to explore the deepest aspects of his being.

This introduction to Nichiren Buddhism explores the philosophical intricacies of life and reveals the wonder inherent in the phases of birth, aging, and death. Core concepts of Nichiren Buddhism, such as the 10 worlds and the nine consciousnesses, illustrate the profundity of human existence. This book provides Buddhists with the tools they need to fully appreciate the connectedness of all beings and to revolutionize their spiritual lives based on this insight.

Our ego, and its accompanying sense of nagging self-doubt as we work to be bigger, better, smarter, and more in control, is one affliction we all share. In Advice Not Given, Dr. Mark Epstein reveals how Buddhism and Western psychotherapy, two traditions that developed in entirely different times and places and, until recently, had nothing to do with each other, both identify the ego as the limiting factor in our well-being, and both come to the same conclusion: When we give the ego free reign, we suffer; but when it learns to let go, we are free.

Suno Mahabharata Devdutt Pattanaik ke Saath is an exclusive presentation by Audible. Mahabharata is a story that communicates Vedic Ideas such as dharma and karma. It narrates the epic quarrel over property between five brothers (the Pandavas) and their hundred cousins (the Kauravas). The events, if real, may have taken place 3,000 years ago in the Gangetic plains. It was composed orally and transmitted for centuries before it was written down in Sanskrit about 2,000 years ago.

Buddhism has a vast array of scriptures but a relatively small body of essential doctrines. In this short treatise, the author presents a systematic introduction to Buddhist teaching, commencing with a discussion of the Noble Eightfold Path. Other topics include the Buddhist views of God and enlightenment, and the practice of Buddhism in the world of today.

The Buddhist practice of mindfulness caught on in the west when we began to understand the everyday, personal benefits it brought us. Now, in this extraordinary audiobook, the highly acclaimed thought leader and longtime English translator of His Holiness the Dalai Lama shows us that compassion can bring us even more.

Tara, the Buddhist goddess of compassion, can manifest within all of us. In this introduction to Tara's twenty-one forms, respected female Buddhist teacher and practitioner Dorje Lopön Chandra Easton shows you how to invite Tara's awakened energy to come alive in yourself. The relatable stories from Buddhist history and the author's personal reflections will give you the tools to live a more compassionate life, befriend your fears, and overcome everyday challenges.

In Awakening the Luminous Mind, meditation teacher Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche guides you to find refuge within instead of searching for support outside of yourself. Using the heart instructions of Dawa Gyaltsen, an 8th century Tibetan meditation master, as a vehicle to guide contemplative practice, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche opens your eyes to the gifts hidden in your ordinary experiences.

The Words of My Perfect Teacher is the classic commentary on the preliminary practices of the Longchen Nyingtig—one of the best-known cycles of teachings and a spiritual treasure of the Nyingmapa school—the oldest Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Patrul Rinpoche makes the technicalities of his subject accessible through a wealth of stories, quotations, and references to everyday life. His style of mixing broad colloquialisms, stringent irony, and poetry has all the life and atmosphere of an oral teaching.

The topic of enlightenment has built up more baggage and cruft than the Titanic, and most of what's out there on the subject will sink you just as surely as that stupid iceberg. Gatekeeping the Gateless Gate is the zero fluff, high-snark dose of truth you've been looking for. No touchy feelie BS, no karma or dogma. If your goal is to be enlightened, this is the only book you will ever need (and frankly you don't even need this one, but hey whatever floats your boat.).

Bring Me the Rhinoceros is an unusual guide to happiness and a can opener for your thinking. For fifteen hundred years, Zen koans have been passed down through generations of masters, usually in private encounters between teacher and student. This book deftly retells more than a dozen traditional koans, which are partly paradoxical questions dangerous to your beliefs and partly treasure boxes of ancient wisdom. John Tarrant brings the heart of the koan tradition out into the open, reminding us that the old wisdom remains as vital as ever.

This moment is the gateway to enlightenment. It is the only moment we have to be joyful, mindful, and awake. The key is to be there for yourself - to learn to be fully present in your life. This, Thich Nhat Hanh explains, is the heart of Buddhist practice. In this introduction to the practice of presence, the beloved Buddhist teacher provides indispensable insight on the essentials of Buddhist thought and offers a range of simple, everyday practices for cultivating mindfulness.