The Other Buddhism
The Pureland schools are the largest Buddhist denominations in Japan, and yet this approach to Buddhism is hardly known in the West. Pureland centres on our relationship with Amida Buddha, the embodiment of measureless love, light and life. It offers a fresh view of spirituality, recognizing us in our mundane lives, whilst lifting us into relationship with the eternal. As ordinary people, we cannot fathom our own depths nor can we know the immensity of the universe. We can but stand in awe and reach out to what we intuitively know to be beyond the small orbit of our lives. Pureland is a path of simplicity and beauty, poetry and nature. It is the path of faith.
Melody and Silence
As we move towards a one world consciousness, we need an evolved spirituality to follow. We can have an adult, non-dogmatic spiritual life that transcends borders and language. This book is a mixture of talks on truth and recorded satsangs. It is an attempt to reveal, that, knowing oneself has nothing to do with spirituality or religion. Truth is discovering who you are. This enquiry has no conditions to it. It does not matter where you are from, what culture, language, religion. Who you are, is who you are! It is time to move forward in a culture of oneness. One world, one religion - truth seeking, one prayer - silence.,
The Miracle of Mindfulness
"Thich Nhat Hanh's ideas for peace, if applied, would build a monument to ecumenism, to world brotherhood, to humanity." -- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. An exclusive Beacon Classics edition of the book that brought mindfulness to the Western world and continues to open the hearts and minds of readers everywhere, with a gorgeous spot gloss cover and retro, classic palette The Miracle of Mindfulness has been cherished by generations of readers for its eloquent and useful introduction to the practice of meditation. Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh offers gentle anecdotes and practical exercise as a means of learning the skills of mindfulness. From washing dishes to answering the phone to peeling an orange, he reminds us that each moment holds within it an opportunity to work toward greater self-understanding and peacefulness. Readers interested in an introduction to Buddhist thought, as well as those seeking to learn about mindfulness and stress reduction, continue to look to Thich Nhat Hanh's classic work for guidance and inspiration. This new edition features Thich Nhat Hanh's ever relevant reflections, for longtime readers and those new to the world of mindfulness alike. As the world we live in grows all the more overwhelming, The Miracle of Mindfulness remains a beloved antidote to the accelerated speed and intense expectations of our lives.
The Direct Way
Join renowned spiritual teacher Adyashanti for a practice-based journey out of the thinking mind and into the awakened awareness beyond perceptual reality. For renowned teacher Adyashanti, every single moment contains a doorway into spiritual awakening. But what does it actually mean to "wake up" to the truth of reality? And what does it take to recognize these opportunities? In The Direct Way, Adya (as his students call him) offers a sequence of 30 practices intended to connect with and cultivate ever-greater awareness of the unseen dimensions of your being. From the simple expression of "I am," to an exploration of the Spiritual Heart, and all the way into the fundamental ground of being, these exercises emphasize that the process of awakening takes "many small glimpses, experienced many times." Adya concludes with practical pointers on how to integrate transcendent experiences into the everyday fabric of life--including your career, personal goals, and intimate relationships. Here you will discover: - How to dis-identify from conceptual, ego-based thinking- Perceiving the ego as a tool to navigate consciousness rather than an obstacle- The "knowing yet empty" quality of foundational awareness- The surprising route to realizing awareness of the Spiritual Heart- Feeling through the Spiritual Heart as a way to experience true interconnection- The meaning of the Zen teaching phrase, "This very body is the Buddha"- Exploring the exhilarating paradox of Being and Becoming- How to establish anchor points to stabilize your journey into the Ground of Being- What it means to live each day with "enlightened relativity"- How awakening puts control of your experience in your hands--but also the responsibility for it No one experiences awakening quite the same. With The Direct Way, join Adya to discover pathways toward an awareness as wide as the sky and as personal as your innermost heart.
Tibetan Magic
This book focuses on the theme of magic in Tibetan contexts, encompassing both pre-modern and modern text-cultures as well as contemporary practices. It offers a new understanding of the identity and role of magical specialists in both historical and contemporary contexts. Combining the theoretical approaches of anthropology, ethnography, religious and textual studies, the book aims to shed light on experiences, practices and practitioners that have been frequently marginalized by the normative mainstream monastic Buddhisttraditions and Western Buddhist scholarship, which focuses primarily on meditation andphilosophy. The book explores the intersection between magic/folk practices and Tantra, a complex, socio-religious phenomenon associated not only with the religious and political elites who sponsored it, but also with 'marginal' ethnic groups and social milieus, as well as with lay communities at large, who resorted to ritual agents to fulfil their worldly needs.
Speculative Orientalism
Examining the works of prominent New Wave science fiction authors from the 1950-1960s, Sang-Keun Yoo highlights the underexplored connection between American science fiction and Asian religions, such as Taoism, Buddhism, and Hinduism.The book considers how the major world wars of the 20th century-Second World War, the Cold War, and the Vietnam War- repositioned Asian culture in relation to the science fiction genre in the period. Underpinning this study, Sang-Keun Yoo argues that "Speculative Orientalism" emerged in American science fiction during the 1950s and 60s. This concept adopted various aspects of Asian religions to envision alternative worlds, unburdened by the constraints of colonialism, totalitarianism, racism, and sexism present in contemporary American society. Bringing fresh perspectives to the works of William S. Burroughs, Philip K. Dick, Ursula K and Samuel R. Delany, this book offers an insightful examination of the role of Asian religions in American science fiction and their impact on the genre's history.
Samatha and Vipasyana
Invaluable instructions on core meditations designed to bring about irreversible spiritual transformation. For those who aspire to the total enlightenment of a buddha, the practices of samatha and vipasyana play a crucial role from the beginning of the path to its culmination. Designed to first free our minds from the five obscurations and eventually from the ignorance that is the root of suffering, these practices, when imbued with bodhicitta, enable us to reach a pivotal stage within the Mahayana path of accumulation, at which we're assured of being a bodhisattva in all our future lives until enlightenment. The instructions gathered here are like a string of pearls spanning from the eleventh century to the present day. They include teachings from great Indian masters as well as renowned lamas of the past and present from the four major orders of Tibetan Buddhism, many of them stemming from visionary teachings revealed by Manjusri, Vajrapani, Avalokitesvara, and Padmasambhava. Introductions rich with biographical detail accompany each group of translated entries, providing invaluable context and drawing connections for the reader. Original essays from Lama Alan Wallace cap off the anthology, and a collection of links to a rich array of recorded oral teachings by eminent lamas, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama's first teachings in the West, make this a true treasure trove for the practitioner and scholar alike.
The Buddha
From one of the world's leading Buddhist scholars, a deeply researched and unprecedented portrait of the Buddha Like Jesus and Muhammad, the Buddha is one of the most significant figures in history. But is he a historical figure? In this revelatory book, Donald S. Lopez Jr. explores this question and considers what is at stake in the answer. Using stories of the Buddha's life--drawn from the earliest biographies, the work of other scholars, and his own research--Lopez traces a single narrative from the Buddha's birth to his enlightenment to his passage into nirvana. Unlike those who transformed the Buddha into a rationalist philosopher, Lopez seeks to "remythologize" the Buddha, restoring the rainbow that encircled the Buddha for centuries, radiating his teachings around the world. Complementing traditional Buddhist sources with insights from Gustave Flaubert, Oscar Wilde, George Eliot, and others, Lopez produces a rich, accessible, and unprecedented portrait of one of the world's most important religious figures.
The World Exists to Set Us Free
Down-to-earth wisdom on how to live a life of authenticity and spiritual integrity, from one of the West's most respected teachers of vipassana meditation. How does dharma wisdom show up in our lives every day? This collection of teachings by the beloved Insight Meditation teacher Larry Rosenberg offers clear, down-to-earth guidance on learning how to live a life informed by Buddhism--through questioning, reflective observation, and self-understanding. Rosenberg is known for presenting the essence of the Buddhism in a way that is unvarnished, utterly accessible, and that resonates with a wide audience. Here he unpacks--with his signature engaging and iconoclastic style--such topics as meditation, silence, use of the breath, self-knowing, working with strong emotions, intimacy, illness and grief, among others. There are few teachers who so epitomize the idea of "spiritual friend" in the way that Larry Rosenberg does. His teachings give a clear sense that dharma is very much a part of everyday life. This book is also informed by what Rosenberg considers his deeper and more immediate understanding of dharma that has come in recent years--a period marked in his own life by illness and disability--and in the life of the planet by a deadly pandemic, war, an existential climate crisis, and pervasive technological distraction. An introductory essay, written by journalist and author Madeline Drexler, serves as a spiritual biography of Rosenberg, presenting his reflections on more than half a century of dedicated dharma practice and instruction. This essay illuminates what, for Rosenberg, were profound turning points and moments of realization--his long apprenticeships with foundational figures in twentieth-century Buddhism, including Ajahn Chah, Thich Nhat Hanh, Seung Sahn, and Ajahn Buddhadasa, as well as Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti.
Coaching The Invisible
"Sandhya offers a beautiful gift for all coaches. If you are hoping to make a life-changing difference for people in your coaching, leading and personal conversations, take time to savor 'Coaching the Invisible'."- Marcia Reynolds, PsyD, MCC, and world-renowned coach and author of 'Coach the Person, Not the Problem' "'Coaching the Invisible' is a luminous guide that transforms how we understand the human heart of change. By weaving together neuroscience, emotional intelligence and spiritual insights, Sandhya's masterpiece unveils the hidden currents that shape behavior and spark lasting transformation.This is an essential read for coaches, managers, and change-makers who yearn to transcend surface-level solutions and create transformational shifts."- Jean-Francois Cousin, former Chairman, ICF Global Board; global executive and team coach "'Coaching the Invisible' invites us to expand the boundaries of what coaching can be. This book is more than a guide - it's a challenge to the reader to go beyond models and methods to listen more deeply, feel more fully, and coach with a reverence for the whole person."- Jayne Morrison, Regional Network Director, Six Seconds MEAI The Hidden Forces Behind Truly Transformational Coaching Most coaching focuses on tools, tactics, and surface-level strategies. But the most powerful shifts? They happen at a deeper level-where emotional intelligence, spiritual mastery, and neuroscience intersect. This book unlocks the missing link in coaching: how to harness emotion, intuition, and inner alignment to create breakthroughs that stick. Drawing from neuroscience, mindfulness, and years of experience training 1,000+ coaches worldwide, Sandhya reveals the small, unseen shifts that separate good coaches from extraordinary ones. Inside, you'll discover: ✅ Why emotional and spiritual intelligence drive real-world results more than mindset alone✅ The neuroscience behind trust, intuition, and deep transformation in coaching✅ How to identify and dissolve hidden emotional barriers that block progress✅ Practical, science-backed strategies to turn insight into action for your clients✅ A powerful framework to make every coaching session more intuitive, effective, and lasting This book is for coaches, mentors, and leaders who want to go beyond techniques and tap into the true power of transformation. If you're ready to unlock the full potential of your coaching, this book will show you how.
Buddhist Attitudes to Other Religions
In a world in which the religious 'other' has been both globalized and localized, we are tending towards a situation in which all religious traditions are aware of all others and to this extent are in some kind of communication with one another. Even if the relationship is one of proselytism, rejection, conflict or enmity, it is still a relationship, and this involves a reaction to or interaction with the other. Many adherents of one faith have now practical dealings with people of other religions, thus inevitably facing questions of meaning and belonging. Buddhists are no exception to this, even if Buddhism manifests both, a distinctive selfsufficiency and an ability to tolerate difference. Does the Buddhist tradition provide any resources for going beyond the traditional exclusivistic and inclusivistic options? Can there be something like a Buddhist pluralism, that is, the recognition of another religious path as being different but nevertheless equally liberative, equally salvific? Whether Buddhist pluralism is a genuine option is something that the contemporary inner-Buddhist debate has to figure out. But it is far from evident that Buddhism is a sort of naturally pluralistic religion. As far as its traditional discourse is concerned it seems to have been, by and large, as exclusivistic or inclusivistic in its soteriological claims as any other of the major religious traditions.
The Vajrabhairava Tantra
A groundbreaking work on the little-studied Indian origins of an influential tantric Buddhist practice along with a fresh English translation. The deity Vajrabhairava, or Yamantaka, is well known as the central figure of tantric practice in multiple lineages of Tibetan Buddhism and is also found in Chinese and Japanese Buddhism. Less is known about its foundational Indian context. The Vajrabhairava Tantra, dedicated to the Buffalo-headed deity Vajrabhairava, arose around the eighth century and had a considerable impact on the formation of religious praxis in the medieval Indian Buddhist world. This book contains a translation of the Vajrabhairava Tantra from the recently discovered Sanskrit text and a comprehensive study of its elements, of its origins and Indian commentators, and of the history of its transmission to Tibet. The annotation to the translation excerpts all six Indian commentaries on the tantra found in the Tibetan canon. One highly innovative contribution this work makes to the fields of tantric Buddhist studies and, more generally, to South Asian religions is the way it breaks down traditional disciplinary boundaries between tantra and magic. It shows that the genesis of tantric traditions cannot be reduced to a one-way influence of Hindu Shaivism on Buddhism or vice versa, but indicates a widespread "culture of magic," a common "ritual syntax," that crossed sectarian, linguistic, and socio-cultural boundaries, one that came to be significantly diminished in later Shaiva and Buddhist tantras. The study comprises the first half of the book, and the second half is the translation, which explains the construction of the mandala, the magical applications of the practice, the extraction of the mantra, the visualization, and the preparation of the pata painting and the homa fire ritual. A dozen color plates illustrate Vajrabhairava in his Solitary Hero and other forms along with mandalas of five different lineages, keys for which are provided in the appendix. Not only is the English translation of the Vajrabhairava Tantra the first to be based on a Sanskrit manuscript, but also the comprehensive study of all six canonical commentaries is the first to investigate the key commentaries by Akshobhya and Krishnacharya.
Mountain Dharma
An emphasis on practicing meditation in yearslong retreats--whether in a cave or a cloister, alone or with a small number of peers--has been a defining feature of Tibetan Buddhism throughout its entire history. Although the life stories and writings of the Himalaya's most famous hermits are well known, the history of this tradition and the details of its practice have largely remained a mystery. A groundbreaking exploration of individual long-term meditative retreat in Tibetan Buddhism, Mountain Dharma tracks developments in ascetic discourse and practice from the twelfth century to the twentieth. David M. DiValerio provides a comprehensive reading of texts that offer instruction on the eremitic endeavor, comparing how dozens of authors have treated six key orienting concerns: place, people, food, sources of danger, the spiritual lineage, and time. The book traces a genealogy of the Tibetan ascetic self, demonstrating an increasing tendency to adopt practices that contrast the meditator with earlier generations of enlightened masters, defining the latter-day retreatant as a being in time. By viewing instructions for how to live in retreat as technologies of self, this book sheds new light on how the history of this tradition has been driven by evolving notions of personhood. Methodologically innovative and richly sourced, Mountain Dharma sets a new standard for the historical study of asceticism.
Mountain Dharma
An emphasis on practicing meditation in yearslong retreats--whether in a cave or a cloister, alone or with a small number of peers--has been a defining feature of Tibetan Buddhism throughout its entire history. Although the life stories and writings of the Himalaya's most famous hermits are well known, the history of this tradition and the details of its practice have largely remained a mystery. A groundbreaking exploration of individual long-term meditative retreat in Tibetan Buddhism, Mountain Dharma tracks developments in ascetic discourse and practice from the twelfth century to the twentieth. David M. DiValerio provides a comprehensive reading of texts that offer instruction on the eremitic endeavor, comparing how dozens of authors have treated six key orienting concerns: place, people, food, sources of danger, the spiritual lineage, and time. The book traces a genealogy of the Tibetan ascetic self, demonstrating an increasing tendency to adopt practices that contrast the meditator with earlier generations of enlightened masters, defining the latter-day retreatant as a being in time. By viewing instructions for how to live in retreat as technologies of self, this book sheds new light on how the history of this tradition has been driven by evolving notions of personhood. Methodologically innovative and richly sourced, Mountain Dharma sets a new standard for the historical study of asceticism.
Tibetan Sky-Gazing Meditation and the Pre-History of Great Perfection Buddhism
Through a rigorous analysis of original scriptures and later commentaries, this open access book unearths a cornucopia of idiosyncratic motifs pervading the famous Tibetan sky-gazing meditation known as "Skullward Leap" (thod rgal). Flavio Geisshuesler argues that these motifs suggest that the practice did not originate in the context of Buddhism, but rather within indigenous Tibetan culture and in close contact with the early B繹n tradition. The book argues that Dzogchen once belonged to a cult centered on the quest for vitality, which involved the worship of the sky as primordial source of life and endorsed the hunting of animals, as they were believed to be endowed with the ability to move in between the divine realm of the heavens and the world of humans. The book also traces the historical development of the Great Perfection, delineating a complex process of buddhicization that started with the introduction of Buddhism in the 7th century, intensified with the rise of new schools in the 11th century, and reached its climax in the systematization of the teachings by the great scholar-yogi Longchenpa in the 14th century. The study advances an innovative model of meditation as an open-ended practice that animates practitioners to face the most challenging moments of their lives with courage and curiosity, imagination and creativity, and playfulness and excitement; qualities that are oftentimes overlooked in contemporary descriptions of contemplation. The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation.
Mind, Text, and Reality in Buddhist Studies
Bringing together contributions from North America, UK, Europe and Asia into a single volume, this book advances scholarship in Buddhist studies and celebrates Rupert Gethin's immense contribution to the field. Essays include explorations of Buddhist teachings, scriptural studies and cover the fields of research that engage Rupert Gethin's scholarship: Buddhist cosmology, textual translations, Abhidharma and the interface between Buddhism and modern science. Scholars address themes associated with Buddhist thought and practice, including philosophy of mind and the relationship between artificial intelligence and Buddhist ethics. Translations and analyses of a variety of written materials span several genres and ages: Gandhari manuscripts, Vinaya commentaries, Buddhist Sanskrit imagery and Tibetan translations of late Indian texts. To acknowledge Rupert Gethin's important and expansive contribution to the field of Abhidharma, the book offers explorations into Abhidharma terminology, its commentaries and texts associated with early Buddhist schools. The volume also highlights the intricacies of Abhidharma, the interplay of Buddhism and modern technology, and how language shared between Pali and Sanskrit illuminates Buddhist doctrines.
Buddhist Epistemology in the Geluk School
Tibet's philosophical tradition is on brilliant display in this anthology of works exploring the means to finding certainty in an impermanent and interdependent world. Here, descendants of the great Tsongkhapa plumb the nature of knowing to harness it in the service of awakening. This volume includes translations of three separate Tibetan works by iconic figures in the Geluk school of Buddhism. The first work, Banisher of Ignorance, is by Khedrup Gelek Palsang (1385-1438), and the second, On Preclusion and Relationship, is by Gyaltsab Darma Rinchen (1364-1432). The authors--popularly known as Khedrup Je and Gyaltsab Je--were the foremost disciples of the Geluk-school founder, Tsongkhapa Losang Drakpa (1357-1419). The third text, Mighty Pramana Sun, is a commentary on the first chapter of Candrakirti's Clear Words (Prasannapada) by Jamyang Shepa (1648-1721). These works concern themselves primarily with the Buddhist theory of knowledge--the means by which we are able to know things and how we can be certain of that knowledge. Encapsulating this theory is the notion of pramana, the Buddhist understanding of which was shaped most significantly by the Indian masters Dignaga (fifth to sixth century) and Dharmakirti (seventh century). Based on their explanation, pramana is often translated as "valid cognition," a literal reference to the kind of cognition that they proposed could be relied upon to supply indisputable knowledge. In the Buddhist Pramana tradition, rigorous reasoning is held to play a crucial role in gaining such knowledge, and there is no better exemplar of the sophistication this endeavor achieved in Tibet than Khedrup Je's work here. He systematically catalogs and rebuts a host of views with unmatched acumen and flair. All three works illustrate how those who follow the tradition have viewed the systematic approach as necessary not only for textual analysis--for those seeking to unravel the complexities of the Indian Buddhist scriptures and treatises--but also for practitioners aiming to progress along the spiritual path and achieve the highest Buddhist goals.
Metamorphosis of Buddhism in China's New Era
The metamorphosis of Buddhism synchronizing with alterations in political ideology, rapid economic growth, and evolving societal demands in China's new era is the focus of this book. It traces the metamorphosis to 2002 when the Communist Party of China declared upholding traditional Chinese culture, including Buddhism, to be essential to its leadership. The chapters offer rich case studies of updated "authentic" Buddhist teachings by clerics and other innovations in temples and nunneries, new lay communities and their practices, and the emergence of Buddhist cultural sites ranging from scenic areas to mega-expos. The comprehensive view of Buddhism in China illustrates how Buddhism is going beyond state-imposed boundaries of religious space. With a primary focus on Mahayana Buddhism practiced among Han Chinese, it also considers interactions with Theravada and Tibetan Buddhism, as well as Confucianism, Daoism, and folk beliefs. The eleven contributing scholars-experts in anthropology, history, philosophy, religious studies, and sociology-draw on extensive fieldwork to provide transdisciplinary analyses of the metamorphosis, raising key questions about the dynamics of religious space
Inner Worlds
How do the inner convictions of individuals clash and sometimes cohere with the ideologies of their times? This volume investigates the interior lives of Chinese religious practitioners from the tenth century to the present to explore their dreams, visions, and personal struggles. The reader will encounter an eminent Buddhist master's Confucian dreams, a Qing court lama's visions of China, and a modern Chan master's memories of his own awakening. The contributors draw on a vast array of sources--poetry, dream records, confessions, instructional talks, and previously unpublished archival documents--to offer a new perspective on the interplay between personal belief and political ideology, between the otherworldly and the mundane. Contributors are: James A. Benn, Ester Bianchi, Raoul Birnbaum, Benjamin Brose, Daniela Campo, Wen-shing Chou, Vincent Goossaert, Ji Zhe, Paul R. Katz, Beverley McGuire, Gray Tuttle, and Wang Jia.
Buddhism Through the Eyes of a Physicist
This book presents a view of Buddhism from the perspective of a theoretical physicist. It helps the reader comprehend deep Buddhist ideas by bringing them closer to a more familiar context. Concentrating on teachings of Mahayana school represented by Tibetan Buddhism, their structure and main ideas are compared with the structure of scientific theory and the modern understanding of the laws of the Universe. It particularly explains in simple terms how attempts to construct a theory of quantum gravity have led to discoveries, not yet covered in the popular science literature, which drastically change our ideas about the nature of matter, space and time, and why the resulting picture of the world nicely agrees with the Buddhist doctrine of emptiness. The book also addresses several misinterpretations and misconceptions appearing from time to time in the literature and private discussions.The volume will be of great interest to general readers as well as scholars and researchers of religion and science and technology studies.
Buddhism Through the Eyes of a Physicist
This book presents a view of Buddhism from the perspective of a theoretical physicist. It helps the reader comprehend deep Buddhist ideas by bringing them closer to a more familiar context. Concentrating on teachings of Mahayana school represented by Tibetan Buddhism, their structure and main ideas are compared with the structure of scientific theory and the modern understanding of the laws of the Universe. It particularly explains in simple terms how attempts to construct a theory of quantum gravity have led to discoveries, not yet covered in the popular science literature, which drastically change our ideas about the nature of matter, space and time, and why the resulting picture of the world nicely agrees with the Buddhist doctrine of emptiness. The book also addresses several misinterpretations and misconceptions appearing from time to time in the literature and private discussions.The volume will be of great interest to general readers as well as scholars and researchers of religion and science and technology studies.
