Philosophy and Religion

An in-depth study course from Buddhist nun Chdrn on awakening the qualities of love, compassion, joy, and the equanimity of an open heart--complete with practical exercises.

"Whatever you are doing should be done mindfully, dynamically, with totality and completeness. Then it becomes meditation. It is not thinking, but experiencing from moment to moment, living from moment to moment, without clinging, without condemning, without judging."--Munindra Anagarika Munindra (1915-2003) was a Bengali Buddhist master and scholar who became one of the most important Vipassana

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 o

This version of the "Tao Te Ching" presents the classic in a unique light, through the eyes of a renowned master of the Rinzai Zen tradition. Takuan Soho, who lived from 1573 to 1645, was an acerbic, witty, free spirit; a painter, poet, author, calligrapher, gardener, and a tea master. He was also a confidant and teacher to shoguns and many other powerful and famous figures, among them the famed s

The people we’ve come to call gnostics were passionate advocates of the view that salvation comes through knowledge and personal experience, and their passion shines through in the remarkable body of writings they produced over a period of more than a millennium and a half. Willis Barnstone and Marvin Meyer have created a translation that brings the gnostic voices to us from across the centuries w

Inspiring, joyful, and deeply insightful, this book offers daily contemplations and words of wisdom from one of today's most important spiritual teachers. These powerful and transformative words of wisdom, drawn from the works of a bestselling and prolific author, touch all aspects of readers' lives, from the personal to the global, and reflect the great themes of his teachings. 400 pp.

Based on notebooks kept by G.I. Gurdjieff's closest follower, this book offers new insight on his spiritual teachings--a way of "gnosis "or "knowledge of being" passed on from remote antiquity. It is a complete and uniquely authoritative guide to the great teacher's ideas and to his methods for liberating ourselves from the state of "waking sleep" in which most of us live our lives. Gurdjieff r

Hanh offers a Buddhist view of love along with techniques for manifesting it in readers' daily lives. In his characteristically direct, simple, and sweet style, he explores the four key aspects of love as described in the Buddhist tradition: loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and freedom. 128 pp.

Originally published: Pocket Zen reader. Boston, Mass.: Shambhala, 2008, in series: A Shambhala pocket classic.

The joy of intimacy—with yourself, with others, and with the whole universe. The long-awaited first book from a prominent modern American Zen teacher. For Roshi Pat Enkyo O´Hara, intimacy is what Zen practice is all about: the realization of the essential lack of distinction between self and other that inevitably leads to wisdom and compassionate action. She approaches the practice of intim

The delightful and often funny poetry of Zen´s quintessential free spirit, Master Ryokan—in a fresh translation by a beloved American Zen figure Ryokan Taigu (1758-1831) was a monk in the Soto lineage of Japanese Zen who spent a good part of his life as a hermit, writing poetry, playing with children, and creating simple and exquisitely beautiful calligraphies—sometimes using twigs as

In this clear elucidation of the philosophy of animal rights, professors, Mylan Engel and Kathie Jenni, explore the fundamental outlines of the debate over our duties and responsibilities toward nonhuman animals. They, also, examine how the issue of animal rights plays out in a classroom setting and address some of the questions that arise for both students and teachers in presenting and studying

Covering doctrine and the lived experience of the world's religious practitioners, CALL TO COMPASSION is a collection of stirring and passionate essays on the place of animals within the philosophical, cultural, and everyday milieus of spiritual practices both ancient and modern. From Hinduism, Buddhism, and Daoism, through the Abrahamic traditions, to contemporary Wiccan and Native American spiri

Shows how a desecrated tomb in the Valley of the Kings holds the key to the true history of the destruction of Atlantis• Reveals that Tomb 55 in the Valley of the Kings was designed not to keep intruders out, but to trap something inside• Provides forensic evidence proving that the mask believed to be the face of Tutankhamun is actually that of his elder brother SmenkhkareIn Atlantis and the Ten P

In his earlier book The Mystery of the Copper Scroll of Qumran Robert Feather analysed the Dead Sea Scroll engraved on copper that is considered the work of the secretive devout Jewish sect known as the Essenes who lived at Qumran around the time of Jesus. To continue his research into the Essene community's way of life and how its beliefs may have influenced the beginnings of Christianity he met

The mysteries of the Black Madonna can be traced to pre-Christian times, to the ancient devotion to Isis, the Earth Goddess and the African Mother, to the era when God was not only female, but, also, black. Sacred sites of the Black Madonna are still revered in Italy and, as Alessandra Belloni reveals, the shamanic healing traditions of the Black Madonna are still alive today and just as powerful

The Womb is the seat of our primal power and intuition--our “wild knowing.” A Spirit Weaver is one who has heard this wild inner voice from within and has followed that call--embarking on a Grail Quest to follow the feminine path of magic, awaken to the depths of their Soul, and embody their true feminine essence. Inviting you onto the spiral path of the Spirit Weaver, Seren Bertrand shares wisdom

"Seriously spellbinding." An invaluable resource for beginners and adepts alike, this best-selling and frequently recommended book on Wiccan magick and witchcraft has been updated and revised, now featuring a Year-and-a-Day calendar for the solitaire who is beginning to explore Wicca on his or her own. ? Loads of new spells ? New for this edition?a Year-and-a-Day calendar ? Expanded infor

Women's circles have been called a “revolutionary-evolutionary movement hidden in plain sight” by Jean Shinoda Bolen and have been hailed as capable of affecting global change. Magdalene Circles are groups of women who focus their shared energies on the wisdom of Mary Magdalene to gain insight into the role of the sacred feminine in their own lives and to help them advance on their spiritual paths