Philosophy and Religion

This immensely useful book explores Zen's rich tradition of chanted liturgy and the powerful ways that such chants support meditation, expressing and helping us truly uphold our heartfelt vows to live a life of freedom and compassion. Exploring eight of Zen's most essential and universal liturgical texts, Living by Vow is a handbook to walking the Zen path, and Shohaku Okumura guides us like an ol

Widely recognised by anthropologists as the most powerful and widespread shamanic hallucinogen, ayahuasca has been used by native Indian and mestizo shamans in Peru, Colombia and Ecuador for healing and divination for thousands of years. Made from the Amazonian vine Banisteriopsis caapi and the DMT-laden leaf of Psychotria viridis, ayahuasca is regarded as the embodiment of intelligent plant being

Through the Taoist tantric arts, women can experience the full flowering of their sexual energy. Rooted in Chinese energy medicine, Universal Healing Tao practices and ancient Taoist traditions from the Yellow Emperor and his three female advisors, these practices honour and celebrate each stage of a woman's life and allow women to awaken their genuine feminine sexuality - receptive, soft, sensiti

This anonymous fourteenth-century text is the glory of English mysticism, and one of the most practical and useful guides to finding union with God ever written. Carmen Acevedo Butcher´s new translation is the first to bring the text into a modern English idiom—while remaining strictly faithful to the meaning of the original Middle English. The Cloud of Unknowing consists of a series o

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

A tulku is a fully enlightened one (buddha) or highly accomplished adept (siddha) who chooses to be reborn again and again for the benefit of all beings. Most tulkus, though, are the rebirths of well-trained masters who are engaged in spiritual training and serving others. Tibetan Buddhists have, for well over a millennium, been meticulously following the tradition of finding, recognizing, enthron

This radical critique of traditional philosophy is as insightful today as when it was first written.

“I rejoice in Tsem Rinpoche's endeavours to make these liberating instructions available to an international audience. His skills at conveying timeless wisdom in a contemporary way make him a precious spiritual friend to have.” —His Holiness Lungrik Namgyal Rinpoche COMPASSION CONQUERS ALL reveals the heart of Buddhist wisdom in eight short verses, as elucidated by a fearless pioneer of contempora

A guide to personal discipline and social ethics from a classical Sanskrit scholar, designed for the modern yoga practitioner.   In today´s complex world, how is it possible to truly live as a yogi? Traditional yoga theory offers fresh, insightful solutions to today´s practical lifestyle concerns, ranging from environmentalism to personal health and wellness. Tuning into classic yoga philos

The classic guide to enlightened living that first presented the Buddhist path of the warrior to Western readers—with a new foreword and cover presentation. There is a basic human wisdom that can help solve the world´s problems. It doesn´t belong to any one culture or region or religious tradition—though it can be found in many of them throughout history. It´s what Chögyam Trung

A radical approach to mindfulness and self-transformation that combines an ancient meditation technique with leading-edge theory With practical teachings and detailed instructions, Ken Wilber introduces Integral Mindfulness, a new way of practicing the widely popular meditation. Integral Mindfulness applies many of the leading-edge insights of Ken Wilber's Integral Theory—the first system

An overview of Tibetan tantric practice that explains its concepts, clarifies its terminology, and shows how its myriad pieces fit together, including an extensive teaching on the bardos, or "between states"--essential for those new to the topic and a welcome source of illumination for longtime students.      Vajrayana methods for realizing the true nature of th

Short inspirational selections from the great masters of Tibetan Buddhism, past and present--now part of the Shambhala Pocket Library series. Alternately sage and humorous, eloquent and pithy, these inspirational selections illustrate a central affirmation of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition: through the cultivation of self-knowledge, humility, and compassion for others, we can bring about positive

A lucid translation of the well-known Taoist classic by a leading scholar--now in a Shambhala Pocket Library edition. Written more than two thousand years ago, the Tao Teh Ching is part poetry and part paradox, yet always dynamic and profound. Today, Lao Tzu´s words are as useful in mastering the arts of leadership in business and politics as they are in developing a sense of balance and harmony

Inspiration and encouragement for cultivating kindness—by embracing the joy, suffering, confusion, and brilliance of our everyday lives—from the author of When Things Fall Apart Do you want to be a more compassionate person, confident and unafraid to love yourself and the world around you unconditionally, but aren´t sure how? We often look far and wide for guidance to become better p

Found near the small village of Shunga in Russia, the remarkable mineral known as shungite, formed naturally more than two billion years ago from living single-cell organisms. Used in Russian healing therapies since the time of Peter the Great, shungite contains almost the entire periodic table of the elements as well as fullerenes, the hollow carbon-based molecules that recent research shows are

Have you ever wondered why, despite great obstacles, some people achieve success, while others, though given everything, seem to squander it away? Or why some people, despite having very little, radiate joy, while others appear miserable though surrounded by opulence? The answer is Dharma: knowing your soul's purpose and living it is the key to creating a fulfilling life. Built on a deep body of V

· Reveals faulty thinking and conceptual blindspots that distort beliefs in science, philosophy, and spirituality - from “the universe exploded from nothing in a Big Bang” to “we create our own reality”· Explains how “thought viruses” spread as we use these clichéd assumptions in our daily communications We live in a world filled with clichés - convenient assumptions and unquestioned conclusions t

Throughout mediaeval Christianity, religious works of art emerged to illustrate the teachings of the Bible for the largely illiterate population. What, then, is the significance of the psychoactive mushrooms hiding in plain sight in the artwork and icons of many European and Middle-Eastern churches? Does Christianity have a psychedelic history?Providing stunning visual evidence from their anthropo

This intimate and insightful account of the life of Dr. Harry (Hari) Dickman, referred to by Swami Sivananda as “the yogi of the West,” features more than fifty years of correspondence between Dickman and well-known yoga masters such as Swami Sivananda, Ramana Maharshi, Paramhansa Yogananda, and almost one hundred others. Marion (Mugs) McConnell, Dickman´s student, has created a brilliant and lovi