English Buddha

While many accounts of the Buddha’s life mix legend and history, this compelling new biography discriminates between fact and fiction to reveal Gautama, the remarkable human being behind the myth, and sheds new light on his teachings. Plunging us into the noises, smells and jostling streets of Gautama’s world, Vishvapani Blomfield brings the Buddha to life as a passionate and determined individual - a strikingly modern figure who rejected contemporary beliefs.

In eight incantatory sections, The Buddha in the Attic traces the extraordinary lives of young Japanese brides, from their arduous journey by boat, where they exchange photographs of their husbands, imagining uncertain futures in an unknown land; to their arrival in San Francisco and their tremulous first nights as new wives; to their backbreaking work picking fruit in the fields and scrubbing the floors of white women; to their struggles to master a new language and a new culture; to their experiences in childbirth, and then as mothers....

It is common in both Buddhism and Freudian psychoanalysis to treat desire as if it is the root of all suffering and problems, but psychiatrist Mark Epstein believes this to be a grave misunderstanding. In his controversial defense of desire, he makes clear that it is the key to deepening intimacy with ourselves, each other, and our world. Proposing that spiritual attainment does not have to be detached from intimacy or eroticism, Open to Desire begins with an exploration of the state of dissatisfaction that causes us to cling to irrational habits.

Ancient philosophy provides us with timeless wisdom while bringing a new light on the way modern thought has been shaped by building on the ancient masters. This audiobook is a careful compilation of essential quotes summarizing each one of the great masters' fundamental ideas. Learn Stoicism from the teachings of both Marcus Aurelius, the emperor, and Epictetus the slave, each one intent on his own quest for the best possible life; discover the essence of ideas, logic and philosophy with Aristotle and his pupil Plato.

This practical introduction to the Buddha's teachings focuses on the application of Buddhist psychology to modern life. Thubten Chodron, an American Buddhist nun, presents the basic points of this path for understanding ourselves and improving the quality of our lives. Writing with warmth, humor, and easy-to-understand language, Chodron provides the fundamental points of the Buddha's teaching on transforming habitual attitudes and realizing our full human potential.

From longtime Zen teacher and poet John Tarrant comes an original retelling of the foundational myth of Buddhism—the life of the Buddha. Told and retold for centuries, this story holds a special place in the human legacy because it is, ultimately, an investigation of the nature of mind and consciousness. With eight meditations drawn from the Zen tradition, the Buddha’s story becomes your own story, opening an unexpected path to awakening. If you listen to the images that arise in its telling, you can find where you are in life and where you are headed.

Mara was the demon who tried to distract Lord Buddha with the help of his three daughters—Raga, Arati and Tanha. Paroosh believes Mara’s three daughters have been strayed in this world wearing skins of teenage girls. And he seeks to deliver to Mara, by sacrificing the girls against the peepal tree, for he wants the father to reunite with his daughter.

The Four Noble Truths and Noble Eightfold Path, classically taught by the Buddha in the Dharmacakra Pravartana Sutra, read by Emma Hignett.

From self-realization and self-promotion to self-help and the selfie, the modern world encourages us to be self-obsessed. We are even told that finding ourselves is the key to happiness. Better to lose yourself! More than 2,500 years ago, the Buddha argued that the self is an illusion—and that our belief in it is the cause of most, if not all, of our suffering. How to Lose Yourself presents lively, accessible, and expert new translations of ancient Buddhist writings about the central, unique, and powerful Buddhist teaching of "no-self."

The Dhammapada is a collection of sayings of the Buddha in verse form and one of the most widely read and best known Buddhist scriptures. Each saying was made on a different occasion in response to a unique situation that had arisen in the life of the Buddha and his monastic community. It is a good introductory primer on Buddhist thought.

Honest and unflinching, Without Buddha I Could Not Be a Christian narrates each spiritual dilemma that Knitter has struggled with and explains how a Buddhist worldview has allowed him to resolve each one. From the "petitioning" nature of Christian prayer to how Christianity views life after death, Knitter argues that a Buddhist standpoint can help inspire a more person-centered conception of Christianity, where individual religious experience comes first, and liturgy and tradition second.

The way to inner peace is illuminated in this accessible guide to tending one's inner landscape. The lives of outstanding figures such as the Buddha, Walt Whitman, and Gandhi are used to connect the ideal of inner peace with how real people cultivate peace in their everyday lives. Peacefulness as dynamic, selective, and egoless is shown through the constructive act of choosing different ways of life, such as having a smaller family or a more modest career. A message of hope and inspiration permeates this pragmatic approach and is exemplified by the author's own practice of meditation.

In this book, Mark Westmoquette speaks from a place of profound personal experience. A Zen monk, he has endured two life-changing traumas caused by other people: his sexual abuse by his own father, and his stepfather’s death and mother’s very serious injury in a car crash due to the careless driving of an off-duty policeman. He stresses that by bringing awareness and kindness to these relationships, our initial stance of “I can’t stand this person, they need to change” will naturally shift into something much broader and more inclusive.

This 24-hour collection delivers the complete wisdom of Eastern philosophy, thoughtfully adapted for the modern listener in one comprehensive audiobook.

As the category of women's spirituality continues to grow, The Buddha's Wife offers to a broad audience for the first time the intimate and profound story of Princess Yasodhara, the wife Buddha left behind, and her alternative journey to spiritual enlightenment.

What is the Dharma? To walk in the footsteps of the Buddha we need a clear and thorough guide to the essential principles of Buddhism. Whether we have just begun our journey or are a practitioner with more experience, What is the Dharma? is an indispensable exploration of the Buddha's teachings as found in the main Buddhist traditions. Constantly returning to the question "how can this help me?", Sangharakshita examines a variety of fundamental principles.

Steps to Finding Inner Peace and Happiness: How to Find Peace and Happiness Within Yourself and Live Life Freely is an essential guide to actively attaining contentment. Through a regimen of positivity, accountability, and forgiveness, you'll soon be improving your environment inward as much as outward. And by redefining joy in an approach that's true to you, nothing will stand in the way of living a long and fulfilling life.

Cory Mortensen rode his bike from Chaska, Minnesota, to California. The experience ultimately changed his perspective on how life could be lived. So rather than returning home after his adventure—back to the life unwanted—and equipped with absolutely no plan and nothing tying him down, he makes a simple phone call to quit his career and hitchhike south along the Pacific Coast Highway. Destination unknown. Sounds like a pretty good idea.

Growing up in the modern world, our children have to cope with ever-increasing amounts of stress, which can hinder their development. The ancient wisdom of Buddhism, with its emphasis on peace, love and compassion, is the ideal basis for helping any child to face these challenges with inner confidence and calm.

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.