"The Heritage of Hiroshige" is a profound exploration of artistic legacy through a compilation of works that capture the quintessence of the Ukiyo-e movement. This anthology encompasses a broad range of literary styles, from poetic reflections to critical essays, each piece resonating with the enduring influence of Hiroshige's artistic genius. The collection juxtaposes vibrant landscapes with reflective commentaries, offering a rich tapestry that both celebrates and critically assesses the...

Autobiography of a Yogi is at once a beautifully written account of an exceptional life and a profound introduction to the ancient science of Yoga and its time-honored tradition of meditation. Profoundly inspiring, it is at the same time vastly entertaining, warmly humorous and filled with extraordinary personages.Self-Realization Fellowship’s editions, and none others, include extensive material added by the author after the first edition was published, including a final ...

The 1964 publication of Sir Richard Burton's translation marked the first wide appearance in English of the Kama Sutra and was celebrated as a literary event of highest importance. As vital to an understanding of ancient Indian civilization as the works of Plato and Aristotle are to the West, the Kama Sutra has endured for 1,700 years as an indisputable classic of world literature.Written with frankness and unassum...

Koans are a useful sign-post on the path to enlightenment. They reveal abstract Truth that cannot be expressed logically through presenting the reader with a paradox that can only be solved by shifting one's perspective.The venerable Koans of the past, those that have been handed down through the generations are expressed in archaic language. If you cannot enter into that archaic language the koan is unlikely to bring you much benefit.This book represents the Koans in moder...

At once profound, spiritual, and witty, Master of the Three Ways is a remarkable work about human nature, the essence of life, and how to live simply and with awareness. In three hundred and fifty-seven verses, the author, Hung Ying-ming—a seventeenth-century Chinese sage—explores good and evil, honesty and deception, wisdom and foolishness, and heaven and hell. He draws from the wisdom of the "Three Creeds"—Taoism, Confucianism, and Zen Buddhism—to impress upon us that by combini...

Tea began as a medicine and grew into a beverage. In China, in the eighth century, it entered the realm of poetry as one of the polite amusements. The fifteenth century saw Japan ennoble it into a religion of aestheticism—Teaism. Teaism is a cult founded on the adoration of the beautiful among the sordid facts of everyday existence. It inculcates purity and harmony, the mystery of mutual charity, the romanticism of the social order. It is essentially a worship of the Imperfect, as it is a ...

First published in 1899, this series of Japanese horror stories includes Furisode, a story about a cursed kimono that kills everyone who wears it. According to Wikipedia:"This motif is repeated in the film Ring with a videotape that kills all who watch it, and the film Ju-on with a house that kills all who enter it." According to Wikipedia: "Patrick Lafcadio Hearn (27 June 1850 26 September 1904), also known as Koizumi Yakum after gaining Japanese citizenship, was an author, best known for...

An illustrated version of Okakura Kakuzo’s classic ‘The Book of Tea’ with an introductory biography of Okakura and a chapter on ‘Tea - The Serviceable Herb’. 22,000 words, 75 imagesPerhaps the most universal of all drinks but water, tea enjoys a unique popularity around the globe. From the Patagonian Pampas in Argentina, to the high plateau of Tibet, it serves as a restorative, an aid to digestion and a warming “pick-me-up”. In the refined chanoyu ceremony of Japan, tea-drinking ha...

The artistic and philosophical heritage of Japan has a special meaning for the modern world. During the present century, Japanese thought and Japanese art have exerted a strong influence on the western mind. Art, Life, and Nature in Japan takes us to the roots of Japanese culture and the origins of this influence.In this brief but deeply meaningful book Masaharu Anesaki provides a panoramic view of Japanese culture, with particular emphasis on the spirit of Japanese art. T...

This book is a compilation of material on the Japanese Tea ceremony and Okakura Kakuzo's classic book the Book of Tea.

The Book of Tea by Okakura Kakuzo (1906), is a long essay linking the role of tea (Teaism) to the aesthetic and cultural aspects of Japanese life. Addressed to a western audience, it was originally written in English and is one of the great English Tea classics. Okakura had been taught at a young age to speak English and was proficient at communicating his thoughts to the Western mind. In his book, he discusses such topics as Zen and Taoism, but also the secular aspects of tea and Japanese...

The Tao Te Ching is a spiritual, inspirational work that guides us through life, helping us to live within each moment and find the beauty that is all around each of us. Simple, beautiful, and life changing. The Tao Te Ching is fundamental to the Taoist school of Chinese philosophy (Dàojia) and strongly influenced other schools, such as Legalism and Neo-Confucianism. This ancient book is also central in Chinese Buddhism, which when first introduced into China was largely interpreted throug...