The Ashtavakra Gita conveys with beauty and simplicity the essential teachings of Advaita Vedanta, the most influential of the Hindu philosophical systems. Composed by an anonymous master of the school of the great sage Shankara, it is a book of practical advice for seekers of wisdom as well as an ecstatic expression of the experience of enlightenment. In this simple, aphoristic version, the translator conveys the clarity and lyricism of the Sanskrit original with fluency and prec...

The Way of Zen begins as a succinct guide through the histories of Buddhism and Taoism leading up to the development of Zen Buddhism, which drew deeply from both traditions. It then goes on to paint a broad but insightful picture of Zen as it was and is practiced, both as a religion and as an element of diverse East Asian arts and disciplines. Watts's narrative clears away the mystery while enhancing the mystique of Zen.Since the first publication of this book in 1957, Zen Buddhism...

Stephen Mitchell is widely known for his ability to make ancient masterpieces thrillingly new, to step in where many have tried before and create versions that are definitive for our time. His celebrated version of the Tao Te Ching is the most popular edition in print, and his translations of Jesus, Rilke, Genesis, and Job have won the hearts of readers and critics alike. Stephen Mitchell now brings to the Bhagavad Gita his gift for breathing new life into sacred texts.The Bhagavad...

For nearly two generations, this translation of the Tao Te Ching has been the standard for those seeking access to the wisdom of Taoist thought. Now Jane English and her long-time editor, Toinette Lippe, have refreshed and revised the translation, so that it more faithfully reflects the Classical Chinese in which it was first written, while taking into account changes in our own language and eliminating any lingering infelicities.Lao Tsu’s philosophy is simple: Accept what...

Because words can no more hold the truth than a net can hold water, we use koans. Koans are sayings, or doings, of Zen masters, the patriarchs and Buddha. Take for example the koan: The Sound of One Hand clapping. In its entirety it reads: "You know the sound of two hands clapping. What is the sound of one hand clapping?" The obvious, intellectual answer is, No sound at all! But then what is this No sound? In other words, is it just silence?If one is to work on this koan, indeed on ...

After six years of solitude, Indian sage Ramana Maharshi reflects on the topics of peace, the self, and silence—featuring a foreword by Carl JungThe renowned Indian sage Ramana Maharshi is widely beloved—by Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, Taoists, and more—for the inspirational power of his teachings, which transcend all religious differences.Here is a collection of Sri Ramana’s instructions and discourses culled from three works: Who Am I?, Spi...

‘An Introduction to Yoga’ by Annie Besant gives an overview of Yoga, in order to ready the student to take up, for practical purposes, the Yoga sutras of Patanjali, the chief treatise on Yoga. This book leads to the way where tranquility can be attained that can make life peaceful and healthy.Annie Besant explains the theory of spiritual development based on the teachings of yoga. In the first lecture, ‘The Nature of Yoga’, Besant talks about consciousness, what is divine, and how they int...

Part poetry, part paradox, always stirring and profound, Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching has been inspiring readers since it was written over two thousand years ago. This masterpiece is also one of the most frequently translated books in all of history, in part because the multiple meanings of the Chinese characters make it impossible to translate into a Western language in a strictly literal way. For this reason, many translations are either too loosely interpretive or are too overloaded ...

The word 'Zen' is considered by many to be an abbreviation for Zen Buddhism. However, today Zen is not tied to any particular group: it is a way of life, discipline and thinking. Zen practitioners use sayings and scriptures to help them uncover the secrets of the universe. The most often used is the Koan, a nonsensical question given to students for meditation. The answer to one of the best-known Koans 'What is the sound of one hand clapping?' is, of course, 'silence', the silence that per...

The widespread influence of Buddhism is due in part to the skill with which a way of liberation was refined by it's teachers and became accessible to people of diverse cultures.In this dynamic series of lectures, Alan Watts takes us on an exploration of Buddhism, from its roots in India to the explosion of interest in Zen and the Tibetan tradition in the West. Watts traces the Indian beginnings of Buddhism, delineates differences between Buddhism and other religion...

RAMESH BALSEKAR was one of the most profound spiritual Masters of this Age. He was both a brilliant writer and a captivating speaker. Shortly after retiring as the President of the Bank of India, he met the sage Nisargadatta Maharaj and began translating for Maharaj's daily morning talks. It was not long before Ramesh too experienced the Ultimate Understanding. He was therefore a wonderful blend of East and West, spiritual and material. His compassion and gentle humour infused the Teaching...

Human beings have an inbuilt drive or urge to search for the inner power that is needed to reach our true potential. This search is the search for the origins and meaning of life itself.We are here, we have life but we don’t know what life really is. We can feel our energy, but don’t know where this energy comes from and to what goal this energy is going. We are that energy, we have glimpses of its true source and our connection to it, and those glimpses keep us going even when i...