This audiobook is narrated by an AI Voice. Last Call is a raw, unfiltered memoir about trauma, survival, and the brutal road to recovery. Dylan Shields, a decorated medic, firefighter, and safety director, spent his life saving others on battlefields, in burning buildings, and in disaster zones. But when the adrenaline faded and the silence set in, he found himself face-to-face with a new enemy: PTSD, addiction, and the demons that followed him home.Told with brutal honesty and dee...

Japan was the first Asian nation to face the full impact of modernity. Like the rest of Japanese society, Buddhist institutions, individuals, and thought were drawn into the dynamics of confronting the modern age. Japanese Buddhism had to face multiple challenges, but it also contributed to modern Japanese society in numerous ways. Buddhism and Modernity: Sources from Nineteenth-Century Japan makes accessible the voices of Japanese Buddhists during the early phase of high modernit...

"One of the world's greatest spiritual leaders reflects on his commitments as a human being, a Buddhist monk, and the fourteenth Dalai Lama." — BooklistIn this elegant self-portrait, the world's most outspoken and influential spiritual leader recounts his epic and engaging life story. The Dalai Lama's most accessible and intimate book, My Spiritual Journey is an excellent introduction to the larger-than-life leader of Tibetan Buddhism—perfect for a...

The New York Times calls him "America's number one Buddhist." He is the co-founder of Tibet House New York, was the first American Tibetan Buddhist monk, and has shared a thirty-five-year friendship with the Dalai Lama. Now, Robert Thurman presents his first completely original book, an introduction to Buddhism and "an inspiring guide to incorporating Buddhist wisdom into daily life" (USA Today). Written with insight, enthusiasm, and impeccable scholarship, Inner R...

This book will help you to:Appreciate the significance of Japan's own religion in everyday life.To become familiar with the key traditions and festivals (matsuri) of the Shinto year.To understand what you will see at Shinto shrines and in Shinto ritual.To gain insights into the controversies surrounding Shinto, politics, and nationalism.Access the world's religions with Simple Guides: Religion a s...

The Tibetan Buddhist tradition has known over thirteen centuries of continuous development. During that time, it has spread among the neighboring peoples - the Mongol, Himalayan, and Siberian peoples, Manchus and Chinese. At its height is has been practiced in regions as far west as the Volga river and to the east in Beijing. Its capacity for creative adaptation is demonstrated by its recent growth in Europe and America. At the same time, it is at the center of political contestation in et...

This book provides a clear and comprehensive introduction to Tibet, its culture and history.A clear and comprehensive overview of Tibet, its culture and history.Responds to current interest in Tibet due to continuing publicity about Chinese rule and growing interest in Tibetan Buddhism.Explains recent events within the context of Tibetan history.Situates Tibet in relation to other Asian civilizations through the ages.Draws on the most r...

Distinguished scholar of Japanese religions and culture Helen Hardacre offers the first comprehensive history of Shinto, the ancient and vibrant tradition whose colorful rituals are still practiced today. Under the ideal of Shinto, a divinely descended emperor governs through rituals offered to deities called Kami. These rituals are practiced in innumerable shrines across the realm, so that local rites mirror the monarch's ceremonies. Through this theatre of state, it is thought, the human...

ASIAN RELIGIONS“A unique introduction to Asian religions, combining the scholarly rigor of an established historian of Asian religions with the willingness to engage empathetically with the traditions and to suggest that readers do the same.”Joseph A. Adler, Kenyon College“Randall L. Nadeau has accomplished what only a few have tried, but which has been much needed in the study of religions. He has written a genuinel...

This clear and reliable introduction to Taoism (also known as Daoism) brings a fresh dimension to a tradition that has found a natural place in Western society. Examining Taoist sacred texts together with current scholarship, it surveys Taoism's ancient roots, contemporary heritage and role in daily life. From Taoism's spiritual philosophy to its practical perspectives on life and death, self-cultivation, morality, society, leadership and gender, Russell Kirkland's essential guide reveals ...

A translation of a popular Buddhist work on worldly ethics by Tibet's most famous philosopher.Leadership. Power. Responsibility. From Sun Tzu to Plato to Machiavelli, sages east and west have advised kings and rulers on how to lead. Their motivations and techniques have varied, but one thing they all have had in common is that their advice has been as relevant to the millions who have read their works as it has been to the few kings and princes they were, on the su...

This accessible guide to the development of Japan’s indigenous religion from ancient times to the present day offers an illuminating introduction to the myths, sites and rituals of kami worship, and their role in Shinto’s enduring religious identity.Offers a unique new approach to Shinto history that combines critical analysis with original researchExamines key evolutionary moments in the long history of Shinto, including the Meiji Revolution of 1868, and provides t...