Though of little concern to most westerners, notions of what is considered clean and unclean, pure and impure are of great importance to many cultures. Both ritual and moral purity and impurity are significant concerns for Tibetan Buddhists and Buddhists at large, being foundational to how they live their everyday lives. Steps Towards a Tibetan Understanding of Purity provides a detailed analysis of Tibetan conceptions of purity and purification through a careful examination of salient Tib...

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...

In The Essence of Shinto, revered Shinto master Motohisa Yamakage explains the core values of Shinto and explores both basic tenets and its more esoteric points in terms readily accessible to the modern Western reader. He shows how the long history of Shintoism is deeply woven into the fabric of Japanese spirituality and mythology--indeed, it is regarded as Japan’s very spiritual roots--and discusses its role in modern Japan and the world. He also carefully analyzes the relationsh...

This book contains the essential guide to some of the central Buddhist teachings based on the recent UK lectures by his holiness.This volume includes:-‘The Four Noble truths’, one of the most central tenets of Tibetan Buddhism.The need to balance spiritual and material values.‘Compassion, the Basis for Human Happiness’

Dating from about the third century A.D., the Yoga Sutra distills the essence of the physical and spiritual discipline of yoga into fewer than two hundred brief aphorisms. It is the core text for any study of meditative practice, revered for centuries for its brilliant analysis of mental states and of the process by which inner liberation is achieved. Yet its difficulties are legendary, and until now, no translation has made it fully accessible.This new translation, hailed...

This easy-to-understand translation of one of the earliest surviving Buddhist texts offers a pathway to awakening that is simple, straightforward, and free of religious doctrineOne of the earliest of all Buddhist texts, the Atthakavagga, or “Book of Eights,” is a remarkable document, not only because it comes from the earliest strain of the literature—before the Buddha, as the title suggests, came to be thought of as a “Buddhist”—but also because its approach to aw...

The Dhammapada is the most widely read Buddhist scripture in existence, enjoyed by both Buddhists and non-Buddhists. This classic text of teaching verses from the earliest period of Buddhism in India conveys the philosophical and practical foundations of the Buddhist tradition. The text presents two distinct goals for leading a spiritual life: the first is attaining happiness in this life (or in future lives); the second goal is the achievement of spiritual liberation, freedom, ab...

The Undying Lamp of Zen is a pure and powerful distillation of Zen doctrine and practice written by Torei Enji (1721–1792), a Zen master and artist. Torei was best known as one of two "genius assistants" to Hakuin Ekaku, a towering figure in Zen Buddhism who revitalized the Rinzai school, which focuses on koan practice. Torei was responsible for much of the advanced work of Hakuin’s later disciples and also helped systemize Hakuin’s Zen teachings. The Undying Lamp of Zen ...

Buddhism is a system that defines how to live and this is its primary appeal. Buddhist practices such as meditation are associated with contentment and well-being. As a system for living, Buddhism appears to many to be a sensible and practical lifestyle choice. Whether a philosophy, a psychology or a religion,Buddhism in any form, has proven to be a powerful force upon those who adhere to its teachings.Look closely at Buddhism and you'll find a rigorous and clear accounting...

Buddhism is the fourth-largest religion in the world and Nichiren Shoshu/Soka Gakkai is the largest Buddhist religion in America. The purpose of Buddhism is to eradicate suffering and attain enlightenment, Nichiren Shoshu to receive material benefits and find happiness. This book demonstrates the fundamental incompatibility of Buddhism and Christianity and shows the consequences, particularly religious ones, which lie outside the truth. This eBook was written from material which originally...

A little book for those in search of words to calm and inspire. In this mini ebook His Holiness the Dalai Lama teaches us how to deal with suffering.The Dalai Lama's Book of Awakening contains His Holiness thoughts on The Four Noble Truths – the very foundation of Buddhist teaching.The Four Noble Truths – the truth of suffering, the truth of the origin of suffering, the truth of the cessation of suffering, the truth of the path leading to this cessation – was the first serm...

A fresh interpretation of the dakini—a Tibetan Buddhist symbol of the feminine—that will appeal to practitioners interested in goddess worship, female spirituality, and Tantric BuddhismThe primary emblem of the feminine in Tibetan Buddhism is the dakini, or “sky-dancer,” a semi-wrathful spirit-woman who manifests in visions, dreams, and meditation experiences. Western scholars and interpreters of the dakini, influenced by Jungian psychology and feminist goddess the...