"The best book on Bali for the serious visitor…Has the freshness of personal experience."—Dr. Hildred Geertz, author of Kinship in Bali and Professor of Anthropology at Princeton UniversityIn Bali, what you see—sekala—is a colorful world of ceremony, ritual, dance, and drama. What you don't see what is occult—niskala—is the doctrine underlying the pageants, the code underlying the rites, and the magic underlying the dance. In this book, author Fred Eiseman...

Learn the essentials of tropical Balinese fruits with this useful and portable reference book.Bali's Succulent Tropical Fruits make a vivid ans lasting impression on every visitor. Fruits of Bali is a field guide to this cornucopia of exotic shapes, tastes, and smells—providing photographs and descriptions of some 50 varieties, as well as fascinating botanical and background information and tips on buying and preparing the fruits yourself. Even familiar fr...

The Bhagavad Gita is the best known of all the Indian scriptures, and Eknath Easwaran’s best-selling translation is reliable, readable, and profound.Easwaran's 55-page introduction places the Bhagavad Gita in its historical setting, and brings out the universality and timelessness of its teachings. Chapter introductions clarify key concepts, and notes and a glossary explain Sanskrit terms.Easwaran grew up in the Hindu tradition in India, and learned Sanskri...

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are in themselves exceedingly brief, less than ten pages of large type in the original. Yet they contain the essence of practical wisdom, set forth in admirable order and detail. The theme, if the present interpreter be right, is the great regeneration, the birth of the spiritual from the psychical man: the same theme which Paul so wisely and eloquently set forth in writing to his disciples in Corinth, the theme of all mystics in all lands.We think of o...

This early work by Alfred Russel Wallace was originally published in 1869 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. 'The Malay Archipelago' is a work that chronicles the observations of Wallace during his time in Asia, and includes chapters on Java, Bali, Borneo, and the wildlife and human inhabitants who resided there. Alfred Russel Wallace was born on 8th January 1823 in the village of Llanbadoc, in Monmouthshire, Wales. Wallace was inspired by the travellin...

This Periplus Nature Guide provides an excellent introduction to 68 of the most commonly encountered tropical reef fishes. Written by Dr. Gerald Allen, international authority on reef fishes, it features stunning color shots by some of the world's best underwater photographers.

The Bhagavad Gita presents a synthesis of the Brahmanical concept of Dharma, theistic bhakti, the yogic ideals of liberation through jnana, and Samkhya philosophy. Numerous commentaries have been written on the Bhagavad Gita with widely differing views on the essentials. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi penned this extensive commentary on the Gita, and called the sacred text "The Gospel of Selfless Action."

Learn the essentials of Asian gemstones with this useful and portable reference book.Gemstones, both mythical and real, are deeply embedded in the arts, religions and cultures of Asia. This handy pocket guide provides an excellent introduction to the full range of superb gemstones mined and processed in the region, their physical characteristics, historical importance and countries of origin. Stunning color photographs and informative text by noted writer on gemsto...

The Ultimate Medicine is not for those who like their spirituality watered down, but for serious students searching for awareness. Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj (1897-1981) lived and taught in a small apartment in the slums of Bombay. A realized master of the Tantric Nath lineage, he supported himself and his family by selling cheap goods in a small booth on the streets outside his tenement for many years. His life exemplified the concept of absolute nonduality of being. In this volume...

A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Indonesia is the best, most comprehensive photographic guide to the birds of Indonesia.Because of its vast size and geographical location, Indonesia has the world's most diverse avifauna. It boasts of more than 1,600 species—of which 235 rare birds are only found in Indonesia—making it the world's number one travel destination for bird-watching.This bird field guide covers a total of 912 species, including most ...

The complete sourcebook for exploring Hinduism's two most time-honored traditions of meditation. Meditation is a subject of universal interest, practiced by seekers of all traditions on the quest for serenity, peace, and blessedness. Among the many traditions of meditation in Hinduism, Yoga and Vedanta have passed the test of time, proving as vital today as they were throughout the ages in helping seekers overcome the maladies of life and attain the greatest spiritual fulf...

This is the first field guide dedicated to the diverse tree species of Panama and Costa Rica. Featuring close to 500 tropical tree species, Trees of Panama and Costa Rica includes superb color photos, abundant color distribution maps, and concise descriptions of key characteristics, making this guide readily accessible to botanists, biologists, and casual nature lovers alike.The invaluable introductory chapters discuss tree diversity in Central America and the basics of tr...