Best Buddhist Rituals & Practice
In honor of the book's 10th anniversary, Hyperion is proud to be releasing the book with a new afterword by the author, and to share this wonderful book with an even larger audience. Kabat-Zinn ( Full Catastrophe Living ), founder of the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, here urges readers to practice "mindfulness," a more than 2000-year-old Buddhist method of living fully in the present, observing ourselves, our feeling, others and our surroundings without judging them.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"According to the author, "Mindfulness means paying attention [to the world] in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally." That sentence seems a little obscure, and whenever I've attempted to explain mindfulness or meditation to friends, it's as though I can never make myself clear and they still walk away thinking it's all hokum. Now, while reading this, expand the focus from your breath to the sensation of your body, your bottom against your seat perhaps, or the way the tip of your nose might feel cold or hot. You might feel seeds of resentment growing inside you, asking the question in your mind how it is this person has the gall to tell you how do so something. The important thing is that mindfulness is about being aware and awake, and about choosing to make peace with the way you feel and the way you interact with the world. If you want to, you can always feel swept around by the winds of desire, or pulled around by anger or intense emotion as though there were a brass ring in your nose."
"Great book and affordable price!"
"Wonderful book."
"So relatable would recommend."
"One of the very best books I have read, I am rereading it now."
If you change your brain, you can change your life.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Excellent book merging Eastern philosophy and hard science."
"Learning more about meditation this book is very helpful."
"Amazing book!"
"Condition of book was exactly as seller described."
"This book will tell you, in understandable terms, how your brain works, and how it has a tendency to focus on negativity, by its very nature."
"I've read this twice, it has been so helpful for me."
"Very helpful for those with anxiety or chronic worry/stress issues that progress to catastrophic thinking."
"If you're looking for a life-changing book filled with practical ways to view the world through a lens of compassion, read Buddha's Brain."
This innovative book offers a 10-stage program that is both deeply grounded in ancient spiritual teachings about mindfulness and holistic health, and also draws from the latest brain science to provide a roadmap for anyone interested in achieving the benefits of mindfulness. This book is full of wisdom, story, and creativity, and I'll be glad to have it as a reference for many years to come.” (Elena Brower, author, Art of Attention). I believe this book will become one of the "Top 10 Must Reads" for anyone on the spiritual path for years to come. The result is a beautiful integration of theory and practice, whose parallel strands lead to experientially, and account for conceptually, the radical shift in consciousness we call awakening.” (Richard P. Boyle, author, Realizing Awakened Consciousness).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"In trying to write a proper review for this book, it's first worth noting that this stands as a masterpiece of knowledge that has quite literally changed my life. Indeed, I've taken college level classes on neuroscience, and heard more than once that we know where all the components of your mind are located (emotions, memory, anger, happiness, etc. This book takes you on a journey in the attempt to understand what that means, and ultimately provides one of the best articulations I have ever read on describing the conscious mind. I originally had just the Kindle version, but now went out and bought a hard copy for my coffee table in the meditation area. If your looking for a treatise on mindfulness, or life changing guidebook to help you with the quest for truth, then I wholeheartedly recommend the knowledge in this book as the means to get you there."
"For someone with an established practice, be it in the Theravadin, Tibetan or Zen tradition (or for that matter secular mindfulness or non-Buddhist contemplative approaches) The MInd Illuminated is a treasure trove of encouragement and clarification of key points in practice that no other book I'm aware of addresses. Culadasa anticipates all of this, starting with a chapter titled “Establishing a Practice” that in and of itself is worth the price of the book, and following up with dozens of pith instructions that seem to address even the subtlest mistakes in practice, obviously born from a combination of deep realization and extensive experience coaching meditators ranging from beginner to very advanced."
"If one has a decent background in some meditation discipline and some knowledge of the maps of what might happen with dedicated practice, then this book is in my opinion the only book one needs, together with actually doing the practice, to really get started and get a long way to achieve certain states and insights that can result from meditation."
Best Theravada Buddhism
Author Bhante Gunaratana, a renowned meditation master, takes us step by step through the myths, realities, and. benefits of meditation and the practice of mindfulness. His 52 years as a Buddhist monk make Mindfulness in Plain English an authority on a living tradition, and his years of teaching in America and elsewhere give it the clarity and straightforwardness that has made it so popular.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Very easy to read and helpful if you're starting a meditation practice."
"The author’s insight into the practice is invaluable in making this an intimate reading experience."
"This book explains the mechanics of vipassana meditation, and the reasons behind them, in simple, clear language."
"The author fully understands that the reader is a novice and he reminds us often not to worry while clearly enumerating all the pitfalls one may encounter on their journey toward mindfulness."
"It describes powerful developments in awareness that one can expect with enough cumulative hours spent in mindfulness meditation."
"Bhante writes with great clarity and simplicity, but also with the authenticity of a monk and the authority of a scholar."
"A very usable approach to developing a very worthwhile ability."
Best Buddhist History
A bold translation of Nobel Prize-winner Herman Hesse's most inspirational and beloved work in a Penguin Classics deluxe edition Hesse's famous and influential novel, Siddartha , is perhaps the most important and compelling moral allegory our troubled century has produced. Hesse’s rich allusions to world mythologies, especially those of Asia, and his persistent theme of the individual striving for integrity in opposition to received opinions and mass culture appealed to a generation in upheaval and in search of renewed values. This early exposure to the philosophies and religions of Asia—filtered and interpreted by thinkers thoroughly steeped in the intellectual traditions and currents of modern Europe—provided Hesse with some of the most pervasive elements in his short stories and novels, especially Siddhartha (1922) and Journey to the East (1932). By the start of World War I in 1914, Hesse had produced several more novels and had begun to write the considerable number of book reviews and articles that made him a strong influence on the literary culture of his time. Ralph Freedman , Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature at Princeton University, is acclaimed for his biographies Hermann Hesse: Pilgrim of Crisis , and Life of a Poet: Rainer Maria Rilke.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I have received the strong suggestion to read this book many times without actually following through but have just found another to add to my list of favorites."
"It did have some grammar errors, maybe due to translation but that bothered me a little."
"Bought it for my 21 year old son, my 29 year old already read it."
"I loved this book."
"However, unlike most people, Siddhartha reaches the final stage where he understands what it is that brings enlightenment and wisdom."
"I read this in High School and decided to re-read it now as an adult."
"I'm a sucker for anything Hermann Hesse, so take this with a grain of salt, but: Siddhartha is a brilliantly written novel."
"There are several places in the text where mistakes were made it seemed to me, in word selection in the interpretation. Page 108 has some text in brackets that looks like a proofreaders note that some how got put into the printing of the book."
Best Buddhist Sacred Writings
Drawn directly from 24 Pali, Sanskrit, and Chinese sources, and retold by Thich Nhat Hanh in his inimitably beautiful style, this book traces the Buddha’s life slowly and gently over the course of 80 years, partly through the eyes of Svasti, the buffalo boy, and partly through the yes of the Buddha himself. The simple style is engaging, leading the reader through events in the Buddha's life while taking care to present and reinforce the central meaning and tone of his teaching.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This book is a must read for the spiritual seeker, a devout practitioner, or anyone who simply wants to know more about the core elements of the Buddha and Buddhism."
"I bought this book to "get to know" the Buddha better and learn more about his life and teachings."
"All true but do read more than one book."
"quick service great book."
"As a Buddhist, I really appreciate this biography of the Buddha, though it will work as an introduction to those only getting interested in Buddhism."
"If you are looking for a biography of the Buddha without constant source references (they are provided in the back) or analysis, if you are just looking for the story of his life, you might really enjoy Old Path White Clouds like I did."
"The book is really a story of the Buddha's life, but it is told in such a "you are there" sort of direct simplicity, that audiences of many ages and different backgrounds will find it accessible."
Best Zen Buddhism
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing Japanese organizational consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly declutter your home once, you'll never have to do it again.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I grew up in a cluttered house and married the King of Clutter (he's the type of person who'll open a credit card bill, pay it online, and then just leave the empty envelope, inserts, and bill itself randomly strewn on whatever surface happens to be nearby). It's a breath of fresh air and positive energy that brings real joy to the process of "tidying up." My clothes are all mine (which also means that they're in nowhere near as terrible a state as other things in my house), so going through them affects only me and involves only my own feelings. Her advice may sound silly at first, but if your belongings inspire feelings of unhappiness, guilt, etc., her anthropomorphism of them can really help you change your viewpoint in a positive direction. That is likely to carry a different level of meaning for someone in Japan than in the U.S. Other references to spiritual practice and feng-shui are not likely to resonate the same way for an American audience. There is a lot of discussion of travel toiletries, but very little about kitchen utensils, toys, or other items found most often in a family home. I'm now a week in, and 6 months seems like hardly enough time to tackle all the junk in my house, but I can fully see how this can be a life-changing process."
"I was browsing Pinterest one day and stumbled upon the "konmari method" and was intrigued, so I bought this book for kindle and read it in about an hour. I always thought I was a very organized person (because everything I owned had a designated, labelled place and my house was always super clean), but after reading this book I realized I was nothing more than a skilled hoarder. I probably discarded well over 100 bags of clutter in that 6 weeks and earned over $400 selling the big-ticket items via social media, which I used to make my house prettier."
Best Tibetan Buddhism
Pema Chödrön's perennially best-selling classic on overcoming life's difficulties cuts to the heart of spirituality and personal growth--now in a newly designed 20th-anniversary edition with a new afterword by Pema--makes for a perfect gift and addition to one's spiritual library. “Perhaps what makes Pema’s message resonate so strongly with people, no matter what their religion or spiritual path, is its universality.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This book’s title caught my eye at a time when I felt like things were falling apart for me. I’ve long been open to the teachings of Buddhism and so I thought I might find some insight, even comfort, in Ms Chodron’s words. And so when facing one of those inevitable times when we are losing it all, we can find an understanding of what we’re feeling when Ms Chodron says: "We react against the possibility of loneliness, of death, of not having anything to hold on to. She states what her whole book is about when she says: "What we’re talking about is getting to know fear, becoming familiar with fear, looking it right in the eye—not as a way to solve problems, but as a complete undoing of old ways of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and thinking." Ms Chodron states it as: "Thinking that we can find some lasting pleasure and avoid pain is what in Buddhism is called samsara, a hopeless cycle that goes round and round endlessly and causes us to suffer greatly.""
"However, I felt like halfway through the book, Pema forgot about the topic or ran out of content and focused on meditation for the last half."
"It's one that I will get a different message from each time I pick it up."
"Nevertheless, the author guides the reader with her particular compassionate style, to a new way of thinking. The author's warmth can be felt at all times, being perfectly aware of the necessary pain one must go thru to find its own nature."
"must have for those seeking solace in difficult times."
"Excellent book."
"Great advice in this book."
"One of my favorite books!"
Best Mahayana Buddhism
Presented in the form of a personal meditation in verse, it outlines the path of the Bodhisattvas—those who renounce the peace of individual enlightenment and vow to work for the liberation of all beings and to attain buddhahood for their sake. His great work, the Bodhicharyavatara , or "Entrance to the Path of Awakening," became a major text of Tibetan Buddhism long after it went out of circulation in its homeland. The text booms, like the voice of a Shakespearean actor, as if it were not the bodhisattva but the book itself that proclaims: And now as long as space endures, As long as there are beings to be found, May I continue likewise to remain. To drive away the sorrows of the world.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This text is one of the great classics in Buddhist literature."
"The translators of Shantideva's text give the reader a history of this text and discuss both the challenges and reasoning for the way they have created this translation into English."
"Helping me on my spiritual journey, but I'm too impatient to wait for enlightenment."
"Its sound and sense are so compelling, I might add, that with time and rereading, one picks up the book with a growing sense of reverence."
"This is a great book--so accessible and so helpful."
"The go-to book for anyone on the Bodhisattva path."
"I continue to read and re-read this book as it contains so many verses that inspire me to dedicate my efforts to my own personal awakening and that of all sentient beings."
"A must read for all aspiring Buddhists and spiritual seekers alike."
Best Dalai Lama
Divided into ten thematic chapters, In the Buddha's Words reveals the full scope of the Buddha's discourses, from family life and marriage to renunciation and the path of insight. "I am sure that many people will benefit from In the Buddha's Words ." In the Buddha's Words is an anthology drawing primarily of the first four [widely available translations of collections of the Buddha's spoken teachings], and manages quite successfully to both summarize them and extract their essence. In the Buddha's Words provides a framework with which to see the teachings' overall structure, and it does so in a skillful way. In the Buddha's Words reveals the mature understanding of someone who has not only a complete mastery of his material, but also of someone who has deeply understood the nature and intention of the dhamma and who shares it with us as an expression of his own caring. It gives us access to the very texture of the dhamma, the specific words and phrases, which guided and inspired the Buddha's original students. "Congratulations and gratitude to Wisdom for the new publication In the Buddha's Words --if someone relatively new to Buddhism were to buy only one book, this should be it!" " In the Buddha's Words has ten chapters, each with an insightful introduction and a handful of sutras, many newly translated, edited and condensed to make them more manageable for the non-scholar.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I have been searching for a book like this for a decade and finally found it. The “first discourse” sutta containing the 8 fold path and 4 truths, and the “4 foundations of mindfulness” sutta are both in this book. As far as I know this is the only published book on earth , in English, that has both of these sutras in it."
"The commentary before chapters of discourse serves only to provide background rather than to interpret the text, which can be a problem in other sources."
"Great."
"I find this translation of the Buddha's sutras (from Pali) to be easy to read and impressive."
"This is the work of a monk who translated and organized excerpts from the Pali Canon (the huge volume of book's which are arguable directly attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, the most commonly identified "Buddha"). On a personal note, the next book I am reading is "Divine Revelation in Pali Buddhism" a supposed academic masterpiece which earned the author a PhD."
"Researchers believe that "The Buddha" ( a term meaning "The Awakened One" ) was an actual man named Siddhartha Gautama that lived in India over 2,600 years ago. These are stored in the Sutta Pitaka of the Pali Canon, the texts of the oldest surviving form of Buddhism known as Theravada. Bhikkhu Bodhi has also put these suttas ( discourses from the Buddha ) into a logical order by subject in his anthology -- something which doesn't exist in the Pali Canon, which is a scattered, repetitious collection of separate talks. The result is an easy to understand, scholarly anthology that gives the reader a sense of what can be found in the Sutta Pitaka in regards to the essentials of the Buddha's message - without having to make the larger investment of going through the significantly more voluminous, repetitious and expensive English translations of these collections. This book will likely not be enjoyable to people whose exposure to Buddhism has been a mixture of inspirational poetry, psychological analysis and elements borrowed from other spiritual traditions. That snap shot includes the presence of preternatural beings, mythical realms and what is commonly known in the West as "reincarnation". These are extremely important ideas and it is a bit strange that they are not included in an anthology of essential teachings attributed to the Buddha himself. So, an alternate translation like this one is possible: "The root cause of feelings of unhappiness, distress or suffering come from desire, aversion or being ignorant to the nature of life." As an expert who has devoted his life to Buddhism I wouldn't be surprised to learn Bhikkhu Bodhi is correct in his translation choices."