Best Zen Philosophy
This #1 New York Times best-selling guide to decluttering your home from Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes readers step-by-step through her revolutionary KonMari Method for simplifying, organizing, and storing. #1 New York Times Best SellerAmazon's Best Book of 2014 in Crafts, Home & Garden. "Ms. Kondo delivers her tidy manifesto like a kind of Zen nanny, both hortatory and animistic." a literal how-to-heave-ho, and I recommend it for anyone who struggles with the material excess of living in a privileged society. A totally reasonable, scary cult that works, doesn’t kill people (a bonus), but does drastically change your life. the Japanese expert’s ode to decluttering is simple and easy to follow." "Reading it, you glimpse a glittering mental freedom from the unread/uncrafted/unworn, buyer’s remorse, the nervous eyeing of real estate listings. "All hail the new decluttering queen Marie Kondo, whose mess-busting bestseller has prompted a craze for tidying in homes across the world . "How could this pocket-sized book, which has already sold over 2 million copies and sits firmly atop the New York Times Best Seller list, make such a big promise? Marie “KonMari” Kondo runs an acclaimed consulting business in Tokyo helping clients transform their cluttered homes into spaces of serenity and inspiration. With a three-month waiting list, her KonMari Method of decluttering and organizing has become an international phenomenon. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up is a best seller in Japan, Germany, and the UK, with more than two million copies sold worldwide, and has been turned into a television drama for Japanese TV. She has been named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time , featured on more than thirty major Japanese television and radio programs, and profiled in the Sunday Times , Red magazine, You magazine, the New York Times , USA Today , NPR's Here & Now , Slate , Family Circle , and the London Times, who has deemed her “Japan’s preeminent guru of tidiness, a warrior princess in the war on clutter.”.
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."
With guidance on specific categories including kitchen tools, cleaning supplies, hobby goods, and digital photos, this comprehensive companion is sure to spark joy in anyone who wants to simplify their life. the organization expert who dazzled the world with her Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up is back with more spirit-rousing advice." "If the first book was merely an introduction to Kondo’s radical philosophy, known as the KonMari method, the new one goes deep into the details . the result is inescapable: a home, and a vision of life, that truly sparks joy." "In her new organizational how-to book, Kondo's mission is to help us identify what brings joy while simultaneously cultivating more of it." "I'm an evangelist for Marie Kondo, the Japanese organizational guru whose unique tidying techniques have become a worldwide sensation. In the last year, it has been my favorite thing to bring up to my friends, co-workers, heck, even distant cousins. I am obsessed , because it really has transformed my living space and shattered many of my bad habits related to tidying." "Kondo’s way of anthropomorphizing belongings and paying them the respect of taking them out of the closet for a proper dismissal makes a big difference. "Ms. Kondo delivers her tidy manifesto like a kind of Zen nanny, both hortatory and animistic." a literal how-to-heave-ho, and I recommend it for anyone who struggles with the material excess of living in a privileged society. A totally reasonable, scary cult that works, doesn’t kill people (a bonus), but does drastically change your life. "Reading it, you glimpse a glittering mental freedom from the unread/uncrafted/unworn, buyer’s remorse, the nervous eyeing of real estate listings. I had a sense of being more in control of my life than I ever had before, which inspired me to maintain the order in the months that followed. -- In Style "All hail the new decluttering queen Marie Kondo, whose mess-busting bestseller has prompted a craze for tidying in homes across the world . Inspired by the Japanese book Throw-Out Skills and a lifelong love of all things house and home, she began her study of the art of cleaning, established her consulting business, and founded the KonMari Method. Her previous book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up , is a #1 New York Times bestseller and has become a worldwide sensation.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Apart from the folding instructions, the other images are simply cute images of rabbits putting things away, a perfectly tidied closet, etc. Family is covered in one small section, and the main advice is simply to set a good example and accept others – easier said than done! In addition to the extra folding help, it has more specific advice about handling certain types of items such as greeting cards, dishes, photos, etc."
"Ms. Kondo's childish suggestion to thank my things before letting go was oddly touching and helpful with regard to certain items. I photographed a number of items before releasing them to GoodWill; this gave me an opportunity to acknowledge the memories they generated without retaining the objects themselves (which included a 40 year old blender, some old and hole-ridden t-shirts, and a coffee press which I have not used in over ten years). In the introduction Ms. Kondo highlights that it is good that this book has come later and serves the purpose for aiding those who are in mid-process, whereas those who are just starting may feel overwhelmed. There is also, within this particular section, a conversation about working children into the process of learning how to fold, which will help them be tidy as well. However, a year after reading her original book, I still find myself meditating while I fold clothes and tidy up my drawers, which is truly a bit of life-changing magic. This particular book is a nice addition, giving further insight, reminders, and guidance on the process of creating joy while organizing."
"I thought this lady was full of nonsense...so I naturally had to do it to prove that she was wrong and impossible to do and how could she not have anyone default back to their old ways? I am showing some pics of my after experience...photos, menu planning, pretty towels and hallway...not sure if I can face that I lived like a slob before!"
In Mastery , you'll discover: • The 5 Essential Keys to Mastery. • Tools for Mastery. • How to Master Your Athletic Potential. • The 3 Personality Types That Are Obstacles to Mastery. • How to Avoid Pitfalls Along the Path. . "George Leonard is a remarkable man who embodies what he teaches: an amazing curiosity, a passionate intelligence, and the rare combination of someone who has both a broad vision and the focused mastery of details. "George Leonard is a remarkable man who embodies what he teaches: an amazing curiosity, a passionate intelligence, and the rare combination of someone who has both a broad vision and the focused mastery of details."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Nice read."
"Very worthwhile read."
"The first part of the book talks about how short-term goal setting is a crippling social issue."
"Insightful, compassionate, powerful."
"So difficult and yet so simple and profound!"
"This is a book for anyone who is in the middle of a difficult process or who feels trapped by life."
"George Leonard wrote this book several years ago, but it stands head and shoulders above a lot of self-help books written in the last decade."
"Great self-improvement book."
Best Art History
This #1 New York Times best-selling guide to decluttering your home from Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes readers step-by-step through her revolutionary KonMari Method for simplifying, organizing, and storing. #1 New York Times Best SellerAmazon's Best Book of 2014 in Crafts, Home & Garden. "Ms. Kondo delivers her tidy manifesto like a kind of Zen nanny, both hortatory and animistic." a literal how-to-heave-ho, and I recommend it for anyone who struggles with the material excess of living in a privileged society. A totally reasonable, scary cult that works, doesn’t kill people (a bonus), but does drastically change your life. the Japanese expert’s ode to decluttering is simple and easy to follow." "Reading it, you glimpse a glittering mental freedom from the unread/uncrafted/unworn, buyer’s remorse, the nervous eyeing of real estate listings. "All hail the new decluttering queen Marie Kondo, whose mess-busting bestseller has prompted a craze for tidying in homes across the world . "How could this pocket-sized book, which has already sold over 2 million copies and sits firmly atop the New York Times Best Seller list, make such a big promise? Marie “KonMari” Kondo runs an acclaimed consulting business in Tokyo helping clients transform their cluttered homes into spaces of serenity and inspiration. With a three-month waiting list, her KonMari Method of decluttering and organizing has become an international phenomenon. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up is a best seller in Japan, Germany, and the UK, with more than two million copies sold worldwide, and has been turned into a television drama for Japanese TV. She has been named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time , featured on more than thirty major Japanese television and radio programs, and profiled in the Sunday Times , Red magazine, You magazine, the New York Times , USA Today , NPR's Here & Now , Slate , Family Circle , and the London Times, who has deemed her “Japan’s preeminent guru of tidiness, a warrior princess in the war on clutter.”.
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 Zen Buddhism
I’ve written fourteen books, and it’s the practice here in Bones that is the foundation, sustaining and building my writing voice, that keeps me honest, teaches me how to endure the hard times and how to drop below discursive thinking, to taste the real meat of our minds and the life around us." Goldberg brings a touch of both Zen and well... *eroticism* to her writing practice, the latter in exercises and anecdotes designed to ease you into your body, your whole spirit, while you create, the former in being where you are, working with what you have, and writing from the moment. Definitely not another ``how to write better themes'' or a rehash of the writing process, Goldberg's short, quirky chapters give the finer points of how to write in a restaurant and why bother to write at all.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I think the negative reviews on here are missing the bigger picture. So what if she relates writing through the zen mind thing and speaks a lot about spirituality. Look at best selling writers like Stephen King, Dean Koontz, or even the chick that wrote 50 Shades.....did it takes some courage to write what they do? I can remember reading Stephen King's books and thinking this dude lost his mind. They had to dig deep and put down the bones regardless of what others thought."
"Rather than dry, impersonal teaching about the rudiments of writing, Natalie shares her experiences in bringing her writing alive."
"Natalie is gifted and inspiring, and articulates the struggle, joys and zen-like path to becoming the writer you are."
"I am not to much on Zen or poetry but over many years I have learned to accept what I wish, not just what is written.Of many books I have read recently I am very glad my friend advised me of this one."
"Practical and useful, yet inspiring as well!"
"I started reading Writing Down the Bones again today."
"I highly recommend this to every aspiring writer and artist, and anyone else who aspires to be creative."
"This is not only a book about writing for writers, it is a book about creative process for any artist of any kind."
Best Tibetan Buddhism
Chödrön discusses: · Using painful emotions to cultivate wisdom, compassion, and courage. · Communicating so as to encourage others to open up rather than shut down. · Practices for reversing habitual patterns. · Methods for working with chaotic situations. · Ways for creating effective social action. Pema Chodron, a student of Chogyam Trunpa Rinpoche and Abbot of Gampo Abbey, has written the Tibetan Buddhist equivalent of Harold Kushner's famous book, When Bad Things Happen to Good People. Consequently, Chodron's book is filled with useful advice about how Buddhism helps readers to cope with the grim realities of modern life, including fear, despair, rage and the feeling that we are not in control of our lives.
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."
"The title of this book is so ridiculously deceptive; this is a philosophical approach to life in general, it isn't a 'how to' on how to recover from catastrophe."
"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."
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. If you'd like to read about meditation and then go back to your regular life, don't get this book. Henepola Gunaratana, a monk from Sri Lanka and venerated teacher of Buddhism, warns us that vipassana meditation is "meant to revolutionize the whole of your life experience." 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. (Jon Kabat-Zinn). "A classic--one of the very best English sources for authoritative explanations of mindfulness."
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 Sacred Writings
Lao-tzu's Tao Te Ching, or Book of the Way, is the classic manual on the art of living, and one of the wonders of the world. --. -- The New Republic "Beautiful and accessible; the English, as 'fluid as melting ice,' is a joy to read throughout."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Get this book, make some tea, turn of the incessant rattlings in your brain and the screens in your home and relax to ancient wisdom that has influenced millions of hearts and minds for thousands of years..."
"I felt the digital version was hard to read."
"Anyone who's looked at the original Chinese characters knows that it's tough to literally translate into English - many connectives we use to make things flow are just not present in the Chinese. Where other translations can be bogged down with frilly adjectives and add-ons, this one strips itself down to the bare essentials - not only approaching the spareness of the original, but also the theme - 'ten thousand things' are 9,999 too many!"
"It's been said that this is the best translation of Lao Tzu's Tao Teh Ching, though I cannot attest to the validity of the statement I can say that of the few translations that I have read this has been the most easy to understand and the most enjoyable."
"if you want to read the original this is a fine translation."
"Read these thoughts of long ago and far away."
"Not only for how articulately they translated the passages, but also for the introduction, preface, and the per-verse commentary in the back."
"More than happy to see an edition of Tao Te Ching that was my first exposure to the material."
Best Buddhist Rituals & Practice
In The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching , now with added material and new insights, Nhat Hanh introduces us to the core teachings of Buddhism and shows us that the Buddha’s teachings are accessible and applicable to our daily lives. For illustration, he dips into the vast stores of Buddhist literature right alongside contemporary anecdotes, pointing out subtleties that can get glossed over in other popular introductions. Nhat Hanh then proceeds through a series of laundry-list definitions of core Buddhist terminology: Four Noble Truths, The Noble Eightfold Path, The Three Dharma Seals, The Three Doors of Liberation, The Twelve Links of Causation, The Three Jewels, The Six Harmonies, The Five Powers, The Five Wonderful Precepts and The Four Immeasurable Minds.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Where most Buddhist books get lost in glowing exhausting praises of how wonderful Buddhist concepts are, while actually never getting around to explaining the concepts, this book presents a loving detailed summary of the concepts."
"I found it hard to put this book down."
"Fantastic, common sense presentation."
"Excellent book by a truly special man!"
"Excellent explication of the core teachings."
"good stuff to sit and ponder....makes so much sense."
"I am a big fan of all of his books, including this one, but I may have read too many in a row."