Showing results for "memoir" in Eastern

The Life of Milarepa, a biography and a dramatic tale from a culture now in crisis, can be explored on several levels. A personal and moving introduction to Tibetan Buddhism, it is also a detailed guide to the search for liberation. It presents a quest for purification and buddhahood in a single lifetime, tracing the path of a great sinner who became a great saint. It is also a powerfully evocative narrative, full of magic, miracles, suspense, and humor, while reflecting the religious and social life of medieval Tibet.

Twenty-four of the Buddha's most distinguished disciples are brought to life in ten chapters of rich narration. They include monks who were very close to him throughout his life, including Sariputta and Mahamoggallana; his cousin and companion Ananda; his principal women disciples, including the nun Isidasi and his lay disciple, the courtesan Ambapali; and the serial killer Angulimala, whose character was transformed after meeting the Buddha.

Shunryu Suzuki, author of the beloved classic Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, is lovingly remembered as one of the greatest spiritual teachers of the 20th century - whose legacy is felt in every facet of American Zen. This monumental biography of Suzuki, written and read by his student David Chadwick, weaves together a rich tapestry of stories and memories of Suzuki’s students, family, and friends. In this updated and revised audiobook edition, Chadwick also offers rare excerpts from archived recordings of Suzuki’s teachings in the great Zen master's own voice.

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche’s experience begins the night he has chosen to embark on a four-year wandering retreat, slipping past the monastery gates. Alone for the first time in his life, he sets out into the unknown. His initial motivation is to step away from his life of privilege and to explore the deepest, most hidden aspects of his being, but what he discovers throughout his retreat - about himself and about the world around us - comes to define his meditation practice and teaching.

Dave Lowry juxtaposes his singular experience as an adept student of kenjutsu (the art of swordsmanship) under a Japanese teacher in St. Louis with a riveting account of the samurai tradition in Japan. Intertwining tales of the masters with reflections on his own apprenticeship in the samurai's arts, he reveals in their time-honored methods a way of life with profound relevance to modern times.

In 1990, while serving a sentence in San Quentin for armed robbery, Jarvis Jay Masters was implicated as an accessory in the murder of a prison guard. A 23-year-old Black man, Jarvis was sentenced to death in the gas chamber. While in the maximum security section of Death Row, using the only instrument available to him—a ball-point pen filler—Masters's astounding memoir is a testament to the tenacity of the human spirit and the talent of a fine writer.

Brad Warner was initially interested in Buddhism because he wanted to find God, but Buddhism is usually thought of as godless. In the three decades since Warner began studying Zen, he has grappled with paradoxical questions about God and managed to come up with some answers. In this fascinating search for a way beyond the usual arguments between fundamentalists and skeptics, Warner offers a profoundly engaging and idiosyncratic take on the ineffable power of the "ground of all being."

A holy man to Hindus, a hero to Muslims, and a criminal to the British, Mohandas K. Gandhi was an inspiring figure of the 20th century, a man whose quest to live in accord with God’s highest truth led him to initiate massive campaigns against racism, violence, and colonialism.

This memoir and biography unfolds the inspiring internal and external spiritual odyssey of Yamuna Devi's devotional life recalled in her memories, talks, journals, and writings as well as the remembrances of the author and other associates and friends. It is supplemented with relevant complimentary music and narrative featuring Yamuna.

A memoir of the author's decades-long friendship and spiritual journey with the late singer, songwriter, novelist, and poet Leonard Cohen. Funny, revealing, self-aware, and deeply moving, Matters of Vital Interest is an insightful memoir about Eric Lerner's relationship with his friend, whose idiosyncratic style and dignified life was deeply informed by his spiritual practices.

Confucius is perhaps the most important philosopher in history. Today his teachings shape the daily lives of more than 1.6 billion people. Throughout East Asia, Confucius' influence can be seen in everything from business practices and family relationships to educational standards and government policies. Even as Western ideas from Christianity to Communism have bombarded the region, Confucius' doctrine has endured as the foundation of East Asian culture.

Winner of the Eric Hoffer and Benjamin Franklin literary awards, this biography tells the story of Rama, Dr. Frederick P. Lenz, (1950-1998), an enlightened spiritual teacher who taught a brilliant, boundary-breaking form of American Buddhism to tens of thousands of people. This biography includes interviews and stories from over 100 students and colleagues, each with a different perspective. Rama did not just speak about enlightenment; he modeled it. Compassionate, controversial, wise, honest, prescient, reverent, irreverent, he was always teaching and still is.

Matthieu Ricard nació en 1967, a los veintiún años, cuando conoció a su padre espiritual en Darjeeling (India). Cinco años después dejaría su brillante carrera científica, a la que parecía estar destinado, para trasladarse a una pequeña cabaña en el Himalaya.

In 1967 at the age of nineteen, Ethan was unsuspectingly catapulted from his self-imposed, fortress of atheism to swimming in the ocean of the Divine in one blinding, mind-melting flash of insight. He never looked back. This is one man's journey, spanning more than fifty years, through the brambles and the thickets; through the ancient halls of mystery, the pure emptiness of being and into the bliss of the Divine Light. This is a story of love, love and more love; a transfiguration from mind to Heart.

Cast Fate to the Wind is an autobiography that follows a child from a dysfunctional background to adulthood, achieving many dreams and experiences of karma along the way. The path is random and, to no small extent, predetermined if you are prepared to listen to your sensitivities and those who have the gift of spiritual foresight.

Create your personal blueprint to make life's important decisions. Lexie Brockway Potamkin, author, business leader, and interfaith minister, shares powerful daily exercises you can do to be happier, stronger, and more compassionate. Like a boat without a rudder, many of us go through life with no idea how we make life decisions, which may lead to anxiety or depression.