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Peace Is Every Step - The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life

5 stars (the most useful and practical) - spiritual guidebook I have ever read. No faith is required, only simple practices 5 stars (We all need a reminder......) - I read this book over the course of three mornings. A great way to start the day. A simplistic yet profound message that will change the way you look at yourself and other people. I love how at one point he directs our attention to the page we are reading stating how a sheet of paper is more than just a sheet of paper. It contains the clouds, the rain, the sun, the trees, the logger (even the logger's wheat breakfast),etc. One cannot exist without the other. How often do we focus on every breath we take? Consciously, we can breathe in while we "heal our bodies", then breathe out and "smile" (which I am sure most of us are lacking). This is a quick, yet effective, exercise you can try right now as you read these reviews -- breathing and smiling. Smiling works. It changes how you feel and it affects others positively. Try it the next time you are out and about. We are all connected. His message in this book is beautiful. Can't wait to read more and revisit this one in the near future to increase my understanding of his philosophies of mindful living. Enjoy! 5 stars (Life Changing Book) - I have read this book like 5 times and everytime I read it I learn something new. This book has changed my life and the way that I treat others. I would recomend this book to anyone who is looking for themselves or something bigger than themselves, for anyone who is looking for answers this book has them. I have bought copies for my friends and have loaned my own out and everyone I have given it too has said the same thing that they couldn't put it down and that it was just what they were looking for. Read this book and open your mind and heart up to it and it will change you. ...
Bantam :: Body :: Mind & Spirit & New Age :: Religious life :: Religion - World Religions :: General :: Buddhism - Zen :: Buddhism :: Thich Nhat Hanh :: :: Peace Is Every Step - The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life

 

The Art of Happiness- A Handbook for Living

3 stars (A critique of the Art of Happiness) - Happiness is not a goal that can be achieved through seeking. No search has ever realized happiness because the very activity of seeking confirms unhappiness. Therefore, whatever your state in the moment, it must be transcended in present happiness. If you find yourself seeking then you are not presently happy are you? This whole notion about the pursuit of happiness is completely false. You must give up the search and then you realize that you are already happy. So the Dalai Lama is recommending the traditional error of seeking and whatever else he recommends as useful practical advice is tainted by this initial premise. Funnily enough, when asked if he is happy, he says yes, so if he is happy, what need is there to seek? A better teaching would be to point out that everyone is already seeking; for money, power, sex, good food, whatever, and finding that the search is never satisfied. The point is not to channel that activity and search for spiritual satisfaction. The point is to understand that seeking is suffering. I say, "You cannot become happy. You can only be happy!" 1 stars (Did Not Recieve) - I never recieved the book. I had ordered two from Abebooks, one was no longer available after it was charged to my account, and the other one was also charged to my account but never arrived. I will not order books from Amazon again. 5 stars (Make peace with your emotions) - I enjoyed this book immensely and learned a great deal from it. The Dalai Lama's perspective on emotions and mindfulness is enlightening and full of wisdom. In the same purchase I bought another book I was referred to that is endorsed by The Dalai Lama called "The Emotional Intelligence Quick Book." It's really great for learning specifically about EQ and increasing your own. ...
Riverhead Hardcover :: Religion & General :: Religious life :: Religious aspects :: Religious Life (Buddhism) :: Religion :: Psychology :: Personal Growth - Happiness :: Happiness :: Doctri :: The Art of Happiness- A Handbook for Living

 

The Universe in a Single Atom - The Convergence of Science and Spirituality

5 stars (A Wonderful Convergence) - There are many wonders to be explored in the parallels between Buddhism and scientific inquiry into the nature of reality, life and consciousness. As you read this book, your thoughts ride a rocket of insight into the contentious and often disappointing debate between scientific theory and spirituality that seems to be paralyzing our society today. And yet the text never flaunts a particular conceit or takes on the aggressive, often brutal nature of the debate. While the parallels explored are startling and inspiring, most wonderful of all is the critical mind, engaging personality and boundless curiousity of the Dalai Lama himself, as these qualities radiate from the text. Reflecting on his theme, the Dalai Lama illuminates at least a view if not a way through the contention and confusion. He writes: "There is more to human existence and to reality itself than current science can ever give us access to.... By the same token, spirituality must be tempered by the insights and discoveries of science. If as spiritual practitioners we ignore the discoveries of science, our practice is also impoverished, as this mind-set can lead to fundamentalism." It is truly revealing that a man at the heart of a very traditional spiritual philosophy and practice can shed the burden of dogmatic thought for an open dialogue and the exciting and affirming human capacity to seek truth. Between science and spirituality, between the knowable and the unknowable, the critical thinking and spiritual insight of the Dalai Lama inspires the belief that open minds and open dialogue are not beyond either our scientific thought or our spiritual belief. This book is one of the most spiritual testaments while coincidentally being a highly accessible exploration of great scientific advances and current research. It is a book I will return to again and again. 5 stars (Science is not contra Religion and vice versa) - It is so nice to see religious leaders ...
Morgan Road Books :: Religion And Science :: Religion - World Religions :: Religion & Science :: Religion :: Buddhism and science :: Buddhism - Tibetan :: Buddhism :: Bstan-dzin-rgya-mt :: The Universe in a Single Atom - The Convergence of Science and Spirituality

 

Zen in the Art of Archery Vintage Spiritual Classics

5 stars (Intriguing and perplexing in equal measure.) - I very much enjoyed reading this book. It is a biographical account of one mans experience as he moves from a position of ignorance towards an understanding of Zen. The bewildering spritual "How to" which seems to have a lot more to do with what you don't do than what you do. The confounding realisation that all effort is false, whereas no effort can lead to superhuman feats of accuracy. It's a magical true story about how a mans confusion and understanding become fused into something of an incomprehensible truth: You don't understand it, but it works. What I enjoyed most about the text is that it gives insipration to Zen learners, something to aim for, so to speak. What I didn't like is that it doesn't really offer insight into how one combines an attitude of no presumed effort with the experience of splitting an arrow-shaft lengthwise from the far side of an unlit warehouse. In other words, the book sufficiently illustrates the effects of success with Zen practice but having read the book the cause still remains a mystery: A relaxed attitude alone will do nothing to improve your golfing average, so how does it work? 5 stars (The effortless flow of our own holy being in harmony with what we are doing ) - I read this book many years. It was J.D. Salinger who brought me to it. And the central idea that he taught from it was the art of 'aiming without aiming'. Or rather how wrong and forced effort which is wholly concentrated on ' result' and 'result' alone (i.e. hitting the bullseye) leads to missing the mark. The great idea of this work is the idea of a kind of practice which leads to effortless effort, to a 'hitting the mark' without aiming , to somehow allowing one's own inner powers to be in harmony with the task one is doing. To let the whole of one's being flow into the activity and with it as one. With this in mind I years ago wrote a small forgotten work 'Zen and the Art of Swimming' . I also practica...
Vintage :: Religion & Eastern :: Zen Buddhism :: Philosophy :: Martial Arts & Self-Defense :: Eastern - Zen :: Eastern - General :: Archery And Target Shooting :: Archery :: :: Zen in the Art of Archery (Vintage Spiritual Classics)

 

Zen Golf- Mastering the Mental Game

4 stars (It's All About Clarity, Confidence and Tempo) - A very quick read with lots of great tips. Especially good to clear the mind of unproductive thinking on the course and to play with clarity, confidence and purpose. The idea of Center of Gravity can save strokes right away. You'll understand the book even better when go to the range and experience how a good shot feels and then start hitting them one after another, and another... 5 stars (Zen Golf: Mastering the Mental Game) - Joseph Parent truly succeeds in integrating what he has learned from his Zen teachers and teachings with one's round of golf. His book is a must for all golfers, beginners and experts alike, duffers and long hitters. Points that Parent makes including breathing, putting beyond the cup, and not hitting "anyways shots" will truly improve one's round of golf. It will also impact a reader's attitude toward hitting the ball... from approach to follow-through, from driving to putting. Zen Golf is a great book and the unabridged book on CD is a must for travelers. The book has my highest recommendation. 4 stars (Just what I needed) - I recommend this book for the player that has plateaued and is frustrated on the course more than they are elated. I am having more fun on the course (and playing better) with the concepts learned in Zen Golf. When you complete the book, you may say to yourself- nice light read. It is only until you notice your changed behavior on the course that you have a new appreciation for the game and your ability. ...
Doubleday :: Sports Psychology :: Sports & Recreation & Golf :: Zen Buddhism :: Sports & Recreation :: Sports :: Religious aspects :: Psychological aspects :: Golf - Instruction :: Zen Golf- Mastering the Mental Game

 

The Shaolin Grandmasters- Text- History- Philosophy- and Gung Fu of Shaolin Ch-an

5 stars (Clarification) - I am a contributor to The Shaolin Grandmasters' Test, and would like to make some comments about the book. I will do my best to represent other contributors, both living and deceased. Complaints that we fail to shower compliments upon the People's Republic of China (in general) and the resurrected Shaolin Temple in Honan Province (specifically) are not without substance. Many reviewers who are affiliated with the new Shaolin Temple may be offended by our book because we have tried to be truthful. Our perhaps it is simply the blunt presentation. The PRC today employs tens of thousands of human and computerized monitors to censor the information accessible by the Chinese people. Internet sites with the word "freedom" typically do not make it onto the computers of Chinese citizens. The PRC continues to imprison Tibetan Buddhists who so much as say something positive about the Dalai Lama. The Shaolin Temple is the nucleus of a massive tourist industry, and has given rise to kung fu schools nearby for 10,000+ Chinese boys - keeping many young men "occupied" in a nation where the ratio of men:women is horribly skewed. Shaolin kung fu schools in Europe have been sued for using the "Shaolin" name - by an entity intimately connected with the Shaolin Temple. Stating these sorts of facts earn us the distinction of "having no room in our heart[s] for mainland China". Our book is far from perfect. Many of our now-deceased priests were old enough to feel some personal bitterness over the incompetence of the Ch'ing dynasty, and many of our senior members had negative personal experiences with "Red China". In some places in the book, this bitterness shows. Deciding to leave some of these sentiments in the book was not a simple decision, but perhaps it was a wrong one. Buddhism does indeed reside in the heart. Anyone can choose this path. The Buddha even made provision for self-ordination, for those spiritual seekers who could not find a Sangha. I do not ...
Tuttle Publishing :: Zen Buddhism :: Sports & Recreation :: Sports :: Shao lin si (Dengfeng Xian :: Ch :: Martial Arts & Self-Defense :: Martial Arts :: China :: Buddhism - Zen :: s :: The Shaolin Grandmasters- Text- History- Philosophy- and Gung Fu of Shaolin Ch-an