The Beginner's Guide to Buddhism
Audio CD

Jack Kornfield

73 minutes

$14.97

Sometimes, less is more - The Beginner's Guide to Buddhism is a case in point. Jack Kornfield manages to compress over two millenia of teachings into a little over an hour and in so doing has created a powerfully concise, highly accessible and inspriing introduction to a religious approach to the world that often overwhelms the newcomer.

Kornfield offers us an instant immersion in this time-honored approach to living fully and compassionately in the present moment. Sharing the story of how Buddhism's founder planted the seeds for this complete life philosophy, Kornfield establishes a foundation from which Buddhism's "laws of life" emerge. He explains how Buddhism's most essential teachings make it possible to awaken and liberate yourself from fear, confusion, and anger - now.

His introduction to meditation is among the best I've heard - if you used only this, you would have a firm foundation that continuously yield a bounty of spiritual treasure.

Very highly recommended!

The Power of Compassion

The Dalai Lama

Softbound

$12.00

Genuine compassion is based on a clear acceptance or recognition that others, like oneself, want happiness adn have the right to overcome suffering. On that basis one develops concern about the welfare of others, irrespective of one's attitude to oneself. That is compassion.

The Dalai Lama

In these London talks which include question and answer sessions, the Dalai Lama describes in a clear and simple style how to live and die well and how to bring wisdom and compassion into our everyday lives.

In addressing a wide range of issues that include racial hatred, gender and environmental protection, he clearly acknowledges that modern people need the courage to face their anger and hatred in order to transform their lives and relationships.

An amazing amount of wisdom in such a little book!

Being Peace

Thich Nhat Hanh

Softbound

$12.95

Being Peace is a classic of contemporary religious literature and an excellent introduction to the writings of Thich Nhat Hanh and to engaged Buddhism. Now in its fourteenth printing, with more than 150,000 copies in print, Being Peace continues to be one of the most widely-read books on Buddhism.

Thich Nhat Hanh was nominated by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for the Nobel Peace Prize. Thomas Merton described him as "more my brother than many who are nearer to me in race and antionality, because he and I see things in exactly the same way."

A lovely book - healing in its very content.

The Heart of Buddha's Teaching
Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation

Thich Nhat Hanh

$13.00

I cannot think of a better introduction to the gifts that Buddha brought than to read this book. Taking the contents of its pages into your life can become a transformative event - through the sheer power of its warming peace. Thich Nhat Hanh's characteristic sense of poetry and clarity shines through The Heart of Buddha's Teachings - an introduction to Buddhism that is both luminous and highly practical. With graceful prose and deep insight, Nhat Hanh imparts his warm wisdom about the nature of suffering and its role in creating compassion, love, and joy - all qualities of enlightenment. Covering such significant teachings as the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, the Three Doors of Liberation, the Three Dharma Seals, and the Seven Factors of Awakening.

The Awakened One
A Life of Buddha

Sherab Chodzin Kohn

$14.95

I am amazed by this book and what it's author has accomplished. Although I have not exhausted the available literature on the life of Buddha, I have read quite a bit and so far have seen nothing that rivals the rare combination of impeccable research and fluid storytelling. The Awakened One reads like a novel (a very good novel), yet every detail is based on accurate research and deep understanding. In a lesser writer's hand, the attempt to reach such a goal would have resulted in either a stodgy, academic treatise or what I have come to call and "intellectual-lite" story - something "accessible," but too breezy and vapid to be worth the undertaking. Instead, The Awakened One is biography at its best - a beautifully told story of a life we all want to know about; it is also teaching at its best. Buddha's principal doctrines are presented in a way that is not only clear and succinct, but that enables the reader to understand them not as abstract doctrine, but as insights which were themselves events in the life of the Buddha.

Whether you are looking for more understanding of Buddha and his teachings, or whether you simply want to sit by the fire and enjoy a good book, you'll love The Awakened One.

Tibetan Buddhism from the Ground Up
A Practical Approach for Modern Life

B. Alan Wallace
with Steven Wilhelm

$14.00

B. Alan Wallace was one of the first Westerners ordained a monk in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. His fascinating, highly readable book asks neither unquestioning faith nor blind obedience to abstract concepts or religious beliefs. Rather, it challenges us to question and investigate life's issues for ourselves in the light of an ancient and effective approach to the sufferings and joys of the human condition. Unlike other introductions to Tibetan Buddhism, this accessible, enjoyable work doesn't stop with theory and history, but relates timeless spiritual principles to the pressing issues of modern life, both in terms of our daily experience and our uniquely Western world view.

The Four Noble Truths

The Dalai Lama

$11.00

The Four Noble Truths - the truth of suffering, the truth of the origin of suffering, the truth of the cessation of suffering and truth of the path leading to this cessation - was the first sermon the Buddha gave after he was enlightened. In 1996, The Dalai Lama gave two days of teachings in London which are the basis of this book. The Four Noble Truths presents the heart of Buddhism in a way that is engaging, profound and immediate. This is one of those books that, once read, can resonnate throughout a lifetime.

A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life

Santideva

Translated by Vesna A Wallace and B. Alan Wallace

$12.95

In all of Tibetan Buddhist tradition, no treatise is more deeply revered or widely practiced than A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life Composed in the eighth century by the Indian Bodhisattva Santideva, it became an instant classic in the curricula of the Buddhist monastic universities of India. Santideva's presentation of the methods to harmonize one's own way of life with the Bodhisattva ideal begins with a praise of the spirit of awakening, the Bodhisattva's altruistic aspiration to achieve enlightenment for the sake of all beings. Santideva goes on to inspire the reader to cultivate each of the six perfections that provide the basis for the Bodhisattva way of life - generosity, ethics, patience, zeal, meditative concentration, and wisdom. The treatise is organized in short verses of one or two sentences, any one of which can be taken alone and provide food for thought and self-renewal for a very long time. It is possible to gain much by nibbling one's way through this deeply inspired work.

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind
Informal talks on Zen meditation and practice

Shunryo Suzuki
(Suzuki-roshi)

$7.95

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind is about how to practice Zen as a workable discipline and religion, about posture and breathing, about the basic attitudes and understanding that make Zen practice possible, about non-duality, emptiness, and enlightenment. In other words, it carries out - beautifully - the remarkable task of addressing all the key issues and answering most of the questions beginners are likely to ask. And, in Suzuki-roshi's inimitable style, it does so with grace, humor, and so much life you wish you could bottle it for a cloudy day. And there is more - woven throughout this remarkable book are glimpses into the nature of divine reality, tastes of the spiritual touching the Earth, the energy of the Earth reaching for the heights. "The world is its own magic," says Suzuki-roshi, and this feeling pervades every page. An outstanding classic.

An Introduction to Zen Buddhism

D. T. Suzuki

$10.00

What I like best about D. T. Suzuki's presentation of Zen is its beauty through which he takes you into the living experience of this path. While reading about Zen, you also live, breath and feel it's reality. This book is a great way to learn not only about Zen Buddhism, but about yourself as well. It is a classic to treasure and return to again and again.

D. T. Suzuki's works on Zen Buddhism are among the best contributions to the knowledge of living Buddhism that recent decades have produced.
- Carl Jung, from the Forward

Living by Zen
A Synthesis of the Historical and Practical Aspects of Zen Buddhism

D. T. Suzuki

$12.95

D. T. Suzuki was my introduction to Zen Buddhism back in the early 1970s. His clarity and sure-footedness along what to me was an otherwise impenetrable path gifted me with my first taste of "sense-free thinking." The taste of that first exquisite experience has stayed with me ever since as a source of strength and an inspiration toward practical, spirit-filled deeds. I am delighted to find some of his books still in print and to be able to share them with you.

The Hungry Tigress
Buddhist Myths, Legends & Jataka Tales

As Told by Rafe Martin

Foreword by Roshi Philip Kapleau

Softbound

$16.95

This definitive edition, completely updated and rewritten with expanded commentaries and two new sections on the meaning and relevance of these ancient tales, brings together a fascinating array of stories from the Buddhist tradition. Combining themes of wisdom, nonviolence, environmental awareness, and compassion for all living things, these couldn't be more relevant to today's needs. The telling of the tales is lively, warm and masterful. This is a treasure chest of stories you and your children will want to hear again and again - stories that delight the heart, uplift the spirits and restore meaning to daily life. Outstanding!

Twenty Jataka Tales

Retold by Noor Inayat Khan

Illustrated by H. Willebeek La Mair

Softbound

$12.95

These twenty tales have been drawn from famous legends concerning the former lives of the Buddha. Beloved by children and adults, they tell of people and animals moved to acts of sacrifice by the noble example of their fellow creatures. There is a wonderful interweaving of a sentient creation throughout these stories. The flavor of these stories will remind you of Aesop, as will the lessons they contain which are so beautifully conveyed. These stories are ideal for reading or telling to children - their highly dramatic adventures that resolve in non-violence and compassion are often just exactly what today's children are hungry for. You'll love the exquisite illustrations, also - there is a light delicacy to them that at the same time conveys enormous strength - just right for these tales.

The Wisdom of the Crows and Other Buddhist Tales

Retold by Sherab Chödzin & Alexandra Kohn

Illustrated by Marie Cameron

Elegantly softbound, large format, color illustrations

$17.95

If you love a good story, you'll really enjoy this lovely collection of Buddhist tales in storybook form. The story "The Wisdom of the Crows" is very short, but I still haven't stopped thinking about its profound commentary about the uncertain nature of life. I'm sure you'll find it equally absorbing and poignant. "Goodheart and the Goddess of the Forest" is a beautiful fairy tale that combines many of the elements of European fairy tales with its own unique conclusion. And, I'm still chuckling about "Where Are You Going?" - an amusing battle of wits between two monks. There are many more stories - each one a gem.