Download or read book A River Sutra written by Gita Mehta and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2011-02-23 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With imaginative lushness and narrative elan, Mehta provides a novel that combines Indian storytelling with thoroughly modern perceptions into the nature of love--love both carnal and sublime, treacherous and redeeming. "Conveys a world that is spiritual, foreign, and entirely accessible."--Vanity Fair.
Download or read book Karma Cola written by Gita Mehta and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2012-05-02 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Beginning in the late '60s, hundreds of thousands of Westerners descended upon India, disciples of a cultural revolution that proclaimed that the magic and mystery missing from their lives was to be found in the East. An Indian writer who has also lived in England and the United States, Gita Mehta was ideally placed to observe the spectacle of European and American "pilgrims" interacting with their hosts. When she finally recorded her razor sharp observations in Karma Cola, the book became an instant classic for describing, in merciless detail, what happens when the traditions of an ancient and longlived society are turned into commodities and sold to those who don't understand them. In the dazzling prose that has become her trademark, Mehta skewers the entire Spectrum of seekers: The Beatles, homeless students, Hollywood rich kids in detox, British guilt-trippers, and more. In doing so, she also reveals the devastating byproducts that the Westerners brought to the villages of rural lndia -- high anxiety and drug addiction among them. Brilliantly irreverent, Karma Cola displays Gita Mehta's gift for weaving old and new, common and bizarre, history and current events into a seamless and colorful narrative that is at once witty, shocking, and poignant.
Download or read book Snakes and Ladders written by Gita Mehta and published by Anchor. This book was released on 2010-09-29 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: India is a land of contrasts. It is the world's most populous democracy, but it still upholds the caste system. It is a burgeoning economic superpower, but one of the poorest nations on earth. It is the home of the world's biggest movie industry after Hollywood, as well as to the world's oldest religions. It is an ancient civilization celebrating fifty years as a modern nation. Now, as never before, the world wants to know what contemporary India is all about. As she has proved in three previous books--her wry take on the marketing of the mystic East in Karma Cola; the rich historical saga of Raj; and the beguiling tales of A River Sutra--there is no better guide to India's multihued mosaic than Gita Mehta. She knows India in all its rich detail--its folkways and history, its culture and politics, its ancient traditions and current concerns. In Snakes and Ladders, she gives a loving but unflinching assessment of India today, in an account that is entertaining, informative, and wholly personal.
Download or read book The Mountains and Waters Sutra written by Shohaku Okumura and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2018-05-28 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An indispensable map of a classic Zen text. “Mountains and waters are the expression of old buddhas.” So begins “Sansuikyo,” or “Mountains and Waters Sutra,” a masterpiece of poetry and insight from Eihei Dogen, the thirteenth-century founder of the Soto school of Zen. Shohaku Okumura—renowned for his translations of and magisterial teachings on Dogen—guides the reader through the rich layers of metaphor and meaning in “Sansuikyo,” which is often thought to be the most beautiful essay in Dogen’s monumental Shobogenzo. His wise and friendly voice shows us the questions Dogen poses and helps us realize what the answers could be. What does it mean for mountains to walk? How are mountains an expression of Buddha’s truth, and how can we learn to hear the deep teachings of river waters? Throughout this luminous volume, we learn how we can live in harmony with nature in respect and gratitude—and awaken to our true nature.
Download or read book Raj written by Gita Mehta and published by Simon & Schuster. This book was released on 2019-10-12 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Born to the Royal House of Balmer, Jaya Singh experiences the influences of Western culture as a selfless wife, strong leader, and courageous individual in a national struggle. Jaya Singh is the intelligent, beautiful, and compassionate daughter of the Maharajah and Maharani of Balmer. Raised in the thousand-year-old tradition of purdah, a strict regime of seclusion, silence, and submission, Jaya is ill-prepared to assume the role of Regent Maharani of Sirpur upon the death of her decadent, Westernized husband. But Jaya bravely fulfills her duty and soon finds herself thrust into the center of a roiling political battle in which the future of the kingdom is at stake...and her own future as well.
Download or read book Mountains and Rivers Sutra Teachings by Norman Fischer A Weekly Practice Guide written by Zoketsu Norman Fischer and published by Sumeru Press Incorporated. This book was released on 2020-02-23 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In these talks given at the Upaya Zen Center in 2012, Norman Fischer presents Dogen's medieval essay in language understandable to us in the 21st century and gives us a rich commentary on how to apply these principles in our daily lives. The talks are in 52 short sections as a weekly guide, with each accompanied by practice suggestions.
Download or read book River and Goddess Worship in India written by R.U.S. Prasad and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2017-08-09 with total page 169 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book examines Sarasvati’s origin, the course of her flow and the place of her disappearance in a holistic manner. Based on a close analysis of texts from the early Rig-Veda to the Brahmanas and the Puranas, it discusses different view-points in a balanced perspective and attempts to drive the discussions towards the emergence of a consensus view. The author delineates the various phases of Sarasvati’s evolution to establish her unique status and emphasise her continued relevance in the Hindu tradition. The book argues that the practice of pilgrimage further evolved after its association with the river Sarasvati who was perceived as divinity personified in Hindu tradition.
Download or read book Ambiguity Machines written by Vandana Singh and published by Small Beer Press. This book was released on 2018-02-13 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Philip K. Dick Award finalist Praise for Vandana Singh: “A most promising and original young writer.”—Ursula K. Le Guin “Lovely! What a pleasure this book is . . . full of warmth, compassion, affection, high comedy and low.”—Molly Gloss, author of The Hearts of Horses “Vandana Singh’s radiant protagonist is a planet unto herself.”—Village Voice “Sweeping starscapes and daring cosmology that make Singh a worthy heir to Cordwainer Smith and Arthur C. Clarke.”—Chris Moriarty, Fantasy & Science Fiction “I’m looking forward to the collection . . . everything I’ve read has impressed me—the past and future visions in ‘Delhi’, the intensity of ‘Thirst’, the feeling of escape at the end of ‘The Tetrahedron’...” —Niall Harrison, Vector (British Science Fiction Association) “...the first writer of Indian origin to make a serious mark in the SF world ... she writes with such a beguiling touch of the strange.” —Nilanjana Roy, Business Standard In her first North American collection, Vandana Singh’s deep humanism interplays with her scientific background in stories that explore and celebrate this world and others and characters who are trying to make sense of the people they meet, what they see, and the challenges they face. An eleventh century poet wakes to find he is as an artificially intelligent companion on a starship. A woman of no account has the ability to look into the past. In "Requiem," a major new novella, a woman goes to Alaska to try and make sense of her aunt’s disappearance. Singh's stories have been performed on BBC radio, been finalists for the British SF Association award, selected for the Tiptree award honor list, and oft reprinted in Best of the Year anthologies. Her dives deep into the vast strangeness of the universe without and within and with her unblinking clear vision she explores the ways we move through space and time: together, yet always apart.
Download or read book Cairo Modern written by Naguib Mahfouz and published by Anchor. This book was released on 2011-04-27 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Naguib Mahfouz's suspenseful novel a bitter and ambitious nihilist, a beautiful and impoverished student, and a corrupt official engage in a doomed ménage à trois. Cairo of the 1930s is a place of vast social and economic inequities. It is also a time of change, when the universities have just opened to women and heady new philosophies imported from Europe are stirring up debates among the young. Mahgub is a fiercely proud student who is determined to keep both his poverty and his lack of principles secret from his idealistic friends. When he finds that there are no jobs for those without connections, out of desperation he agrees to participate in an elaborate deception. But what begins as a mere strategy for survival soon becomes much more for both Mahgub and his partner in crime, an equally desperate young woman named Ihsan. As they make their way through Cairo's lavish high society their precarious charade begins to unravel and the terrible price of Mahgub's Faustian bargain becomes clear. Translated by William M. Hutchins
Download or read book Run Me a River written by Janice Holt Giles and published by University Press of Kentucky. This book was released on 1964 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The adventures of a young steamboat captain and his passengers on the Green River, Kentucky, when Confederate and Union armies were beginning to clash.
Download or read book Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress written by Sijie Dai and published by Knopf Publishing Group. This book was released on 2001 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An enchanting literary debut—already an international best-seller. At the height of Mao’s infamous Cultural Revolution, two boys are among hundreds of thousands exiled to the countryside for “re-education.” The narrator and his best friend, Luo, guilty of being the sons of doctors, find themselves in a remote village where, among the peasants of Phoenix mountain, they are made to cart buckets of excrement up and down precipitous winding paths. Their meager distractions include a violin—as well as, before long, the beautiful daughter of the local tailor. But it is when the two discover a hidden stash of Western classics in Chinese translation that their re-education takes its most surprising turn. While ingeniously concealing their forbidden treasure, the boys find transit to worlds they had thought lost forever. And after listening to their dangerously seductive retellings of Balzac, even the Little Seamstress will be forever transformed. From within the hopelessness and terror of one of the darkest passages in human history, Dai Sijie has fashioned a beguiling and unexpected story about the resilience of the human spirit, the wonder of romantic awakening and the magical power of storytelling.
Download or read book Thundering Silence written by Thich Nhat Hanh and published by Parallax Press. This book was released on 2005-05-09 with total page 82 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Thundering Silence Thich Nhat Hanh presents the early teachings of the Buddha on not becoming so attached to his teachings that we don’t see reality clearly anymore and become stuck in notions and ideologies, however noble they may be. These teachings can liberate us from the prisons of our mental constructions and allow us to enjoy life fully and be a resource for others. Near the end of his life, the Buddha declared, "during forty-five years, I have not said to encourage his disciplines not caught by words or ideas. Thich Nhat Hanh calls this "the roar of a great lion, the thundering silence of a Buddha". The attitude of openness, non-attachment from views, and playfulness offered by the Buddha in this sutra is an important door for us to enter the realm of Mahayana Buddhist thought and practice. In Thich Nhat Hanh's commentaries he makes use of such classic Buddhist allegories, as The Raft is not the Shore, and The Finger Pointing at the Moon and demonstrate the practical applications of these teachings in everyday life. This revised edition contains new material based on Thich Nhat Hanh’s more recent teachings. The new material makes commentaries on the Sutra on Knowing the Better Way to Catch a Snake more accessible and broader in scope.
Download or read book The Kama Sutra Bath Book written by Editors of Amorata Press and published by Amorata. This book was released on 2013-06-04 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: YES! It is truly a bath book--plastic, puffy, waterproof, floatable, and only 10 pages...but NO! It's NOT for kids. Each page of this one-of-a-kind book presents PG-13 rated illustrations of a "bathroom" sex position like Bath Tub Cow Girl and Shower Stall Wheelbarrow.
Download or read book Eternal Ganesha written by Gita Mehta and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ganesha is the most beloved deity in the Hindu pantheon, and in India, his image is ubiquitous. It appears everywhere: on village walls, in cyber cafes, on handbags and commercial packaging, on the sides of trucks and rickshaws, in textiles and neon, and in the most sacred precincts of ancient temples. Here, Gita Mehta explores the rich religious and cultural meanings of the beloved Ganesha in a lavishly illustrated volume that will appeal not only to Hindus, but all who are touched by the talismanic power of his image and the generous spirit of his attributes.
Download or read book The American Opera Singer written by Peter G. Davis and published by Doubleday Books. This book was released on 1997 with total page 688 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In America today, opera has never been more popular, and one reason for this is, no doubt, that American opera singers are fixtures on every leading opera stage throughout the world. In this lively and engrossing account, Peter G. Davis, music critic for New York magazine and a leading opera authority, tells the story of how these plucky, resilient and supremely talented American singers have transformed this venerable European-born art form and made it their own. Starting with opera's arrival in America in the early nineteenth century, Davis shows how American singers grew in sophistication and stature along with the country. From the nineteenth-century pioneers who crashed the gates of Europe's elite opera circles, to the glamorous singers of the early twentieth century who were also Hollywood stars and publicity magnets, to the highly professional singers since World War II who not only have gained European acceptance but now dominate the industry, this lively and highly readable account chronicles the extraordinary lives and adventures of these larger-than-life personalities. Included are Maria Callas, Beverly Sills, Richard Tucker, Leontyne Price, Marilyn Horne, Lawrence Tibbett, and a galaxy of others whose stories are as dramatic and compelling as the roles they sang on stage. Full of prima-donna antics, hilarious backstage anecdotes, and performance lore, "The American Opera Singer will delight anyone who has felt the magic of opera, and will provide a new canon of American singing sure to provoke spirited debate among aficionados. Trained as a musician and composer, Peter G. Davis has been writing about music for over thirty years in such publications as the "NewYork Times, The Times of London, High Fidelity, and "Opera News. He is currently music critic for "New York magazine and lives in New York City. Experience the artistry of America's supremely talented singers on RCA Victor Red Seal's "The American Opera Singer, a companion 2-CD set to this book, now available in record stores.
Download or read book Three Zen Sutras written by Red Pine and published by Catapult. This book was released on 2021-09-28 with total page 90 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A pocket-sized presentation of the 3 most venerated sutras of Zen Buddhism—the Heart Sutra, Diamond Sutra, and Platform Sutra—from a legendary practitioner and translator of Buddhist teachings Three classic Buddhist sutras, often linked to form a trio of texts that have been revered and studied for centuries, are now available together in this single volume. Red Pine, whose acclaimed translations these particular Buddhist texts are considered canon, provides a sensitive and assured treatment of the classic triumvirate in a gift-sized volume, perfect for sharing with anyone seeking guidance and peace. The Heart Sutra, with its profound and wide-reaching influence on Buddhism, offers the Prajnaparamita teaching of emptiness. The Diamond Sutra, said to contain answers to all questions of delusion and dualism, outlines the bodhisattva path followed by the Buddha. The Platform Sutra is an autobiography of Hui-neng, the controversial 6th Patriarch of Zen. His understanding of the fundamentals of a spiritual and practical life has served as the introduction to the teachings of Zen that students have been putting into practice for the past 1300 years. In addition to new translations of all three texts, Red Pine has included an introduction that ties all three together and just enough footnotes to explain what needs explaining but not enough to get in the way.
Download or read book Teachings and Commentary on the Sutra of Infinite Meanings written by 釋證嚴 and published by 靜思人文. This book was released on 2021-08-01 with total page 708 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Teachings and Commentary on the Sutra of Infinite Meanings is compiled from the teachings expounded during the seven-day Buddhist retreats in 1972 and 1973. Master Cheng Yen explained the sutra word by word, verse by verse, and complemented it with many analogies and real-life stories, connecting matters to principles.The book is organized as follows: The first volume includes the Preface, which describes the background of the teachings and Master Cheng Yen’s karmic affinity with the Sutra of Infinite Meanings, as well as her commentary on the first chapter of the sutra, “Chapter on Virtues.” The second volume includes the commentary on the second and third chapters of the sutra, “Chapter on Expounding the Dharma,” and “Chapter on the Ten Merits.” As for the last passage in the “Chapter on the Ten Merits,” “At this time, Great Magnificent Bodhisattva-Mahasattva and the eighty thousand bodhisattva-mahasattvas then rose from their seats” to, “At this time, all in the assembly rejoiced. They paid their respects to the Buddha and accepted and upheld the teachings as they departed,” the audio tape of Master Cheng Yen’s teaching on this section has been lost. Therefore, only the sutra passages have been kept without any additions.《無量義經講述》編纂依據一九七二年及一九七三年佛七開示《無量義經》內容，證嚴上人逐字逐句講述經文，輔以較多譬喻、生活點滴，事理相應。此書章節編輯，將上人與《無量義經》因緣、背景等段落，輯成「前言」一章，而〈德行品〉、〈說法品〉、〈十功德品〉，則各自獨立成章。第一冊包含了「前言」以及〈德行品〉；第二冊則包含了〈說法品〉以及〈十功德品〉。唯〈十功德品〉最後一段經文「是時大莊嚴菩薩摩訶薩，與八萬菩薩摩訶薩，即從坐起，……爾時大會皆大歡喜，為佛作禮，受持而去」，因錄音帶佚失，闕漏當時開示此段經文的內容，故僅保留經文未作增補。
