Download or read book Insight Dialogue written by Gregory Kramer and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 2007-09-11 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Insight Dialogue is a way of bringing the tranquility and insight attained in meditation directly into your interactions with other people. It’s a practice that involves interacting with a partner in a retreat setting or on your own, as a way of accessing a profound kind of insight. Then, you take that insight on into the grind of everyday human interactions. Gregory Kramer has been teaching the practice (which he originated) for more than a decade in retreats around the world. It’s something strikingly new in the world of Buddhist practice—yet it’s completely grounded in traditional Buddhist teaching. Kramer begins with a detailed presentation of the central Buddhist teaching of the Four Noble Truths seen through an interpersonal lens. Because dukkha (suffering or unsatisfactoriness) is often most forcefully felt in our relations with others, interpersonal relationships are a wonderfully useful place to practice. He breaks the Noble Truths down into component parts to observe how they manifest particularly in relationship to others, using examples from his own life and practice, as well as from his students’. He then goes on to present the practice as it’s taught in his workshops and retreats. There are a few basic steps to the practice, deceptively simple to describe: (1) pause, (2) relax, (3) open, (4) trust emergence, (5) listen deeply, and (6) speak the truth. The sequence begins following a period of meditation, and includes periods of speaking, listening, and mutual silence. Kramer includes numerous examples of people’s experience with the practice from his retreats, and shows how the insight gained from the techniques can be brought into real life. More than just testimonials for how well the practice "works," the personal stories demonstrate the problems that arise, the different routes the practice can follow, and the sometimes surprising insights that are gained.

Download or read book The Path of Serenity and Insight written by Henepola Gunaratana and published by Motilal Banarsidass. This book was released on 2016-01-01 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the oldest scriptures of Theravada Buddhism much attention is given to the jhanas, high levels of meditative attainment distinguished by powerful concentration and purity of mind. Ven. Dr. Gunaratana examines these jhanas within the context of Buddhist teaching as a whole and particularly within the meditation disciplines taught by the Buddha. Beginning with the ethical foundation for meditation, the role of the teacher, the classical subjects of meditation, and the appropriateness of these subjects to individual practitioners, the author traces the practice of meditation to the higher reaches of realization. The eight stages of jhana are individually analyzed and explained in terms of their relation to one another and to the ultimate goal of the teaching. The author makes the critical distinction between the mundane jhanas and supermundane jhanas, pointing out that the lower four, while leading to various mental powers and psychic attainments, are not necessary to full enlightenment and may be developed or bypassed as the medita-tor wishes. The author goes on to explain the place of the jhanas among the accomplishments of an arahat and elucidate their usefulness for a dedicated meditator.

Download or read book Kriya Yoga written by Marshall Govindan and published by . This book was released on 2008-04-01 with total page 158 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: My wife, Jan Durga Ahlund and I have recognised for many years the need for a book that would explain to both those interested in learning Kriya Yoga and those already embarked on its path, why they should practice it, what are the difficulties, and how to overcome them. We believe that this book will help prepare everyone for the challenges and opportunities that Kriya Yoga provides. Every one of us faces the resistance of our human nature, ignorance as to our true identity, and karma, the consequences of years of conditioning by our thoughts, words and actions. By cultivating aspiration for the Divine, rejecting egoism and its manifestations, and surrendering to our higher Self, pure Witness consciousness, we can overcome this resistance, our karma and the many obstacles on the path. But, to do so, we need much support and insight along the way. -- Marshall Govindan and Jan Ahlund

Download or read book Self Insight written by David Dunning and published by Psychology Press. This book was released on 2012-10-12 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: People base thousands of choices across a lifetime on the views they hold of their skill and moral character, yet a growing body of research in psychology shows that such self-views are often misguided or misinformed. Anyone who has dealt with others in the classroom, in the workplace, in the medical office, or on the therapist’s couch has probably experienced people whose opinions of themselves depart from the objectively possible. This book outlines some of the common errors that people make when they evaluate themselves. It also describes the many psychological barriers - some that people build by their own hand - that prevent individuals from achieving self-insight about their ability and character. The first section of the book focuses on mistaken views of competence, and explores why people often remain blissfully unaware of their incompetence and personality flaws. The second section focuses on faulty views of character, and explores why people tend to perceive they are more unique and special than they really are, why people tend to possess inflated opinions of their moral fiber that are not matched by their deeds, and why people fail to anticipate the impact that emotions have on their choices and actions. The book will be of great interest to students and researchers in social, personality, and cognitive psychology, but, through the accessibility of its writing style, it will also appeal to those outside of academic psychology with an interest in the psychological processes that lead to our self-insight.

Download or read book Seeking the Heart of Wisdom written by Joseph Goldstein and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 2001-03-06 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Two popular American Buddhist teachers provide an overview of insight meditation, offering a “skillful blend of pragmatic instruction, psychological insight, and perennial wisdom” (Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence) In Seeking the Heart of Wisdom, Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield present the central teachings and practices of insight meditation in a clear and personal language. The path of insight meditation is a journey of understanding our bodies, our minds, and our lives, of seeing clearly the true nature of experience. The authors guide the reader in developing the openness and compassion that are at the heart of this spiritual practice. For those already treading the path, as well as those just starting out, this book will be a welcome companion along the way. Among the topics covered are: • The hindrances to meditation—ranging from doubt and fear to painful knees—and skillful means of overcoming them • How compassion can arise in response to the suffering we see in our own lives and in the world • How to integrate a life of responsible action and service with a meditative life based on non-attachment Useful exercises are presented alongside the teachings to help readers deepen their understanding of the subjects.

Download or read book Babaji s Kriya Yoga written by Jan Suzanne Ahlund and published by . This book was released on 2009-01-01 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Action with awareness is both the vehicle and the destination in all phases of Babaji's Kriya Yoga. Through it we become aware of That which is aware; which is the one constant underlying all of our thoughts and experiences. Babaji's Kriya Yoga is a means of self-knowledge, of knowing our selves and the truth of our being. It brings action with awareness and a devotional spirit into our practice of asanas, pranayama, meditation, mantras and also into all our thoughts, words, dreams and desires and actions. This sadhana has enormous potential to make us more conscious human beings. It requires the willingness of the body, mind, heart and will, to align with the soul in aspiration of purification and perfection. This book provides detailed instructions, diagrams and photographs in the practice of a particular set of 18 Yoga asanas or postures, known as Babaji's Kriya Hatha Yoga. The essays and instructions herein enable the practitioner to go beyond the development and health of the physical body, and to transform the practice of yoga asana into a spiritual practice, inducing a higher state of consciousness. Unlike earlier publications related to Hatha Yoga, this volume will show you how to transform your Hatha Yoga practice into a means for Self-Realization. It introduces students to the Five-fold Path of Babaji's Kriya Yoga. This book is dedicated to Yoga students new to Kriya Yoga and also to Initiated students looking to deepen their own practice.

Download or read book Seeing What Others Don t written by Gary Klein and published by PublicAffairs. This book was released on 2013-06-25 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Insights -- like Darwin's understanding of the way evolution actually works, and Watson and Crick's breakthrough discoveries about the structure of DNA -- can change the world. We also need insights into the everyday things that frustrate and confuse us so that we can more effectively solve problems and get things done. Yet we know very little about when, why, or how insights are formed -- or what blocks them. In Seeing What Others Don't, renowned cognitive psychologist Gary Klein unravels the mystery. Klein is a keen observer of people in their natural settings -- scientists, businesspeople, firefighters, police officers, soldiers, family members, friends, himself -- and uses a marvelous variety of stories to illuminate his research into what insights are and how they happen. What, for example, enabled Harry Markopolos to put the finger on Bernie Madoff? How did Dr. Michael Gottlieb make the connections between different patients that allowed him to publish the first announcement of the AIDS epidemic? What did Admiral Yamamoto see (and what did the Americans miss) in a 1940 British attack on the Italian fleet that enabled him to develop the strategy of attack at Pearl Harbor? How did a "smokejumper" see that setting another fire would save his life, while those who ignored his insight perished? How did Martin Chalfie come up with a million-dollar idea (and a Nobel Prize) for a natural flashlight that enabled researchers to look inside living organisms to watch biological processes in action? Klein also dissects impediments to insight, such as when organizations claim to value employee creativity and to encourage breakthroughs but in reality block disruptive ideas and prioritize avoidance of mistakes. Or when information technology systems are "dumb by design" and block potential discoveries. Both scientifically sophisticated and fun to read, Seeing What Others Don't shows that insight is not just a "eureka!" moment but a whole new way of understanding.

Download or read book The Hidden Teaching Beyond Yoga written by Paul Brunton and published by North Atlantic Books. This book was released on 2015-05-05 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Inspired by his time spent with wise sages in Asia in the 1930s, Paul Brunton (1898-1981) wrote The Hidden Teaching Beyond Yoga (and its companion volume The Wisdom of the Overself) at the request of these remarkable teachers, who recognized that he had a significant role to play in the transmission of Hindu Vedanta and Buddhism to the West. Brunton's books are a profound re-creation of the teachings of those two philosophical schools of thought, informed by the insights of deep meditation. Clearly written without the specialized vocabulary found in those traditions, the books speak directly to the contemporary spiritual seeker. The Hidden Teaching Beyond Yoga is a step-by-step guide to actually experiencing the spiritual truth that reality is formed within our consciousness rather than outside us in the world of material things. Brunton's expert analysis of perception, grounded in science, is designed to awaken us to our sacred foundation and to transform our personality into a mirror of that reality. Brunton prepares us for this journey by describing the attitudes, mental disciplines, and character traits that are beneficial for success in this quest. This new edition has been updated to incorporate the author's final revisions and includes an introduction by the Paul Brunton Philosophic Foundation. Contents Foreword by The Paul Brunton Philosophic Foundation 1.Beyond Yoga 2.The Ultimate Path 3.The Religious and Mystic Grades 4.The Hidden Philosophy of India 5.The Philosophical Discipline 6.The Worship of Words 7.The Search After Truth 8.The Revelation of Relativity 9.From Thing to Thought 10. The Secret of Space and Time 11. The Magic of the Mind 12. The Downfall of Materialism Epilogue: The Philosophic Life Appendix 1: Some Misconceptions Cleared Up Appendix 2: Additional Resources from The Notebooks of Paul Brunton, Compiled by the Paul Brunton Philosophic Foundation Editors

Download or read book Find Your Way written by Carly Fiorina and published by Tyndale Momentum. This book was released on 2019 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "In Find your Way, you will discover the helpful, proven wisdom and deep care that I have experienced in working alongside Carly." --Henry Cloud, best-selling author of Boundaries A perfect gift for graduates! No matter where you are in life, you are not yet all you will be . . . At some point, virtually everyone finds themselves struggling to find their way in life. Perhaps you're just starting out and haven't yet found your personal or professional path. Maybe you've been plugging away for years, trying to live someone else's dream. Maybe you're outwardly successful but plagued by a nagging, soul-level sense of dissatisfaction. Carly Fiorina, who started as a secretary and later became the first female CEO of a Fortune 500 company, can help. Drawing on her own remarkable journey, and empirical evidence accumulated over four decades in the workplace, Carly will show you how to choose a path over a plan, use problems to propel yourself and your organization forward, overcome fear and procrastination, make smart decisions, and reclaim your power and use it for good. Carly Fiorina believes beyond a shadow of a doubt that your potential can be unleashed. In Find Your Way, she shows you the path to getting there.

Download or read book Following the Path written by Sister Joan Chittister and published by Image. This book was released on 2012-04-17 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is meant to give someone in the process of making a life decision at any age—in early adulthood, at the point of middle-age change and later, when we find ourselves at the crossroads without a name—some ideas against which to pit their own minds, their own circumstances. Its purpose, as they wrestle with the process of trying to find and follow their own special call at this new stage of life, is to both provoke thinking and to clarify it. —Joan Chittister In our modern and mobile society, the range of answers to the questions “What am I supposed to do with my life?” and “How do I know when I’ve found my purpose?” can seem endless and overwhelming. Following the Path by Sister Joan brings the insights of her years of teaching and contemplation to bear on this issue, providing readers with a new way forward. Through her examination of spiritual calling and gifts, change and discernment, she leads readers home to the place where, finally, we know we fit, where we are the fullest of ourselves and a gift to the world, a timely and much needed message that many will be happy to hear.

Download or read book Zig Zag written by Keith Sawyer and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2013-02-13 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A science-backed method to maximize creative potential in any sphere of life With the prevalence of computer technology and outsourcing, new jobs and fulfilling lives will rely heavily on creativity and innovation. Keith Sawyer draws from his expansive research of the creative journey, exceptional creators, creative abilities, and world-changing innovations to create an accessible, eight-step program to increasing anyone's creative potential. Sawyer reveals the surprising secrets of highly creative people (such as learning to ask better questions when faced with a problem), demonstrates how to come up with better ideas, and explains how to carry those ideas to fruition most effectively. This science-backed, step-by step method can maximize our creative potential in any sphere of life. Offers a proven method for developing new ideas and creative problem-solving no matter what your profession Includes an eight-step method, 30 practices, and more than 100 techniques that can be launched at any point in a creative journey Psychologist, jazz pianist, and author Keith Sawyer studied with world-famous creativity expert Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Sawyer's book offers a wealth of easy to apply strategies and ideas for anyone who wants to tap into their creative power.

Download or read book The Path of Insight Meditation written by Jack Kornfield and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 2018-03-27 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An introductory guide to Insight meditation, offering exercises from two master teachers and a look into how this practice leads to compassion and a deeper understanding of self. Insight meditation is a Buddhist practice that opens the way to profound awakening in our daily lives. This introductory guide offers wisdom about how this path cultivates compassion, strengthens mindfulness, and leads to a deeper understanding of ourselves and others. It also includes exercises from these two master teachers, developed from their meditation retreats taught around the world. Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield are the founders of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, and each has authored many books on meditation.

Download or read book The Path of Modern Yoga written by Elliott Goldberg and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2016-07-18 with total page 817 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A history of yoga’s transformation from sacred discipline to exercise program to embodied spiritual practice • Identifies the origin of exercise yoga as India’s response to the mania for exercise sweeping the West in the early 20th century • Examines yoga’s transformations through the lives and accomplishments of 11 key figures, including Sri Yogendra, K. V. Iyer, Louise Morgan, Krishnamacharya, Swami Sivananda, Indra Devi, and B. K. S. Iyengar • Draws on more than 10 years of research from rare primary sources and includes 99 illustrations In The Path of Modern Yoga, Elliott Goldberg shows how yoga was transformed from a sacred practice into a health and fitness regime for middle-class Indians in the early 20th century and then gradually transformed over the course of the 20th century into an embodied spiritual practice--a yoga for our times. Drawing on more than 10 years of research from rare primary sources as well as recent scholarship, Goldberg tells the sweeping story of modern yoga through the remarkable lives and accomplishments of 11 key figures: six Indian yogis (Sri Yogendra, Swami Kuvalayananda, S. Sundaram, T. Krishnamacharya, Swami Sivananda, and B. K. S. Iyengar), an Indian bodybuilder (K. V. Iyer), a rajah (Bhavanarao Pant Pratinidhi), an American-born journalist (Louise Morgan), an Indian diplomat (Apa Pant), and a Russian-born yogi trained in India (Indra Devi). The author places their achievements within the context of such Western trends as the physical culture movement, the commodification of exercise, militant nationalism, jazz age popular entertainment, the quest for youth and beauty, and 19th-century New Age religion. In chronicling how the transformation of yoga from sacred discipline to exercise program allowed for the creation of an embodied spiritual practice, Goldberg presents an original, authoritative, provocative, and illuminating interpretation of the history of modern yoga.

Download or read book The Path written by Michael Puett and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2016-04-05 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For the first time, an award-winning Harvard professor shares his wildly popular course on classical Chinese philosophy, showing you how ancient ideas—like the fallacy of the authentic self—can guide you on the path to a good life today. Why is a course on ancient Chinese philosophers one of the most popular at Harvard? Because it challenges all our modern assumptions about what it takes to flourish. Astonishing teachings emerged two thousand years ago through the work of a succession of Chinese scholars exploring how humans can improve themselves and their society. And what are these counterintuitive ideas? Transformation comes not from looking within for a true self, but from creating conditions that produce new possibilities. Good relationships come not from being sincere and authentic, but from the rituals we perform within them. A good life emerges not from planning it out, but through training ourselves to respond well to small moments. Influence comes not from wielding power but from holding back. Excellence comes from what we choose to do, not our natural abilities. In other words, The Path “opens the mind” (Huffington Post) and upends everything we are told about how to lead a good life. Its most radical idea is that there is no path to follow in the first place—just a journey we create anew at every moment by seeing and doing things differently. “With its…spirited, convincing vision, revolutionary new insights can be gleaned from this book on how to approach life’s multifarious situations with both heart and head” (Kirkus Reviews). A note from the publisher: To read relevant passages from the original works of Chinese philosophy, see our ebook Confucius, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi: Selected Passages, available wherever books are sold.

Download or read book The Path Between Us written by Suzanne Stabile and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2018-04-10 with total page 206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How do we understand the motivations and dynamics of the different personality types we see in our intimate partners, our friends, or in our professional lives? This book from Suzanne Stabile on the nine Enneagram types and how they experience relationships will guide readers into deeper insights about themselves, their types, and others’ personalities so that they can have loving, mature, and compassionate relationships.

Download or read book The Path written by Stephen Sideroff and published by . This book was released on 2015-07-14 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Life is stressful. It's the most identified problem by adults. It is also one of the primary causes of symptoms that send us to the doctor. At the same time, most of us have great resistance to reducing our stress, or "managing" stress. Dr. Sideroff brings his over 40 years of work in the field of psychology as researcher, clinician, professor, trainer and consultant to this most important yet baffling issue of the 21st century. The Path: Mastering the Nine Pillars of Resilience and Success is based on his innovative new model of resilience that considers all factors that contribute to one's ability to navigate and master the challenges of today and live with the greatest level of health and success. His book however, goes beyond simply presenting important and useful information. He identifies and then addresses all the sources of resistance that interferes with addressing this problem. An example of this resistance is found in the concept of Primitive Gestalts that Dr. Sideroff identifies to explain how our brain develop based on childhood lessons and then freezes adaptation that interferes with new learning. Essentially, we adapt to our childhood environment and then get locked into these lessons. Dr. Sideroff is not simply interested in presenting important and useful information for the reader. He wants to make sure that the reader actually follows through and puts these lessons into practice. To do this he anticipates the defenses, blind spots and resistances of the reader and preemptively addresses them. One key factor that he deals with is the typical person's sense of overwhelm when facing the daunting list of behavioral, emotional and cognitive changes one feels they need to make to become resilient. Dr. Sideroff anticipates this and has created a device that he refers to as The Path. As a way of guiding the reader step by step on a journey of growth and increasing mastery he distills the process down to asking one question at any time: "Am I on The Path, or off The Path." As he explains, by working on the nine pillars of resilience, the reader begins to learn how to be on The Path. To avoid overwhelm, one only has to ask that one question, and if they determine that they are off The Path, the book guides them gently back onto The Path. Based on Dr. Sideroff's own brain research and clinical experience, the nine pillars cover such areas as relationship with self, relationship with others, relationship with something greater (spirituality, purpose and service), physical balance and mastery, mental balance and mastery, emotional balance and mastery, presence, flexibility and last, power (defined as the ability to get things done). This comprehensive model and program leaves no one behind in its goal of helping each reader develop greater resilience.

Download or read book Babaji and the 18 Siddha Kriya Yoga Tradition written by Marshall Govindan and published by Kriya Yoga Publications. This book was released on 1991 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first authoritative biography of Babaji, the immortal master made famous by Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi, an all-time best-seller. Babaji lives today near Badrinath, in the upper Himalayan mountains. His body has not aged since the age of sixteen, when centuries ago he attained the supreme state of enlightenment and divine transformation. This followed his initiation into scientific art of Kriya Yoga by two deathless masters, the siddhas Agastyar and Boganathar, who belonged to the "18 Siddha Tradition", famous among the Tamil speaking people of southern India. This rare account, by a long time disciple, reveals their little known stories, ancient culture and present mission, as well as how their Kriya Yoga can be used to bring about the integration of the material and spiritual dimensions of life. Clear explanations of the psychophysiological effects of Kriya Yoga and guidelines for its practice are given. It includes verses from the Siddhas' writings with commentary. A book which will inspire you.