Download or read book Straight to the Heart of Zen written by Philip Kapleau and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 2001-07-31 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Here, Roshi Kapleau focuses on koans that illuminate fundamental issues of the spiritual life. While koans may be said to be uniquely Zen, in Kapleau's explorations they start to become as familiar, everyday, and relevant as the questions we ponder in one form or another all our lives: Why was I born? Why must I die? How can I find an end to suffering?"--BOOK JACKET.
Download or read book Straight from the Heart written by Jamgon Mipham and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 2014-04-22 with total page 577 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Straight from the Heart brings together an inspiring collection of Buddhist teachings, songs of realization, meditation instructions, and enlightened poetry—all chosen for their power to speak directly to the student. Drawn from Indian Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism as well as from all four schools of Tibetan Buddhism, some will impress with their beautiful poetry and powerful imagery, others with their profound power of instruction. Still others share personal advice for life that seems to come directly from the mouth of the author, and some serve as immediate and profound practice instructions. Several are just delightfully unconventional, even outrageous, letting in fresh air on petrified views or musty traditions. Most of them are simply unknown precious gems, which deserve a wider audience. Each of the works is preceded by a brief introduction and a short biography of its author. Many of these are legendary accounts of supernatural feats, edifying examples for students on the same spiritual path meant to expand their limited outlook with “mind-blowing” stories. Miraculous deeds, magnificent songs, and pithy instructions distinguish this collection assembled by the Buddhist scholar and translator Karl Brunnhölzl, whose years of work among dharma texts and his skill as a translator yield a rich mine of teachings all chosen for their ability to speak directly to the heart.
Download or read book Zen written by Philip Kapleau and published by Vintage. This book was released on 1980 with total page 311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Where the Heart Beats written by Kay Larson and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2012-07-05 with total page 496 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A “heroic” and “fascinating” biography of John Cage showing how his work, and that of countless American artists, was transformed by Zen Buddhism (The New York Times) Where the Heart Beats is the story of the tremendous changes sweeping through American culture following the Second World War, a time when the arts in America broke away from centuries of tradition and reinvented themselves. Painters converted their canvases into arenas for action and gesture, dancers embraced pure movement over narrative, performance artists staged “happenings” in which anything could happen, poets wrote words determined by chance. In this tumultuous period, a composer of experimental music began a spiritual quest to know himself better. His earnest inquiry touched thousands of lives and created controversies that are ongoing. He devised unique concerts—consisting of notes chosen by chance, randomly tuned radios, and silence—in the service of his absolute conviction that art and life are one inseparable truth, a seamless web of creation divided only by illusory thoughts. What empowered John Cage to compose his incredible music—and what allowed him to inspire tremendous transformations in the lives of his fellow artists—was Cage’s improbable conversion to Zen Buddhism. This is the story of how Zen saved Cage from himself. Where the Heart Beats is the first book to address the phenomenal importance of Zen Buddhism to John Cage’s life and to the artistic avant-garde of the 1950s and 1960s. Zen’s power to transform Cage’s troubled mind—by showing him his own enlightened nature—liberated Cage from an acute personal crisis that threatened everything he most deeply cared abouthis life, his music, and his relationship with his life partner, Merce Cunningham. Caught in a society that rejected his art, his politics, and his sexual orientation, Cage was transformed by Zen from an overlooked and marginal musician into the absolute epicenter of the avant-garde. Using Cage’s life as a starting point, Where the Heart Beats looks beyond to the individuals Cage influenced and the art he inspired. His creative genius touched Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol, Yoko Ono, Alan Kaprow, Morton Feldman, and Leo Castelli, who all went on to revolutionize their respective disciplines. As Cage’s story progresses, as his collaborators’ trajectories unfurl, Where the Heart Beats shows the blossoming of Zen in the very heart of American culture.
Download or read book Opening the Hand of Thought written by Kosho Uchiyama and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2005-06-10 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For over thirty years, Opening the Hand of Thought has offered an introduction to Zen Buddhism and meditation unmatched in clarity and power. This is the revised edition of Kosho Uchiyama's singularly incisive classic. This new edition contains even more useful material: new prefaces, an index, and extended endnotes, in addition to a revised glossary. As Jisho Warner writes in her preface, Opening the Hand of Thought "goes directly to the heart of Zen practice... showing how Zen Buddhism can be a deep and life-sustaining activity." She goes on to say, "Uchiyama looks at what a person is, what a self is, how to develop a true self not separate from all things, one that can settle in peace in the midst of life." By turns humorous, philosophical, and personal, Opening the Hand of Thought is above all a great book for the Buddhist practitioner. It's a perfect follow-up for the reader who has read Zen Meditation in Plain English and is especially useful for those who have not yet encountered a Zen teacher.
Download or read book Opening the Hand of Thought written by Kosho Uchiyama and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2005-06-10 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For over thirty years, Opening the Hand of Thought has offered an introduction to Zen Buddhism and meditation unmatched in clarity and power. This is the revised edition of Kosho Uchiyama's singularly incisive classic. This new edition contains even more useful material: new prefaces, an index, and extended endnotes, in addition to a revised glossary. As Jisho Warner writes in her preface, Opening the Hand of Thought "goes directly to the heart of Zen practice... showing how Zen Buddhism can be a deep and life-sustaining activity." She goes on to say, "Uchiyama looks at what a person is, what a self is, how to develop a true self not separate from all things, one that can settle in peace in the midst of life." By turns humorous, philosophical, and personal, Opening the Hand of Thought is above all a great book for the Buddhist practitioner. It's a perfect follow-up for the reader who has read Zen Meditation in Plain English and is especially useful for those who have not yet encountered a Zen teacher.
Download or read book The Whole Heart of Zen written by John Bright-Fey and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The core tenets of Zen Buddhism as expressed by its founder, Ta-Mo, are expertly translated in this exquisite keepsake. Revealing Zen's authentic essence and spirit, these sermons, which were the once-secret oral tradition of the Song Shan Monastery (known in the West as Shaolin Temple), provide both the spiritually curious and practicing Zen Buddhist with insight into the philosophy's foundation and original beliefs. The gift-book format provides years of accessible inspiration and wisdom for those seeking a direct link to Zen's profound and transformative beginnings.
Download or read book Mud and Water written by Bassui Tokusho and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2013-02-08 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The fourteenth-century Zen master Bassui was recognized as one of the most important Zen teachers of his time. Accessible and eloquent, these teachings cut to the heart of the great matter of Zen, pointing directly to the importance of seeing our own original nature and recognizing it as Buddhahood itself. Bassui is taking familiar concepts in Buddhism and recasting them in an essential Zen light. Though he lived centuries ago in a culture vastly different from our own, Zen Master Bassui speaks with a voice that spans time and space to address our own modern challenges - in our lives and spiritual practice. Like the revered Master Dogen several generations before him, Bassui was dissatisfied with what passed for Zen training, and taught a radically reenergized form of Zen, emphasizing deep and direct penetration into one's own true nature. And also like Dogen, Bassui uses powerful and often poetic language to take familiar Buddhist concepts recast them in a radically non-dual Zen light, making ancient doctrines vividly relevant. This edition of Mud and Water contains several teachings never before translated.
Download or read book Hardcore Zen written by Brad Warner and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2015-12 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Zen, plain and simple, with no BS. This is not your typical Zen book. Brad Warner, a young punk who grew up to be a Zen master, spares no one. This bold new approach to the "Why?" of Zen Buddhism is as strongly grounded in the tradition of Zen as it is utterly revolutionary. Warner's voice is hilarious, and he calls on the wisdom of everyone from punk and pop culture icons to the Buddha himself to make sure his points come through loud and clear. As it prods readers to question everything, Hardcore Zen is both an approach and a departure, leaving behind the soft and lyrical for the gritty and stark perspective of a new generation. This new edition will feature an afterword from the author.
Download or read book The Heart of Zen written by Jun Po Denis Kelly Roshi and published by North Atlantic Books. This book was released on 2014-04-15 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While we are more and more familiar with popular ideas of enlightenment and spiritual awakening, life still comes at us full force, and hope can turn to frustration as the gulf between our spiritual belief and our everyday life seems to loom ever larger. Through spirited Q&A sessions with Zen master Jun Po Denis Kelly Roshi, The Heart of Zen takes a gradual, step-by-step approach to what has become a vexing problem in spiritual circles. What is missing is integration. If awakening truly transforms every part of the life of a person, where are we getting stuck? How can negative emotions like anger, shame, envy, and jealousy continue to arise? How do our relative egos relate to the Zen teaching of Emptiness, and what does this mean for our intimate relationships, our emotional bodies, our views of the world and its problems? The Heart of Zen represents the next generation of spiritual books because it addresses awakening and spiritual life within the context of creating lasting change through the integration of spiritual insight into the flow and flux of everyday life. Jun Po Denis Kelly Roshi explains how well trained meditation students may learn to be nonreactive to emotions, but they seldom learn how to transform their negative emotions (and the ego that holds them) as part of a more deeply integrated, lived spirituality. This book describes precisely what this means in great detail and with exercises for the reader to follow. Part discussion on these intricate topics and part experiential guide, The Heart of Zen offers a one-of-a-kind take on enlightenment, emotional maturity, and the integration required to take one's seat in true liberation.
Download or read book The Zen Master s Dance written by Jundo Cohen and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2020-10-20 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Zen Master's Dance makes some of Zen’s subtlest teaching deeply personal and freshly accessible. Eihei Dogen—the thirteenth-century Japanese Zen Master of peerless depth and subtlety—heard the music of the universe that sounds as all events and places, people, things, and spaces. He experienced reality as a great dance moving through time, coming to life in the thoughts and acts of all beings. It is a most special dance, the dance that the whole of reality is dancing, with nothing left out. All beings are dancing, and reality is dancing as all beings. In The Zen Master’s Dance, Jundo Cohen takes us deep into the mind of Master Dogen—and shows us how to join in the great and intimate dance of the universe. Through fresh translations and sparkling teaching, Cohen opens up for us a new way to read one of Buddhism’s most remarkable spiritual geniuses.
Download or read book Buddhism in a Nutshell written by Narada Thera and published by Pariyatti Publishing. This book was released on 2017-09-01 with total page 87 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This new Pariyatti Edition of the classic Buddhism in a Nutshell is an excellent introductory overview of the fundamental principles of Buddhist doctrine. Topics covered include: the life of the Buddha, the Dhamma (Is it a philosophy? A religion? An ethical system?), the Four Noble Truths, the Law of Kamma, Rebirth, Dependent Origination, Anatta, and Nibbana. Recommended for beginners.
Download or read book Zen Buddhism written by Joshua R. Paszkiewicz and published by Wellfleet Press. This book was released on 2023-04-18 with total page 163 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Connect more meaningfully to the cultural wisdom and spiritual teachings of Buddhism. Explore Buddhist traditions and older ways of connecting with spirituality by going straight to the heart of mystical traditions. Zen Buddhism explores the spiritual teachings that have thrived throughout Chinese culture and many other societies. With this guidebook for both newcomers to spiritual practice and those searching for a concise reference to a long history, discover how to honor your connection to nature and reach your full potential through Zen practice. Explore the history behind Buddhist practices and teachings, and then engage with them firsthand, forming a deeper bond with yourself and the world. Illuminated by beautiful illustrations, this guide presents: The history of Buddhism Meditations and rituals to bring the ancient wisdom into modern life Key concepts and figures of Buddhist teachings As with every title in the Mystic Traditions series, Zen Buddhism is a celebration of a unique and beautiful culture. As such, the subject matter and content has been treated with the utmost care and respect to ensure an accurate and reverent presentation that is accessible to a variety of audiences, and serves to further educate and foster support for these rich practices and traditions for years to come. Zen Buddhism is your engaging, accessible, and hands-on introduction to the deep magic and spirituality of Buddhism. The Mystic Traditions series explores mystical and spiritual traditions and magical practices from around the world from a modern perspective. These guides offer concise introductions to the origins of mystical practices; explain key concepts, figures, and legends in these traditions; and give straightforward and engaging instruction on how to connect directly with these practices through rituals, spells, and more. Also available in the Mystic Traditions series: Native American Spiritualism, Celtic Mysticism.
Download or read book The Eye Never Sleeps written by Dennis Genpo Merzel and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 1991-04-09 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The radical challenge of Zen Buddhism is to drop all assumptions and prejudices and experience the truth directly. American Zen teacher Dennis Genpo Merzel brings new life to this ancient wisdom through his commentaries on a classic Chinese Zen scripture, "Verses on Faith-Mind," by the Third Patriarch of Zen, Sosan Zenji. The author strikes to the heart of Zen with clarity and force, expressing in modern terms, to an American audience, the essential wisdom and compassion of Sosan Zenji's famous poem. Full of colorful Zen lore and personal anecdotes from Dennis Genpo Merzel's life, these talks impart the Buddha's teaching directly and intimately, illuminating in simple words the timeless questions and problems of day-to-day life.
Download or read book Eat Sleep Sit written by Kaoru Nonomura and published by Kodansha USA. This book was released on 2010-08-05 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At the age of thirty, Kaoru Nonomura left his family, his girlfriend, and his job as a designer in Tokyo to undertake a year of ascetic training at Eiheiji, one of the most rigorous Zen training temples in Japan. This book is Nonomura's recollection of his experiences. He skillfully describes every aspect of training, including how to meditate, how to eat, how to wash, even how to use the toilet, in a way that is easy to understand no matter how familiar a reader is with Zen Buddhism. This first-person account also describes Nonomura's struggles in the face of beatings, hunger, exhaustion, fear, and loneliness, the comfort he draws from his friendships with the other trainees, and his quiet determination to give his life spiritual meaning. After writing Eat Sleep Sit, Kaoru Nonomura returned to his normal life as a designer, but his book has maintained its popularity in Japan, selling more than 100,000 copies since its first printing in 1996. Beautifully written, and offering fascinating insight into a culture of hardships that few people could endure, this is a deeply personal story that will appeal to all those with an interest in Zen Buddhism, as well as to anyone seeking spiritual growth.
Download or read book No Beginning No End written by Jakusho Kwong and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 2010-06-08 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In No Beginning, No End, Zen master Jakusho Kwong-roshi shows us how to treasure the ordinary activities of our daily lives through an understanding of simple Buddhist practices and ideas. The author’s spontaneous, poetic, and pragmatic teachings—so reminiscent of his spiritual predecessor Shunryu Suzuki (Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind)—transport us on an exciting journey into the very heart of Zen and its meaningful traditions. Because Kwong-roshi can transmit the most intimate thing in the most accessible way, we learn how to ignite our own vitality, wisdom, and compassion and awaken a feeling of intimacy with the world. It is like having a conversation with our deepest and wisest self. Jakusho Kwong-roshi was originally inspired to study Zen because of zenga, the ancient art of Zen calligraphy. Throughout this book he combines examples of his own unique style of calligraphy, with less-known stories from the Zen tradition, personal anecdotes—including moving and humorous stories of his training with Suzuki-roshi—and his own lucid and inspiring teachings. All of this comes together to create an intimate expression of the enlightening world of Zen.
Download or read book Mind Body Zen written by Jeffrey Maitland and published by North Atlantic Books. This book was released on 2010-08-03 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Mind Body Zen, long-time Zen student, world-renowned Rolfer, and former philosophy professor Jeffrey Maitland combines his expertise across the mind-body-zen spectrum to help bridge the East-West gap in spiritual practice. Tackling the prevailing misconception that Zen is a philosophy, Maitland provides an in-depth explanation of why Zen is an eminently practical, grounded discipline. He emphasizes the power of simple, direct experience that lies at the heart of Zen. Maitland’s training in philosophy as well as bodywork distinguishes Mind Body Zen from many other books on the market. Drawing on his Rolfing expertise and years of applied meditation practice, he also offers techniques for healers across many systems and disciplines to more effectively work with their clients. Threaded throughout these discussions are the insights of Joshu Sasaki Roshi, founder of Mt. Baldy Zen Center, best known by some as Leonard Cohen’s teacher, still actively teaching at age 102 but whose work has rarely been published. Mind Body Zen will appeal to the growing number of Western Buddhists and spiritual seekers interested in Zen or meditation. Somatic therapists, psychotherapists, and healers of every persuasion will also find the connection between Zen and healing to be of great interest.
