The Buddha in the Jungle

The Buddha in the Jungle PDF Author: Kamala Tiyavanich
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 416

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Book Description

The Buddha in the Jungle

The Buddha in the Jungle PDF Author: Kamala Tiyavanich
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 416

Get Book Here

Book Description


Forest Recollections

Forest Recollections PDF Author: Tiyavanich Kamala
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
ISBN: 9780824817817
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 436

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Book Description
"I stayed [in the forest] for two nights. The first night, nothing happened. The second night, at about one or two in the morning, a tiger came--which meant that I didn't get any sleep the whole night. I sat in meditation, scared stiff, while the tiger walked around and around my umbrella tent (klot). My body felt all frozen and numb. I started chanting, and the words came out like running water. All the old chants I had forgotten now came back to me, thanks both to my fear and to my ability to keep my mind under control. I sat like this from 2 until 5 a.m., when the tiger finally left." --A forest monk During the first half of this century the forests of Thailand were home to wandering ascetic monks. They were Buddhists, but their brand of Buddhism did not copy the practices described in ancient doctrinal texts. Their Buddhism found expression in living day-to-day in the forest and in contending with the mental and physical challenges of hunger, pain, fear, and desire. Combining interviews and biographies with an exhaustive knowledge of archival materials and a wide reading of ephemeral popular literature, Kamala Tiyavanich documents the monastic lives of three generations of forest-dwelling ascetics and challenges the stereotype of state-centric Thai Buddhism. Although the tradition of wandering forest ascetics has disappeared, a victim of Thailand's relentless modernization and rampant deforestation, the lives of the monks presented here are a testament to the rich diversity of regional Buddhist traditions. The study of these monastic lineages and practices enriches our understanding of Buddhism in Thailand and elsewhere.

Sons of the Buddha

Sons of the Buddha PDF Author: Kamala Tiyavanich
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0861715365
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 306

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Book Description
A preacher must have common sense, knowing how to turn everyday life experience into Dharma lessons, and assess an audience to maximize communications with them. "Sons of the Buddha" shows how three boys evolved into remarkable exponents of this ideal. Filled with lively anecdotes and illustrations, and brimming with local color, the book shows how each worked successfully to change moral attitudes and Dharma practices, restore Buddhism's social dimension, bridge the divide between laypeople and monastics, and champion tolerance toward other religions.

Esoteric Theravada

Esoteric Theravada PDF Author: Kate Crosby
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
ISBN: 1611807948
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 321

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Book Description
A groundbreaking exploration of a practice tradition that was nearly lost to history. Theravada Buddhism, often understood as the school that most carefully preserved the practices taught by the Buddha, has undergone tremendous change over time. Prior to Western colonialism in Asia—which brought Western and modernist intellectual concerns, such as the separation of science and religion, to bear on Buddhism—there existed a tradition of embodied, esoteric, and culturally regional Theravada meditation practices. This once-dominant traditional meditation system, known as borān kammatthāna, is related to—yet remarkably distinct from—Vipassana and other Buddhist and secular mindfulness practices that would become the hallmark of Theravada Buddhism in the twentieth century. Drawing on a quarter century of research, scholar Kate Crosby offers the first holistic discussion of borān kammatthāna, illuminating the historical events and cultural processes by which the practice has been marginalized in the modern era.

Boundless Heart

Boundless Heart PDF Author: Christina Feldman
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
ISBN: 0834840634
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 161

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Book Description
An esteemed Insight Meditation teacher leads you through the sublime qualities of Buddhism—kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity—and how they can enrich your life Compassion, kindness, equanimity, and joy are not only the fruits of the awakened life but also the path to it—attitudes of mind that can be cultivated through intention and dedication. Also known as the brahma viharas (sublime abodes) and the “Four Immeasurables,” these enobling qualities are far more than simply the “feel-good” states they are often mistaken for. They must be pursued sincerely as a spiritual practice—not just as a means of getting a “spiritual high”—in order to experience the full extent of their power. In Boundless Heart, Christina Feldman presents teachings on the Four Immeasurables, exploring how they balance each other in a way that enhances them all. Her simple practices will lead you toward a life infused with kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity—and to a way of being that promotes those qualities to the world at large.

Introduction to Buddhist Meditation

Introduction to Buddhist Meditation PDF Author: Sarah Shaw
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 104000668X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 286

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Book Description
This lively introduction to Buddhist meditation offers students and practitioners alike a deeper understanding of what meditation is and its purpose and place in the context of different Buddhist schools. The historical background and geographical spread of Buddhist meditation is explored alongside an examination of the development of meditative practices. Chapters cover basic meditative practice, types of meditation, meditation in different regions, meditation and doctrine, and the role of chanting within meditation. Although not a practical guide, Introduction to Buddhist Meditation outlines the procedures associated with Buddhist practices and suggests appropriate activities, useful both for students and interested Buddhists. Vivid quotations from Buddhist texts and carefully selected photographs and diagrams help the reader engage fully with this fascinating subject. Thoroughly revised throughout, this new edition also features a glossary and key, making it ideal reading for students approaching the topic of Buddhist meditation for the first time.

Compassion and Emptiness in Early Buddhist Meditation

Compassion and Emptiness in Early Buddhist Meditation PDF Author: Analayo
Publisher: Windhorse Publications
ISBN: 1909314625
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 163

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Book Description
Analayo investigates the meditative practices of compassion and emptiness by examining and interpreting material from the early Buddhist discourses. Similar to his previous study of satipaa'-a'-hana, he brings a new dimension to our understanding by comparing Pali texts with versions that have survived in Chinese, Sanskrit and Tibetan. The result is a wide-ranging exploration of what these practices meant in early Buddhism.

A New Garden Ethic

A New Garden Ethic PDF Author: Benjamin Vogt
Publisher: New Society Publishers
ISBN: 1771422459
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 217

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Book Description
In a time of climate change and mass extinction, how we garden matters more than ever: “An outstanding and deeply passionate book.” —Marc Bekoff, author of The Emotional Lives of Animals Plenty of books tell home gardeners and professional landscape designers how to garden sustainably, what plants to use, and what resources to explore. Yet few examine why our urban wildlife gardens matter so much—not just for ourselves, but for the larger human and animal communities. Our landscapes push aside wildlife and in turn diminish our genetically programmed love for wildness. How can we get ourselves back into balance through gardens, to speak life's language and learn from other species? Benjamin Vogt addresses why we need a new garden ethic, and why we urgently need wildness in our daily lives—lives sequestered in buildings surrounded by monocultures of lawn and concrete that significantly harm our physical and mental health. He examines the psychological issues around climate change and mass extinction as a way to understand how we are short-circuiting our response to global crises, especially by not growing native plants in our gardens. Simply put, environmentalism is not political; it's social justice for all species marginalized today and for those facing extinction tomorrow. By thinking deeply and honestly about our built landscapes, we can create a compassionate activism that connects us more profoundly to nature and to one another.

The Greatest Freedom

The Greatest Freedom PDF Author: Sirshree
Publisher: WOW PUBLISHINGS PVT LTD
ISBN: 8184157185
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 146

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Book Description
Looking back at some situations we have faced, we often think, ‘Had I behaved differently, had I given an appropriate response, things would have been different.’ Such statements only indicate our lack of control on our behavior and actions. In today’s world of material comforts, everyone wants to lead a dynamic life and progress faster and further at a feverish pace. At the same time, we also yearn for peace and fulfillment. In order to harmonize these seemingly contradictory objectives, it is important that we lead a life of completeness. This book provides the blueprint for proficiently conducting yourself based on the principle of Awakened Response. With the help of this blueprint, you can easily unlock the treasure chest of behavioral proficiency and thereby attain the greatest freedom. With practical examples, this book guides the reader on how to master the art of developing our response – ability. We should nurture this ability of perfect response to various situations as soon as possible. The miracle of awakened response will then manifest in our life. There are many questions that need to be answered to understand this topic in its depth and entirety. How do we achieve the freedom of choice of response? How do we make use of this greatest freedom? How do we consistently make the highest choices? How do we achieve completeness in life? Answers to all these questions are already available within you. This book enables you to unravel them.

The Hidden Life of the Sixth Dalai Lama

The Hidden Life of the Sixth Dalai Lama PDF Author: Ngawang Lhundrup Dargyé
Publisher: Lexington Books
ISBN: 0739150553
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 171

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Book Description
The life of the Sixth Dalai Lama does not end with his supposed death at Kokonor in November 1706, on the way to Beijing, and an audience with the Manchu Emperor Kangxi. This book, the so-called Hidden Life, presents a very different Tsangyang Gyamtso, neither a louche poet nor a drinker, but a sober Buddhist practitioner, who chose to escape at Kokonor and to adopt the guise of a wandering monk, only appearing some years later, after many fantastical and mystical adventures, in what is today Inner Mongolia, where he oversaw monasteries and lived as a Buddhist teacher. The Hidden Life was written by a Mongolian monk in 1756, ten years following the death of the lama, his spiritual teacher, whom he identifies as Tsangyang Gyamtso, and in whose identity as the Sixth Dalai Lama he clearly has complete faith. However, as one might imagine, there is nowadays no agreement among the wider Tibetan, Mongolian and Tibetological scholarly community as to whether this man was a charlatan or deluded, or whether he was indeed the Sixth Dalai Lama. The text is divided into four parts. The first part gives an account of the background and birth of the Sixth Dalai Lama, while the opening section of the second part (which is in direct speech, dictated by the lama) continues on, through the political intrigue in Lhasa at the end of the seventeenth century, to the lama's escape at Kokonor. The remainder of the second part consists of a visionary narrative, in which the lama travels through Tibet and Nepal, and in which he encounters divine figures, yetis, zombies and a man with no head, all of which is presented as fact. The third and longest part is an account of the final thirty years of the lama's life, and his activity in Mongolia as an influential Buddhist teacher, including a lengthy and moving description of his death. The final part includes a list of his students and, most interestingly perhaps, a theological and philosophical justification for the coexistence of the Sixth and Seventh Dalai Lamas.