Explores the relationship between material prosperity and spirituality in contemporary Thai Buddhism.

Shortly before Gauguin made his first Tahitian journey in 1891, he spent nearly two years in the remote Breton fishing village of Le Pouldu. Seeking creative isolation in a "primitive" setting, he pursued his art accompanied by several followers. One of them was the Dutch painter Meyer de Haan, who was able to pay the living expenses in Le Pouldu and was also knowledgeable in literary and philosophical matters that fascinated Gauguin. Their association resulted in some of Gauguin's most remarkable works, including the Wadsworth Atheneum's symbolist portrait of de Haan inscribed "Nirvana." This and the rich variety of paintings and sculpture by Gauguin produced in 1889-90 are the focus of this beautiful book. Gauguin and de Haan settled into an inn at Le Pouldu run by an attractive unwed mother named Marie Henry, who began a liaison with de Haan despite the fact that he was a sickly hunchback. The intensity of relations between Gauguin and de Haan is reflected in many of the works, including frescoes, which they installed in the inn. Gauguin's time in Le Pouldu was crucial to the advancement of his art, and the vivid Breton subjects and personality of Meyer de Haan remained in his imagination to reappear even during his later Tahitian period. In this book several distinguished experts draw on previously unavailable sources to examine in depth the history of this period, Gauguin's relationship with de Haan, their interest in religion and exotic cultures, and the meaning of the many innovative symbolist works they produced.

On a beautiful spring day in 2002, Lee Carlson's life was transformed forever when he was hit by a careless, speeding driver. Father, husband, writer, son all that was about to change. Several days later he woke up in a hospital with a new identity: Traumatic Brain Injury Survivor. Unfortunately he knew all about Traumatic Brain Injury, or TBI. Just months before, his mother had fallen down a flight of basement stairs, crushing her brain and leaving her unable to walk, speak or feed herself. Passage to Nirvana tells the story of one person's descent into the hell of losing everything: family, home, health, even the ability to think and the slow climb back to a normal life. Told in a unique creative style brought on by the author's brain injury, combining short poems and essays in an interwoven, exuberant narrative, Passage to Nirvana recounts one person s struggle and ultimate joy at building a new life. The story takes the reader through Intensive Care Units, doctors offices and a profusion of therapy centers, eventually winding its way to sunlit oceans, quiet Zen meditation halls, white beaches, azure skies and a sailboat named Nirvana. Passage to Nirvana is a memoir, a treasury of Zen teachings and a sailor s yarn all rolled into one. Passage to Nirvana is an illustrative tale about finding a path to happiness after a traumatic life event, a book that will teach you about the Poetry of Living.

The dream of owning your own business is as entrenched in American culture as our joy in rooting for the underdog. We love David and Goliath stories because we get to vicariously sling our own rocks at "The Man." We especially enjoy sink or swim battles where our hero is in unfamiliar waters - and in way over his head.Nirvana in a Cup: The Founding of Oregon Chai is all that - and more. It's the true-life story of a mother-daughter entrepreneurial team who built a business in completely unfamiliar terrain - and sold it less than a decade later for $75 million dollars.Heather, the college-aged daughter discovered - and fell in love with - an ancient, spicy, milky tea called "chai" while hiking high in the Himalayas. She and her mother, Tedde, then brewed up a classic kitchen table start-up and brought this new drink that no one had ever heard of, much less could pronounce, to the American market - and beyond.Their journey was littered with speed bumps, u-turns and collisions. Tedde watches with pride as her little girl grows into a CEO before her eyes. Together they negotiate partnerships, secure financing (both private and SBA), conceive of clever branding and innovative packaging strategies and deal with production nightmares and manufacturing mishaps every step of the way.This book, an authentic case study of small business growth pains, gives a rare and unapologetically accurate, fly-on-the-wall glimpse into the trials and tribulations of never having enough cash or energy to keep up with the insanely precarious growth rate of 430%. Not to mention, the perks and drawbacks of running a family - and friend - owned business.Nirvana in a Cup is a story that everyone can enjoy. It's a heart-warming business memoir filled to the brim with life lessons learned along the way, taking an idea to market - and executing it. Brilliantly.This is the textbook for the Ultimate American Dream.

Story of a young industrialist who has just lost his father recently. How he takesover an empire in times of recession and struggles to keep his empire afloat. He has to overcome other challenges and social issues he must confront. He must learn about his family's tragic history to know why a mortal enemy would go to any extremes to kill him. He must do what he must, without compromising on the rigid principles, morality and ideology of the Raisingh family. Ultimately, his actions will determine if his father's soul achieve NIRVANA.

Build a High-Impact, Low-Hassle Digital Sales Prospecting System That Works! Hate cold calling? Stop doing it! Build a supercharged, highly automated digital sales prospecting system that attracts more qualified leads, shortens sales cycles, and increases conversion rates—painlessly! In The Invisible Sale, Tom Martin reveals techniques he’s used to drive consistent double-digit growth through good times and bad, with no cold calling. Martin’s simple, repeatable process helps you laser-target all your marketing activities, sales messages, and sales calls based on what your prospects are actually telling you. Martin boils complex ideas down to simple, straightforward language...real-life case studies...easy-to-understand templates...and actionable solutions! • Discover the “invisible funnel,” where self-educated buyers are making decisions before you know they exist • Leverage Funnel Optimized website design to identify your prospects’ key challenges before you ever speak to them • Integrate social media, content, and email to optimize the entire prospecting process • Make every sales call count with behaviorally targeted email prospecting • Leverage Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to efficiently “prospect at scale” • Use the science of propinquity to choose “outposts,” strategize social networking, and drive offline campaigns • Save money by rightsizing production quality to each marketing requirement • Rapidly create keyword-rich text content, and use it widely to promote self-qualification • Create webinars and tutorials more easily and painlessly than you ever thought possible • Choose low-cost devices, apps, software, and accessories for quickly creating high-quality DIY media content • Learn how to apply Aikido Selling Techniques to close self-educated buyers

How the heck to Invest and Reach Nirvana: A 5-Step Journey to Financial Freedom I wrote this book as an alternative to the conversation I would have loved to have with you on investing successfully, becoming a fully-equipped savvy investor, and achieving financial freedom. I realized a bit late in my life that investing is The One Thing that you can do that will take you all the way to Financial Freedom. That it’s too important to let your current knowledge, investing behaviors, and resources limit your success. That you can’t afford to leave it to others. In the last 15 years, I have been on a journey to find an investing solution that is simple, effective, something I can implement with conviction and never screw up. This led to the creation of moneyworks4me.com. Thousands of users have contributed to the creation of this website that works for them by making things simple and also helping them succeed in investing. Our initial conversations with users were long and usually involved seeing things on the site. These conversations were gratifying and exhilarating for both parties. I wrote this book as a conversation between you and me. I thoroughly loved writing it because I could hear you asking the next question and the next question until you were thoroughly satisfied. Read the chapter titles first to know what we will talk about. Happy Reading!

This one-of-a-kind reference investigates the music and the musicians that set the popular trends of the last half century in America. Many rock fans have, at one time or another, ranked their favorite artists in order of talent, charisma, and musical influence on the world as they see it. In this same spirit, author and music historian David V. Moskowitz expands on the concept of "top ten" lists to provide a lineup of the best 100 musical groups from the past 60 years. Since the chosen bands are based on the author's personal taste, this two-volume set provokes discussion of which performers are included and why, offering insights into the surprising influences behind them. From the Everly Brothers, to the Ramones, to Public Enemy, the work covers a wide variety of styles and genres, clearly illustrating the connections between them. Entries focus on the group's history, touring, membership, major releases, selected discography, bibliography, and influence. Contributions from leading scholars in popular music shed light on derivative artists and underscore the overall impact of the performers on the music industry.