Explains how to apply Zen principles to create and maintain loving relationships, outlining thirteen essential practices that offer advice on how to overcome such challenges as miscommunication, insecurity, and jealousy.

A experimental, and unique collection of free verse by C.R. Asher.

In the years after World War II, Westerners and Japanese alike elevated Zen to the quintessence of spirituality in Japan. Pursuing the sources of Zen as a Japanese ideal, Shoji Yamada uncovers the surprising role of two cultural touchstones: Eugen Herrigel’s Zen in the Art of Archery and the Ryoanji dry-landscape rock garden. Yamada shows how both became facile conduits for exporting and importing Japanese culture. First published in German in 1948 and translated into Japanese in 1956, Herrigel’s book popularized ideas of Zen both in the West and in Japan. Yamada traces the prewar history of Japanese archery, reveals how Herrigel mistakenly came to understand it as a traditional practice, and explains why the Japanese themselves embraced his interpretation as spiritual discipline. Turning to Ryoanji, Yamada argues that this epitome of Zen in fact bears little relation to Buddhism and is best understood in relation to Chinese myth. For much of its modern history, Ryoanji was a weedy, neglected plot; only after its allegorical role in a 1949 Ozu film was it popularly linked to Zen. Westerners have had a part in redefining Ryoanji, but as in the case of archery, Yamada’s interest is primarily in how the Japanese themselves have invested this cultural site with new value through a spurious association with Zen.

Religious pluralism has characterized America almost from its seventeenth-century inception, but the past half century or so has witnessed wholesale changes in the religious landscape. Gods in America brings together leading scholars from a variety of disciplines to explain the historical roots of these phenomena and assess their impact on modern American society.

Games form an integral part of life and the rules that determine how they are to be played provide us with rich insights into the specific nature of cultures. Comprising theoretical, philosophical, and legal discussions, the contexts of game playing are comprehensively examined in essays which range widely through time and space. In focussing on the topic of game playing this volume of essays - which stems from a Transcultura symposium on the transcultural key-concept of "the rules of the game" - engages in a fresh way with the field of sports as a unique and yet shared cultural phenomenon.

This book offers a range of contemporary sociological reflections on new manifestations of religion, religiosity, and spirituality in Central and Eastern Europe, a region that has seen significant social and political transformation. It explores the development of cultural and religious trends, including secularisation, new spiritualit,y and a resurgence of religiosity outside of traditional structures. The theoretical and empirical contributions by established and emerging scholars address topics including: the experiences and values of young people, the role and influence of media, the relationship between public and private religion, and the position of state and institutions. The book will be of particular interest to sociologists of religion and others focused on contemporary Central and Eastern European societies.

Discover the 2,000 Year Old Zen Secret of Feeling Calm, Balanced and Positive, No Matter what's Going On In Your Life. In this book you will discover ways to dissolve stress and anxiety, and find true calm, relaxation and peace of mind. You will discover some of the things that steal your peace of mind and learn new ways of handling them. You will dissolve popular myths about mental health, see why they're wrong and how it's easy to turn around the way you feel and live a fulfilling life right now. There's no need to constantly build strategies and figure out what to do, and it's a mistake to try to change and manage everyone in sight. This book will show you a completely different approach to living, one that will make you and those around you feel brand new. Praise for Dr. Brenda Shoshanna’s books “Dr. Shoshanna’s words are wonderful!” --Marianne Williamson “A powerful, potentially life-changing book.” –Body & Soul “There’s some good, solid advice here that just might help the lovelorn break some of their destructive patterns and connect the dots as to why true love is always passing them by.” --St. Petersburg Times “In her book Fearless, Dr. Shoshanna provides a refreshingly simple ‘Zen’ approach to addressing the complicated subject of fear.” --Lucinda Bassett "Shoshanna has some insightful things to say about anger in the family, in the workplace, at God and at destiny. This book can change the way you view yourself and others. It will help you give up grudges, stop blaming others and playing the victim." --Spirituality & Health “Readers searching for broader meaning will revel in Dr. Shoshanna’s ability to weave together the basic tenets of relationship psychology with the self-realization techniques of Zen practice.” --Publishers Weekly “This is relationship, samurai style...Shoshanna studied with the Zen masters Soen Nakagawa Roshi and Eido Shimano Roshi; the rigor of traditional monastic training shines through the spare language and format. Aspects of Zen training that can be controversial or confounding are presented matter-of-factly.... Shoshanna holds out the redemptive possibilities of practice.” --Tricycle Magazine “Dr. Shoshanna’s book has less to do with the mechanics of sitting and more to do with the realities of integrating Zen practice into real life. Shoshanna extends an empty and richly filled hand, offering both the sublime and the practical, which are one and the same in the Zen world. This is a highly recommended volume for beginners and new practitioners.” --Publishers Weekly “Dr. Shoshanna challenges us to let go of fantasies, expectations, fears and anticipation so we can be fully present to life. Her wisdom is genuine and deeply considered. Her book is well worth reading.” --Spiritual Parenting “If you are looking for a way to have happiness and still live in this world, you have come to the right book. Rarely do eloquent prose, gems of quotes, simple wisdom, and practical exercises come in one book: Zen Miracles offers all of these and more. Whatever your spiritual orientation, this is a book you will refer to for years to come.” --Lee Jampolsky, Ph.D. author of Healing Together, Healing the Addictive Mind, and The Art of Trust “This wonderful book brings East and West – and ancient and modern worlds – together and provides profound wisdom and guidance for anyone struggling with stress, anxiety, anger, fear or loneliness. Beautifully written, funny, warm and filled with unusual, wonderful exercises. A real miracle.” --Rabbi Gary Moskowitz Director of the Institute for Violence Prevention “With her warm and compassionate style, Dr. Shoshanna exhibits the unique ability to explain even the most difficult ideas in understandable terms. This book is a must for anyone seeking the secrets for attaining a balanced life and true peace of mind.” --Lewis Harrison Director of the Academy of Natural Healing

Most of us think problems are inevitable. Not only do we spend a huge portion of our time and energy figuring out how to solve them, but at soon as we solve one, another pops up to take its place. Instead of enjoying the beautiful day, we fret, worry and dwell upon how to maneuver the next roadblock in our path. Filled with stress and worry, we accumulate information and education to insure that our lives are safe, successful and secure. And yet, life happens as it does. Most of the time we are too busy to notice how life is happening, what the moment is bringing, or the wonderful person who just passed by. So much healing, wisdom and happiness, right in front of us, is never seen, touched or tasted. What if it were possible to approach life differently? What if we could find out how to enjoy each experience that arises, and not make a problem of anything? Who would we be then? What would our days be like? Do you know the secret to living a problem free life? THE ZEN ROAD TO HAPPINESS offers a totally new way of walking through our days. Based upon Zen practice and principles, this book shows how we create problems, and teaches how to stop. Zen takes us on along a different path. Some call it the road to awakening. Readers will see what fuels their worries and how to pull the plug on these fuels and see life differently. Filled with information and wonderful exercises, No Problem, No Worry will enable you to turn problems into growth and adventure, and show you how to live your life with the utmost joy.

For Jews, Zen students, "JuBus," and other open-minded seekers--a guide to authentic Jewish and Zen practice and how they illuminate, challenge, and enrich each other. Books like the Jew in the Lotus have helped to define the intersection of Jewish and Zen experience and custom. Now, in the first guide to the practice of both Judaism and Zen, Dr. Brenda Shoshanna, a long-time practitioner and student of both, shares her insights with over one million people who identify as "JuBus," as well as Jews, Zen students, non-Jews, and everyone in the interfaith community who seeks understanding, meaning, and a life grounded in these authentic faiths. Each chapter of Jewish Dharma focuses on common issues that introduce disorder to our lives, using personal narrative, parables, quotations from both Jewish and Zen scriptures, anecdotes, and exercises. Specific guidelines and exercises help readers integrate both practices into their everyday lives--and thereby gain deeper understanding and happiness. A long term Zen student and practicing Jew (who cannot let go of either), Dr. Shoshanna explores the ways in which Zen and Judaism practice illuminate and enrich one another. Zen deepens Jewish experience and Jewish practice provides the warmth and relationships that can get lost in the Zen. Zen is based on radical freedom, individuality, being in the present and nonattachment. Judaism comes rooted in relationships, family, love, prayer to a Higher power and the instruction to always remember. A Jewish heart is warm, giving, human, and devoted to family and friends. A Zen eye is fresh, direct, spontaneous and planted in the present moment. Together they are like two wings of a bird, both are needed to be able to fly. The book includes stories, discussion, information and wonderful exercises. It has been highly endorsed by Rabbis, Zen teachers, and others. "I couldn't put it dwn. ...Dr Brenda Shoshanna guides us into the heart of Jewish and Zen practice which enrich one another in ways that enhance....A must read for anyone who wishes to explore Zen meditatin and Jewish life." --Rabbi Marcia Prager, author The Path of Blessng "Brenda Shoshanna's book tells a story of a woman's coming to terms with the deepest part of each tradition - she is creating a unique path. I highly recommend this book to anyone." --Rodger Kamenetz, author The Jew in The Lotus "Dr Shoshanna's vision embrances both traditions with fidelity and beauty." --Robert Kennedy, S.J. Roshi, author Zen Gifts for Christians "Her good heart and wisdom mind shine through in this delightful, interesting, psychologically astute and practical book. Anyone intersted in finding deeper understanding and meaningful puprose in life will be rewarded by reading any one of the pages." --Lama Surya Das, author Awakening the Buddha Within

As a spiritual seeker, you are on a quest for truth. This journey to find your truth has many names: becoming whole, self-actualized, enlightened, individuated, or authentic. All roads lead to the same destination: your essence, being, true nature, or original face. Here you will find your source of meaning, purpose, and fulfillment. In our Western culture, our need for wholeness expresses itself through its greatest obstacle - the tension between survival and meaning. Resolving this tension is a large part of finding happiness and fulfillment in life. We need to achieve a harmonious balance between the objective goal-oriented world and the subjective intuitive world - a union between the mind and the heart. Much like the Zen tradition of pointing the way, author Charles McCauley points the way for you to navigate your unique quest for wholeness. He guides you on a spiritual and psychological journey that is, above all, a personal experience. By using a unique synthesis of Eastern and Western spiritual and psychological wisdom that addresses contemporary issues, Zen and the Art of Wholeness leads you towards discovering and fully experiencing the whole life you were born to have.