This book, from one of the pioneering and preeminent translators of Zen for the West, presents a selection of Zen lessons from four teachers in four successive generations. More than just a book on Zen philosophy, "Zen Under the Gun" spans the turbulent period in Chinese history from the last generation of the Song dynasty (overthrown by the Mongols in 1279) to the first generation of the Ming dynasty (which drove out the Mongols, and proclaimed its own reign in 1368). These four Zen masters were all eminent public teachers, and their teaching words reflect the state of China and the art of Zen in their time.

Steven Heine offers a compelling examination of the Mu Koan, widely considered to be the single best known and most widely circulated and transmitted koan record of the Zen school of Buddhism.

Daily Doses of Wisdom draws on the richness of Buddhist writings to offer a spiritual cornucopia that will illuminate and inspire day after day, year after year. Sources span a spectrum from ancient sages to modern teachers, from monks to laypeople, from East to West, from poetry to prose. Each page, and each new day, reveals another gem carefully selected from the entire list of titles published by Wisdom.

The joy of intimacy—with yourself, with others, and with the whole universe. The long-awaited first book from a prominent modern American Zen teacher. For Roshi Pat Enkyo O’Hara, intimacy is what Zen practice is all about: the realization of the essential lack of distinction between self and other that inevitably leads to wisdom and compassionate action. She approaches the practice of intimacy beginning at its most basic level—the intimacy with ourselves that is the essential first step. She then shows how to bring intimacy into our relationships with others, starting with those dearest to us and moving on to those who don’t seem dear at all. She shows how to grow in intimacy so that we include everyone around us, all of society, the whole world and all the beings it contains. Each chapter is accompanied by practices she uses with her students at the Village Zendo for manifesting intimacy in our lives.

The book aims to describe the history of Chan (Japanese Zen) School thought from the standpoint of social history. Chan, a school of East Asian Buddhism, was influential on all levels of societies in the region because of its intellectual and aesthetic appeal. In China, Chan infiltrated all levels of society, mainly because it engaged with society and formed the mainstream of Buddhism from the tenth or eleventh centuries through to the twentieth century. This book, taking a critical stance, examines the entire history of Chan thought and practice from the viewpoint of a modern Chinese scholar, not a practitioner, but an intellectual historian who places ideological developments in social contexts. The author suggests that core elements of Chan have their origins in Daoist philosophers, especially Zhuangzi, and not in Indian Buddhist concepts. Covering the period from the sixth century into the twentieth century, it deals with Chan interactions with neo-Confucianism, Quanzhen Daoism, and Gongyang new text philology, as well as with literature and scholarship, its fusion with Pure Land Buddhism, and its syncretic tendencies. Chan’s exchanges with emperors from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasty, as well as the motives of some loyalists of the Ming Dynasty for joining Chan after the fall of the Ming, are described. The book concludes with an examination of the views of Chan of Hu Shi, D.T. Suzuki, and the scholar-monk Yinshun.

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Whats the meaning of this life and where do we find it? Through practical, everyday observations of life, and deep meditations on the wisdom of the ages, Jay Nuzum explores meaning in his own life after reaching a point where all meaning seemed lost. It was around the time I lost my job, my father passed away, my grandmother passed, my wife contracted breast cancer at age twenty-seven, and I almost died Thus begins the true-life account of personal transformation and a never-ending search for the Eternal in unexpected and unfamiliar places including a UFO encounter in West Virginia; a birdwalk with a crack addict; a vision on a mount; a near-death experience; flying a hundred feet off the ground at a peyote ceremony; meeting the Buddha; and coming face to face with an incarnation of Divine Mother. From the profound to the profane, from the sacred to the absurd to the downright bizarre, Jay Nuzum leads you along the footpath of an Everyman trying to find his way through the beguiling maze of an American life. ZEN BIRDWATCHING IN AMERICA will touch your heart, tickle your funny bone and make you a believer in the power of you. A moving, triumph of spirituality that will change your life. William Shorer, City Book Review

"After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Josh Korda left his high-powered advertising job--and a life of drug and alcohol addiction--to find a more satisfying way to live. In Unsubscribe, he shares his three-step guide to recovery from addiction to consumerism, self-deception, and life as you thought it had to be: (1) Reprioritize your goals. (2) Understand yourself. (3) Connect authentically with others. Revolutionary, compassionate, and filled with wonderfully practical exercises, this book will help you lead a more authentic, more fulfilling life"--Page 4 of cover.

I am about to be left in charge of the office. I'm not sure I am ready for the responsibility, so I double-check with my boss. He reassures me. 'You'll be fine, Marianne. As long as no one kills Amanullah Khan, you'll be fine.' By midday, Amanullah Khan is dead. In 2006 Marianne Elliott, a human rights lawyer from New Zealand, was stationed with the UN in Herat. Several months into her new role an important tribal leader is assassinated while she is in charge of the local UN office. She must try to defuse the situation before it leads to widespread bloodshed. And this is just the beginning of her story in Afghanistan. Zen Under Fire is a vivid account of Marianne's experience living and working in the world's most notorious battlefield. As well as sharing the incredible details of her UN role, Marianne tells the very personal story of the shattering effect that the high-stress environment had on her and her relationships, and asks what it really means to do good in a country that is under seige from within. This is an honest, moving and at times terrifying true story of a woman's time peacekeeping in one of the most dangerous places on earth. Also available as an eBook

Pout, the chimera, half-man, half-ape, was incorporated into one of the plants or vice versa. He was jammed into a squatting position, while the stems, entering at his buttocks, merged with his legs, his arms and his torso, emerging at knees, elbows, and through his abdomen and thorax. A large, yellow-petalled flower seemed to frame his face. It was his face that rivetted Ikematsu's attention, while the chimera squirmed in dumb distress, glaring with huge piteous eyes. For in that face, set into it as if set in pudding, was the zen gun. The gun was his face, or a part of it. The barrel pointed straight out in place of a nose... the stock merged with and disappeared into Pout's pendulous mouth. Ikematsu leaned toward the chimera. "How you loved your toy! Now it is truly yours!"

Zen and the Successful Horseplayer will provide the beginner, the advanced, and even the professional horse gambler with specific resources to become a winning player. This book will also demonstrate the applicability of Zen and Eastern philosophy to handicapping, betting, and winning. Learn the basic handicapping skills Learn to be centered in your wagering Learn when you must trust your instincts Learn how to break out of a losing cycle Learn that losing is okay, losses can lead to winning on future days Learn how Zen philosophy can make you a WINNER