Spirituality/Religion from The Vespiary Book Restoration & Bindery

Only by understanding Dao (the Way of Nature) and dwelling in its unity can humankind achieve true happiness and freedom, in both life and death. This is the central tenet of the philosophy that was to become Daoism, espoused by the person -- or group of people -- known as Zhuanzi (369?-286? B.C.), in the text of the same name.… Read more about this item

Empty your mind; be formless, shapeless like water. Bruce Lee is a cultural icon, renowned the world over for his martial arts and film legacy. But Lee was also a deeply philosophical thinker, learning at an early age that martial arts are more than just an exercise in physical discipline--they are an apt metaphor for living a fully realized life. Now, in… Read more about this item

Islam features widely in the news, often in its most militant versions. But few people in the non-Muslim world really understand the nature of Islam, both as Ideology and religion. Islam: A Very Short Introduction offers essential insight into the structure and beliefs of this major world religion.

Thirteenth-century Zen Master Eihei Dogen has been unanimously acknowledged by Japanese and Western scholars alike as Japan's foremost philosopher. Now Francis Dojun Cook, a Dogen scholar for many years, has translated ten practice-oriented chapters of Master Dogen's masterwork, the Shobogenzo ("Treasury of the True Dharma Eye"), in which he discusses what is involved in the wholehearted, moment-to-moment practice of Zen,… Read more about this item

The complex relationship between America and the Arab world goes back further than most people realize. In Artillery of Heaven, Ussama Makdisi presents a foundational American encounter with the Arab world that occurred in the nineteenth century, shortly after the arrival of the first American Protestant missionaries in the Middle East. He tells the dramatic tale of the conversion and… Read more about this item

A collection of Ajahn Chah's most powerful teachings, including those on meditation, liberation from suffering, calming the mind, enlightenment and the living dhamma.

"Encountering Kali "explores one of the most remarkable divinities the world has seen--the Hindu goddess Kali. She is simultaneously understood as a blood-thirsty warrior, a goddess of ritual possession, a Tantric sexual partner, and an all-loving, compassionate Mother. Popular and scholarly interest in her has been on the rise in the West in recent years. Responding to this phenomenon, this… Read more about this item

A renowned Buddhist teacher's magnum opus, based on his fresh reading of the tradition's earliest texts

In his definitive introduction to Zen Buddhism, Alan Watts explains the principles and practices of this ancient religion to Western readers. With a rare combination of freshness and lucidity, he delves into the origins and history of Zen to explain what it means for the world today with incredible clarity. Watts saw Zen as one of the most precious gifts… Read more about this item

Barbara Ehrenreich is one of the most important thinkers of our time. Educated as a scientist, she is an author, journalist, activist, and advocate for social justice. In Living with a Wild God, she recounts her quest — beginning in childhood — to find "the Truth" about the universe and everything else: What's really going on? Why are we here?… Read more about this item

A landmark translation of one of the most popular works of world literture, this edition of the Tao Te Ching is based on the Ma-wang-tui manuscripts.

Drawing on private records, letters, and long-lost documents of the Song dynasty (tenth to thirteenth centuries), this book consists of short excerpts written in a language that is accessible to readers without any background in Eastern philosophy. It serves as a study of the personal qualities and conduct necessary for the mastery of any position of power and authority, whether… Read more about this item

One of the most comprehensive manuals written on the essential points of Buddhist meditation is "The Great Stopping and Seeing," a monumental work written by sixth century Buddhist master Chih-i. Stopping and Seeing, the first translation of this essential text, covers the principles and methods of a wide variety of Buddhist meditation techniques and provides an in-depth presentation of the… Read more about this item

One of America's most distinctive and popular Zen masters illuminates three central Buddhist teachings.

In 1959 a young monk named Tsung Tsai (Ancestor Wisdom) escapes the Red Army troops that destroy his monastery, and flees alone three thousand miles across a China swept by chaos and famine. Knowing his fellow monks are dead, himself starving and hunted, he is sustained by his mission: to carry on the teachings of his Buddhist meditation master, who… Read more about this item

In Seeking the Heart of Wisdom Goldstein and Kornfield present the central teachings and practices of insight meditation in a clear and personal language. The path of insight meditation is a journey of understanding our bodies, our minds, and our lives, of seeing clearly the true nature of experience. The authors guide the reader in developing the openness and compassion… Read more about this item

One of this century's leading works on Zen, this book is a valuable source for those wishing to understand its concepts in the context of Japanese life and art. In simple, often poetic, language, Daisetz Suzuki describes what Zen is, how it evolved, and how its emphasis on primitive simplicity and self-effacement have helped to shape an aesthetics found throughout… Read more about this item

In 1095, with the tomb of Jesus still in the hands of infidels and the Byzantine empire overrun by Muslim Turks, Pope Urban II summoned Christian warriors to take up the cross and their swords against the Turks and then recover the holy city of Jerusalem from Islam. It was to be the first of the Crusades, a holy war… Read more about this item

The now classic Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism is the record of two series of lectures given by Trungpa Rinpoche in 1970-71. First discussed are the various ways in which people involve themselves in spiritual materialism, the many forms of self-deception into which aspirants may fall. After this tour of the sidetracks along the way, the broad outlines of the true… Read more about this item

Photographs and descriptive text provide insight into the everyday life of the Zen monk in Japan today.