"What are the core teachings and beliefs of Buddhism? Readers will learn about one of the world's most widely practiced religions through the lens of two different perspectives and dive deep into important figures, sacred texts, holidays, and commandments. This narrative nonfiction book uses considerate text that is written at a higher maturity level with a lower reading level to engage and accommodate struggling readers. Includes sidebars that are...

"In The Art and Skill of Buddhist Meditation, mindfulness teacher Richard Shankman gives readers a foundational guide to the art and skill of Buddhist meditation, showing them how to construct a daily practice that unifies two major Theravada Buddhist traditions--concentration meditation and insight meditation. This new, integrative, and simple approach will help readers manage stress, quiet their busy minds, and cultivate a lasting sense of well-being"--...

"Winner of the 1994 James Henry Breasted Prize, American Historical Association" "Winner of the 1994 Tricycle Prize for Excellence in Buddhist Scholarship" Miranda Shaw is Assistant Professor of Religion at the University of Richmond. The crowning cultural achievement of medieval India, Tantric Buddhism is known in the West primarily for the sexual practices of its adherents, who strive to transform erotic passion into spiritual ecstasy. Historians...

Passed along for centuries through oral tradition by the followers of Buddhism, "The Dhammapada" is a collection of sayings by Buddha, which concisely presents the religion's core philosophies. Widely recognized as one of the most accessible works of all the Buddhist scriptures, the verses of the work describe events in the life of Buddha through, which the wisdom of Buddha's beliefs are revealed. Unlike the proscriptive nature of the scriptures of...

Buddhist philosopher, peace activist and octogenarian Daisaku Ikeda has spent a lifetime studying and teaching about life's universal sufferings of birth, aging, sickness and death. His life exemplifies the health and happiness possible from a compassionate practice of Nichiren Buddhism. In The Third Stage of Life, a dialogue with two Japanese journalists, he shares his insights on how to make one's golden years a "third youth."What's the secret to...

THE ACCIDENTAL BUDDHIST is the funny, provocative story of how Dinty Moore went looking for the faith he'd lost in what might seem the most unlikely of places: the ancient Eastern tradition of Buddhism. Moore demystifies and explains the contradictions and concepts of this most mystic-seeming of religious traditions. This plain-spoken, insightful look at the dharma in America will fascinate anyone curious about the wisdom of other cultures and other...

The recent tide of books comparing Christianity and Buddhism has centered mostly on similarities. The Dalai Lama, for example, provided his opinions on Christianity in a popular book, The Good Heart: A Buddhist Perspective on the Teachings of Jesus (1996). Other writers have equally sought to describe these two traditions as "two paths to the same place." Finding these approaches overly simplified, Anthony Clark confronts the distinctions between...

The Chinese Ginger Jars is a bright and intimate portrait of the adventures, trials, and achievements of an American housewife who lived through dangerous days in modern China.
When Myra Scovel arrived in Peking in 1930 with her medical missionary husband and infant son, China was a land steeped in an ancient culture, mellow as the smooth cream ivory of its curio shops, relaxed as the curves of a temple roof against the sky. Twenty-one years later—as...

Karma and rebirth are words used by many but properly understood by few. In his accessible introduction, Jinananda explains that although these are concepts presumed to be principally from the East, they have in fact been part of the life-view of societies all over the world, from the Ancient Greeks and Gnostics to African and Aboriginal tribal communities. However, it is the cultures of India, Tibet and China that color the contemporary understanding...

"Is it possible to be a conscientious citizen of the world and grow wealth? The author, a Buddhist and a financial planner, says yes and explains exactly how. Jonathan DeYoe shows how money drives so many of our decisions. But while we worry about earning it, spending it, and saving it, few of us face it head on. The whole point of Buddhism, he says, is "to deal with what is, to look it straight in the eye," and in the context of finances, this means...