Religion

Insight Dialogue is a way of bringing the tranquility and insight attained in meditation directly into your interactions with other people. It's a practice that involves interacting with a partner in a retreat setting or on your own, as a way of accessing a profound kind of insight. Then, you take that insight on into the grind of everyday human interactions. Gregory Kramer has been teaching the practice (which he originated) for more than a decade in retreats around the world. It's something strikingly new in the world of Buddhist practice-yet it's completely grounded in traditional Buddhist teaching. Kramer begins with a detailed presentation of the central Buddhist teaching of the Four Noble Truths seen through an interpersonal lens. Because dukkha (suffering or unsatisfactoriness) is often most forcefully felt in our relations with others, interpersonal relationships are a wonderfully useful place to practice. He breaks the Noble Truths down into component parts to observe how they manifest particularly in relationship to others, using examples from his own life and practice, as well as from his students'. He then goes on to present the practice as it's taught in his workshops and retreats. There are a few basic steps to the practice, deceptively simple to describe: (1) pause, (2) relax, (3) open, (4) trust emergence, (5) listen deeply, and (6) speak the truth. The sequence begins following a period of meditation, and includes periods of speaking, listening, and mutual silence. Kramer includes numerous examples of people's experience with the practice from his retreats, and shows how the insight gained from the techniques can be brought into real life. More than just testimonials for how well the practice "works," the personal stories demonstrate the problems that arise, the different routes the practice can follow, and the sometimes surprising insights that are gained. To learn more about the author, Gregory Kramer, go to www.metta.org.

The National Geographic Treasury of Greek Mythology offers timeless stories of Greek myths. Brought to life with lyrical text by award-winning author Donna Jo Napoli and stunning artwork by award-winning illustrator Christina Balit, the tales of gods, goddesses, heroes and monsters will fascinate and engage children's imaginations.

Offers a positive and creative interpretation of Jesus' teachings for today

The ESV Large Print Compact Bible combines the benefits of a compact trim size with the easy readability of a larger 8-point type--set in a double-column text format.

This book builds upon my previous work, A People That Shall Dwell Alone: Judaism as a Group Evolutionary Strategy (MacDonald 1994/2002; hereafter PTSDA). While PTSDA focused on developing a theory of Judaism within an evolutionary framework, the present volume focuses on the phenomenon of anti-Semitism. Judaism and anti-Semitism fairly cry out for an evolutionary interpretation. Anti-Semitism has been a very robust tendency over a very long period of human history and in a wide range of societies with different forms of government, different economic systems, and different dominant religious ideologies. Many anti-Semitic episodes, such as the Iberian inquisitions and the Nazi holocaust, have been characterized by extraordinary intra-societal violence. Moreover, anti-Semitism has sometimes been characterized by a very overt, self-conscious racialism...a phenomenon that immediately suggests the relevance of evolutionary theory.The basic thesis of this book can be summarized by the proposition that Judaism must be conceptualized as a group strategy characterized by cultural and genetic segregation from gentile societies combined with resource competition and conflicts of interest with segments of gentile societies. This cultural and genetic separatism combined with resource competition and other conflicts of interest tend to result in division and hatred within the society.Nevertheless, as Leslie White (1966, 3) wrote many years ago in his discussion of the Boasian school of anthropology as a politically inspired cult, "One who follows procedures such as these incurs the risk of being accused of indulging in non-scholarly, personal attacks upon whom he discusses. Such a charge is, in fact, expectable and completely in keeping with the thesis of this essay. We wish to state that no personal attacks are intended."No personal or ethnic attacks are intended here, either. Nevertheless, the charge that this is an anti-Semitic book is, to use White's phrase, expectable and completely in keeping with the thesis of this essay. A major theme of this volume, found especially in Chapters 6 and 7, is that intellectual defenses of Judaism and of Jewish theories of anti-Semitism have throughout its history played a critical role in maintaining Judaism as a group evolutionary strategy. Parts of the book read as a sort of extended discourse on the role of Jewish self-interest, deception, and self-deception in the areas of Jewish historiography, Jewish personal identity, and Jewish conceptualizations of their ingroup and its relations with outgroups. This is therefore first and foremost a book that confidently predicts its own irrelevance to those about whom it is written.MacDonald, K. B. (1994/2002).A People that Shall Dwell Alone: Judaism as a Group Evolutionary Strategy. Westport, CT: Praeger. Paperback edition published in 2002 by iUniverse (Lincoln, NE) (www.iuniverse.com). White, L. (1966). The social organization of ethnological theory. Rice University Studies: Monographs in Cultural Anthropology

'Burning ice, biting flame; that is how life began'The extraordinary Scandinavian myth cycle is one of the most enduring, exciting, dramatic and compelling of the world's great stories. The Penguin Book of the Norse Myths compellingly retells these stories for the modern reader, taking us from the creation of the world through the building of Asgard's Wall to the final end in Ragnarok. You'll discover how Thor got his hammer and how Odin lost his eye, the terrible price of binding the wolf Fenrir and why Loki the trickster can never be trusted. The Norse myths are as thrilling to read as they are of vast cultural and historical importance. In this gripping book Kevin Crossley-Holland brings alive the passion, cruelty and heroism of these unforgettable stories.

In The New Testament In Its World acclaimed biblical scholar N. T. Wright draws on a lifetime of distinguished scholarship to provide a thorough overview of the New Testament for students, church leaders, and everyday Christians.

This new addition to the New Interpreter's Bible brand is a ten-volume set of the commentary-only from the New Interpreter's Bible Commentary. The New Interpreter's Bible Commentary offers critically sound biblical interpretations. Guided by scholars, pastors and laity representing diverse traditions and academic experience, this collection of commentary meets the needs of preachers, teachers, and all students of the Bible. Easy-To-Use Format A detailed, critical commentary providing an exegetical "close-reading" of the biblical text Reflections that present a detailed exposition of issues raised in the biblical text Introductions to each book that cover essential historical, sociocultural, literary, and theological issues An ecumenical roster of contributors Comprehensive, concise articles Numerous visual aids (illustrations, maps, charts, timelines) enhance use

Mein Kampf, a controversial yet historical piece of literature written by Adolf Hitler, is a book that has been widely discussed and analyzed over the years. Published by Free Thought Books in 1922, it offers an insight into the mind of one of history's most infamous figures. The book, which falls under the genre of autobiography, presents Hitler's ideologies, political views, and his plans for Germany's future. It is a deep and complex work that gives readers a glimpse into the formation of a dictator's mind. Though the book is heavily criticized for its content, it remains a significant part of history. Reading Mein Kampf is like delving into a significant part of the 20th century's dark history.

Reason, the Only Oracle of Man is Colonel Ethan Allen's polemical treatise wherein he argues for the power of reason, and reason's nature as a God-given attribute of man.Received to a negative reception during its original publication in 1785, Reason, the Only Oracle of Man divided opinion on the grounds of its rejection of traditional, Christian religious beliefs. At the time, the fledgling nation of the United States was deeply devoted to the traditional Christian establishment, with many suspicious of the recent progress of science in many fields. Ethan Allen rejected many traditional beliefs of the Christian church. He considered much of the Bible to be mythical superstition, and held great contempt for organised religion which he viewed as corrupt and sinful, with the priesthood in particular targeted for its inadequacies. While not an atheist, Allen believed strongly in the power and capacity of reason, and considered its use to be virtuous.

This book contains the 20th century's most common translation of the Koran, re-arranged into the chronological order accepted by Western scholars and devout Muslims alike. The book also shows how later verses (particularly The Verse of the Sword) abrogate (cancel) all the "peaceful" verses of the Koran. The principle of abrogation has been accepted by Islamic scholars for over 1000 years. When seen from the perspective of abrogation Islam is anything but "a religion of Peace". This is the only Koran in history which denounces the scores of commands to violence contained within the Koran. Yet from the first day of publication the elite have attempted to censor this book, to prevent you from seeing the evidence with your own eyesThe 100 page Introduction shows the public have been deceived by the Grand Lie: "Islam is a religion of peace". Before that day in September 2001 when devout Muslims killed 3,000 innocent Americans, no-one described Islam as "a religion of Peace". Before that fateful date no experts recognized any distinction between "Islam" and "Islamism". All these concepts exist to deceive you, so you cannot understand why Muslims kill for Islam. But throughout history Western experts have known that Islam is a religion of war.We show how the most authoritative Islamic texts say that Mohammed was killed as a result of leading his army on one of his genocidal raids on the Jews of Arabia. The tolerant multiculturalism of Arabia permitted Mohammed to create a "new religion", a doctrine which opposed multiculturalism and which justified the most brutal violence against non-Muslims. Moreover, the mainstream translations of the Koran throughout the 20th century preface the translation with explanations that the Koran only came to be transcribed because Mohammed's apostles were also dying in battles to impose Islam upon non-Muslims! This stark evidence by these apologists for Islam shows it was accepted throughout the 20th century that Islam was imposed by the sword and that Jihad is the foundation of Islam.This book contains the clearest explanation and the strongest proof of the true meaning of the Koran. Politicians, clergy, journalists and academics are able to provide you with no logical explanation for more than 30,000 terrorist attacks by "the religion of Peace" since 2001. After reading this book you will be left in no doubt that the West is never going to stop the growth in Islamic terrorism until the fundamentals of Islam are exposed and criticised by the public. As you will see from this book, Mohammed and his "rightly guided Caliphs" (devout followers) were more like ISIS than they were like Jesus or Buddha.When Mohammed's Koran was first published it immediately became a No.1 best-seller, a first for a self-published book in the 21st century. Extraordinary measures of censorship were deployed to prevent others from reading this book. The launch events were forcibly closed down by police (who threatened the venues with bankruptcy should they permit the book to be launched there). Internet giants were persuaded by the British state to silence the authors.Why would there be such extraordinary efforts to censor Mohammed's Koran, a book which denounces violence and hatred? Would they go to these lengths if the book failed to prove its argument? They cannot refute the evidence contained in the book so instead they censor the book. We fully expect that in the coming years the British state will pass legislation to make this book illegal.This new edition contains an additional Appendix, documenting how this book was censored by global corporations. The extensive Index to the Koran enables the reader to see for themselves the all-pervasive hostility which Islam has for non-Muslims.

Embrace the timeless teachings of the chakra system for peace of mind, better physical health, and a sense of alignment, fulfillment, and purpose.The key to optimal health and well-being is within us, in powerful energy centers called chakras. Ancient cultures understood the sacred healing power of chakras and that self-care aligned with nature. In Chakras & Self-Care, you'll engage in a series of meditative exercises that activate and balance each of your seven main chakras. Reiki master and wellness expert Ambi Kavanagh also offers daily and seasonal rituals to show us that true prevention not only comes from the ways we care for our bodies, but the ways we spend our energy. Chakras & Self-Care features: • Affirmation, visualization, and activation exercises to align and balance each chakra for improved energetic flow • A comprehensive guide to the seven main chakras plus astrological and elemental correspondences and goddess archetypes • Essential oil blend recipes and sacred stones to open and support each chakra • Daily rituals to recharge and restore your mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health • Seasonal energy rituals to reconnect with nature's rhythms and lunar cycles

Neal Donald Walsch was experiencing a low period in his life when he decided to write a letter to God, venting his frustrations. As he finished his letter, he was moved to continue writing - and out came extraordinary answers to his questions. This is his story.

The essential companion to the phenomenal bestseller THE POWER OF NOW