Books published by Shambhala Publications Inc

An introductory guide to the beliefs and key concepts of Pure Land Buddhism, the most widely practiced form of Buddhism in East Asia.Pure Land is a brief introduction to the history and practices of Pure Land Buddhism, a popular and growing global tradition. Pure Land practices center on Amitabha Buddha, rebirth in his pure buddha-land, and the guaranteed attainment of buddhahood. It constitutes the dominant tradition of most Buddhists in East Asia and is the most common form of practice within immigrant Buddhist communities in America, yet it remains elusive to many general readers of Buddhism. This brief introduction summarizes the core teachings of this tradition and charts its growth throughout the world. Part of the Buddhist Foundations series, Pure Land covers the spiritual tenets behind the tradition before describing how prayer and devotion to Amitabha allow for rebirth in a realm free from suffering and ideal for progress on the path to enlightenment. It then outlines specific Pure Land practices, all the while providing historical context to account for its widespread popularity throughout East Asia. The author also covers contemporary Pure Land traditions, providing a useful touch point for modern readers. Pure Land practitioners and readers interested in Asian-American Buddhist communities now have a concise guide to the ideas, practices, and origins of this widely popular spiritual tradition.

A collection of new voices from Tibet--at celebrated Larung Gar--with innovative reflections on how Buddhism can meet the challenges of our times.Voices from Larung Gar is the first collection of talks and writings by the leading voices of Larung Gar, the largest Buddhist institution on the Tibetan plateau. The book offers a compelling vision for Buddhism in the twenty-first century by some of the most erudite, creative, and influential Tibetan Buddhist luminaries today. In everyday language, these leaders delve into an array of contemporary issues, including science, ethics, gender equity, and animal welfare.This collection features contributions from a range of prominent figures who are forging dynamic, modern paths forward for an ancient tradition. Included are the internationally renowned Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok, founder of Larung Gar, his distinguished successors Khenpos Sodargye and Tsultrim Lodro, and erudite nuns holding the scholarly title Khenmo, who are becoming known for their impressive publishing projects. Larung Gar is thus one of Tibetan Buddhism''s most vital communities, actively balancing cultural preservation and innovation.

A timeless collection of 20 knitting patterns that invites you to slow down, celebrate texture, and immerse yourself in each stitch from renowned knitwear designer Erika Knight.Join fiber artist Erika Knight as she takes you on a personal journey through the landscape of knitted fabrics and examines the urban and natural landscapes that have inspired her designs throughout her career--through the city, country, and coast. Knitting designs can often feel frumpy and out of touch but the patterns of Texture will be an inspirational breath of fresh air for beginner and experienced knitters alike. First you will learn about the basics of creating knitted garments from choosing the right yarn to properly blocking and finishing your garment. Next, learn how to turn a graphic rib, an intricate lace stitch, and a traveling cable into a covetable collection of sweaters, gloves, vests, and scarves. With simple and stylish shapes, Erika dispenses her designer tips for creating a series of modern yet timeless garments. Including inspiring photography that showcases the beautiful designs, this book is the ultimate source for knitted texture and belongs on every knitter''s bookshelf.

This modern translation of an essential Mahayana Buddhist text captures the meaning and musicality of Shantideva''s original verse and provides readers with an accessible guide to its profound depths.This is a fresh translation of, and commentary on, Entering the Way of the Bodhisattva, perhaps the most renowned and thorough articulation of the bodhisattva path. Written by the eighth-century Indian monk Shantideva, Entering the Way of the Bodhisattva is a guide to becoming a bodhisattva, someone who is dedicated to achieving enlightenment in order to benefit all beings. Accomplished translator Khenpo David Karma Choephel communicates the power of Shantideva''s insights through careful attention to both the meaning and the rhythmic pulse of each stanza, all the while providing necessary context and practical advice for modern readers.After presenting the full translation, Khenpo David Karma Choephel then introduces readers to the text, explaining the key points of each chapter with clarity and wisdom. Combining a uniquely poetic translation with detailed analysis, this book is a comprehensive guide to developing oneself in service of others. Teachings that have been at the heart of Mahayana practice for centuries are given new life, and the supporting commentary makes the text accessible and applicable to practitioners. Readers interested in the bodhisattva path will find this a comprehensive resource filled with captivating verse and incisive interpretations.

A modern, approachable holistic health guide that focuses on physical, emotional, and mental well-being.Radical Remedies urges readers to take an active concern for their overall health and well-being by reconnecting with nature and honoring their own emotional history and experience. Focusing on twenty-five of the most nourishing herbs, this book shows how they can be used to remedy stress, depression, and insomnia, soothe tension in the body, and comfort a broken heart. With insights on gut health, emotional balance, and the importance of whole foods, readers will discover practices and strategies to survive and thrive every day. Learn to make recipes like Ashwagandha Chai, Sacred Spark Infusion, Lemon Balm and Orange Peel Honey, and Banish the Blues Tincture or follow instructions for a Honey Mallow Soothing Face Mask or a Gotu Kola Rose Facial Oil. While balance or vitality is never achieved through a singular act or quick fix, this guide details a deep well of practices and self-care that can aid you in the toughest of times.

Have you been thinking about how to make your house into a true home? Or are you buying a house that needs the same attention? Where do you begin? This book will get you started, see you through it, and make home design doable rather than daunting.Charming and accessible, House to Home is a beginner-friendly guidebook for creating a home that supports your life the way you live it. With practical, hard-earned wisdom, architect Devi Dutta-Choudhury guides you through the process from the foundation up.Dive into home design with charts, questionnaires, and sketch pages that help you confidently approach and define your renovation. With Dutta-Choudhury's relatable expertise, you'll begin to think more like an architect. From understanding the site, working with architects, and being your own contractor to deciding when to redesign and when to leave alone, this book teaches core concepts about privacy, use of space, lighting, access, and more. Whether it's just one room or your whole house, House to Home is here to help.

This manual of Tibetan meditation simply and thoroughly presents the profound Dzogchen and Mahamudra systems of practice. Karma Chagmé sets forth the stages of meditation practice, including the cultivation of meditative quiescence and insight, the experiential identification of awareness, and the highest steps of Mahamudra and Atiyoga, leading to perfect enlightenment in one lifetime. Drawing from his enormous textual erudition and mastery of Tibetan oral traditions, he shows how these two meditative systems can be unified into a single integrated approach to realizing the ultimate nature of consciousness.

The basic teachings of Buddhism as they relate to everyday life-presented by the esteemed Tibetan meditation master In The Heart of the Buddha, Chögyam Trungpa examines the basic teachings of Buddhism and places them within the context of daily life. Divided into three parts, the book begins with a discussion about the open, inquisitive, and good-humored qualities of the "heart of the Buddha"-an "enlightened gene" that everyone possesses. Next, Chögyam Trungpa moves to the stages of the Buddhist path, presenting the three vehicles-Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana-that carry the Buddhist practitioner toward enlightenment. Finally, he describes the direct application of Buddhist teachings to topics as varied as relationships, drinking, children, and money. The Heart of the Buddha reflects Trungpa's great appreciation for Western culture and deep understanding of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, which enabled him to teach Westerners in an effective, contemporary way.

This is a clear and in-depth presentation of the traditional Theravadin concentration meditation known as jhana practice, from two authors who have practiced the jhanas in retreat under the guidance of one of the great living meditation masters, Pa Auk Sayadaw. The authors describe the techniques and their results, based on their own experience.

A handbook for staying grounded, emotionally connected, and empowered regardless of what''s in the headlines and who''s in your face."How can I practice acceptance when what I see all around me is unacceptable?""How can I ''let go'' when the headlines that trigger me are constant?""How do I get involved without burning myself out?"For empathetic people who don''t want to ignore the challenges of living in a politically divisive time and don''t want to have our minds commandeered by the media, the challenge of living with mindful equanimity is a daily struggle. If distress isn''t at the forefront of our awareness, we are, at the very least, holding a background anxiety that makes us susceptible to emotional reactivity. We know that when we act out strong emotions impulsively, the ever-unfolding situation robs us of our clarity, grossly hinders our relationships, and distorts our ability to respond effectively. Yet, so many approaches to emotional intelligence and mindful coping seem to fall short in the fever-pitch moments. How do we walk through the fire of these times without getting scorched? With his signature warm, funny, street-wise style, author Ralph De La Rosa gives us a handbook for mindful living in contentious times. Full of insights and dozens of practices to address common reactions to our current political climate--from media addiction and rage to dissociation and apathy--Don''t Tell Me to Relax brings the welcome news that our thoughts and emotions are not the enemy. That in fact, when used skillfully, they can become a powerful foundation to support our practice.

A fresh translation and commentary to Tibet''s most famous text on living like a bodhisattvaWhat are bodhisattvas and what do they practice? In the fourteenth century, the Tibetan Buddhist master Gyalse Tokme Zangpo answered these questions in a classic teaching on mind training (lojong) called the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva. This text consists of short slogans outlining the core of the Buddhist path of compassion that continues to inspire modern-day Buddhist masters, including the Dalai Lama and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. The most well-known commentary to the Thirty-Seven Practices is by the twentieth-century master Dzatrul Ngawang Tenzin, which is translated here along with a meditation instruction for the first time. Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, who commissioned this translation, provides an informative overview to the history of the text and commentary, introducing the reader to the world of Tibet''s most widely studied text.

Khenpo Ngawang Palzang, also known as Khenpo Ngakchung or Khenpo Ngaga, was one of the great masters in the late nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth centuries. He was an extremely influential teacher who taught some of the great lamas of the next generation, including Kyabje Chatral Rinpoche. Khenpo Ngaga was considered a living emanation of Vimalamitra and Longchenpa.In this autobiography, Khenpo Ngaga tells his life story through memories and reflections in a way that presents the entire Buddhist path, including the renunciation of worldly pursuits, finding and attending to a qualified teacher, engaging in mind training, practicing the preliminaries, studying the sutras and tantras, engaging in the generation and completion stages, and Dzogchen. Throughout he shares stories, visionary experiences, and advice that serve as a model for the reader on the path to emulate. The great Tibetologist Gene Smith considered this autobiography so important that he devoted the first chapter of his seminal study Among Tibetan Texts to it, writing that Khenpo Ngaga’s autobiography is significant as “a treasury of authentic instruction on the essentials of Buddhism and Rdzogs chen meditation.”

Discover hidden practices, secretly transmitted in authentic Zen lineages, of using body, speech, and mind to remove obstructions to awakening.Though Zen is best known for the practices of koan introspection and "just sitting" or shikantaza, there are in fact many other practices transmitted in Zen lineages. In modern practice settings, students will find that Bodhidharma's words "direct pointing at the human mind" are little mentioned, or else taken to be simply a general descriptor of Zen rather than a crucial activity within Zen practice. Reversing this trend toward homogeneous and superficial understandings of Zen technique, Hidden Zen presents a diverse collection of practice instructions that are transmitted orally from teacher to student, unlocking a comprehensive path of awakening.This book reveals and details, for the first time, a treasury of "direct pointing" and internal energy cultivation practices preserved in the Rinzai Zen tradition. The twenty-eight practices of direct pointing offered here illuminate one's innate clarity and, ultimately, the nature of mind itself. Over a dozen practices of internal energetic cultivation galvanize dramatic effects on the depth of one's meditative attainment. Hidden Zen affords a small taste of the richness of authentic Zen, helping readers grow beyond the bounds of introspection and sitting to find awakening itself.

The most extensive teaching given by the Dalai Lama in the West on a seminal Tibetan Buddhist text--now included in the Core Teachings of the Dalai Lama series.When the Dalai Lama was forced to go into exile in 1959, he could take only a few items with him. Among these cherished belongings was his copy of Tsong-kha-pa's classic text The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment. This text distills all the essential points of Tibetan Buddhism, clearly unfolding the entire Buddhist path.In 2008, celebrating the long-awaited completion of the English translation of The Great Treatise, the Dalai Lama gave a historic six-day teaching at Lehigh University to explain the meaning of the text and to underscore its importance. It is the longest teaching he has ever given to Westerners on just one text, and the most comprehensive. From Here to Enlightenment makes the teachings from this momentous event available for a wider audience.