Books published by Shambhala Publications Inc

This book is both a fascinating account of dream therapy and an exploration of the symbolism of the hare in myth and fable around the world. John Layard, a British Jungian analyst, first reconts his treatment of a devout Christian woman whose dream of the sacrafice of the hare marked a turning point in her spiritual and psychological healing. He then goes on the examine the meaning of the hare in the mythology of Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas, and ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt. Among the many manifestations of this universal archetype are the hare as trickster-hero, as a goddess associated with the moon, as a Buddhist symbol of spiritual transformation, and as the Easter Rabbit of the Christian tradition.

These inspirational and poetic teachings, written by a modern Taoist master, will be a compelling source of reflection for all those acquainted with the Tao-te Ching, the Analects of Confucius, the Buddhist sutras, or the Zen poetry of Han Shan, Basho, and Ryokan. Loy Ching-Yuen stresses the importance of practice rather than speech or ideals. Viewing the heart as the center of right-mindedness and self-empowerment, he teaches benevolence, humility, and meditation in a refreshing approach to living simply and honestly in the world.

Of all the world's great cities, Tokyo remains one of the least well known. Paul Waley calls forth the stories sleeping behind the glass and chrome of today's fast-paced metropolis and conjures the traces of Tokyo past overlapping Tokyo present.

Rinpoche's commentary on the instructions on the "Preliminaries to the Great Perfection Teaching" contains the classical Nying-ma presentation of the Dzogchen preliminaries and practices that lead to Buddhahood. It is an oral commentary on Patrul Rinboche's Kunzang Lamai Shelung (Words of My Perfect Teacher). "The Recitation of the Preliminaries to the Heart Essence of Vast Openness Illuminating the Good Path to Omniscience" by Jigme Lingpa is included.

What we call modern physics says something entirely new about the world and how it behaves. For many years, these theories have been accepted as the most accurate descriptions we have ever had about our world. Nevertheless, medicine has been reluctant to incorporate these ideas into itself, continuing to view the body as a clockwork mechanism, in which illness is caused by a breakdown of "parts." Drawing on his long experience in the practice of internal medicine and his knowledge of modern science, Dr. Dossey shows how medicine can and must be updated. Discussing the new theories of Bell, Godel, and others, he opens up startling questions for medicine: Could the brain be a hologram, in which every part contains the whole? Why have ordinary people been able to raise and lower blood pressure at will, control heart rate, body temperature, even one minute blood vessel, in a way no one can explain? What is the role of consciousness in health and illness? Perhaps the most startling of Dr. Dossey's discussions concerns nonlinear time. There is evidence that our obsession with time and our belief that time "flows" (a belief refuted by the new physics) may profoundly affect our health. "Time sickness" is becoming an accepted medical concept, a possible cause of the greatest killer of all-heart disease. Dr. Dossey presents remarkable clinical data showing that by changing their view of time, people have been able to positively affect the course of disease. Just as the clockwork picture of the universe was abandoned in the onslaught of new data, our mechanistic view of health and illness will give way to new models which, too, will be more consistent with the true face of the universe.

The collecting of esoteric knowledge is not, in itself, sufficient to produce any kind of transformation or enlightenment in the seeker. True change begins with the opening of one's mind to new ideas and the transformation of understanding that can follow. Vincent G. Stuart, longtime student of the teachings of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky, provides a clearly expressed, realistic description of how to cultivate such qualities as openness that are necessary to form the ground of understanding into which esoteric ideas may be planted.

This powerful collection of essays by such notables as D. H. Lawrence, Robert Bly, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, and Rainer Maria Rilke focuses on the challenges of love between men and women, addressing the questions and difficulties arising for people in relationships today. Anyone who is, has been, or hopes to be in an intimate relationship with a person of the opposite sex will find this book "must" reading. The first group of essays deals with the contradictions and possibilities inherent in erotic love, leading to the question posed in the next section: What do men and women really want? The contributors then explore marriage as an ongoing path of personal transformation. That opens into a look at sexuality itself as an especially vivid meeting of two different worlds. The book closes with a group of writings that consider relationship as a vehicle for developing power, wisdom, and inner truth. Carefully selected, threaded together by Welwood's insightful commentary, the essays presented here approach the challenge of intimacy with bravery and gentleness, inspiring the reader toward becoming a "warrior of the heart."

"This book is a widely ranging exploration of the principles of Buddhist psychology and one of the first to make abhidharma psychology understandable to the west. Dr. Fryba's commentary and reflections show how these principles can bring understanding and be applied to modern life. I highly recommend it." - Jack Kornfield

When Stan Goldberg was diagnosed with cancer, he chose to face his fear by helping others who were already in the process of dying: Stan signed up as a hospice volunteer and spent several years at the bedsides of the terminally ill. In this book, Stan shares the remarkable stories of people he met who were facing the end of life. Their stories shine a light on the human capacity for beauty, insight, forgiveness, and gratitude, as we see how people like us deal with anxiety and sadness with bravery and love. But what''s especially remarkable is that the bravery and love aren''t as much expressed in grand, dramatic gestures as they are in ordinary acts and small accomplishments: in simple efforts at kindness, in asking for and receiving forgiveness, in the abandonment of anger, and in learning to speak directly from the heart—and to listen in the same way. What Stan ultimately discovers—and shares here—are not lessons in dying, but rather, lessons in learning how to live.

The ancient path of shamanism is alive and well in contemporary society. Physicians, therapists, and spiritual seekers are among those who are rediscovering the shaman's methods--such as drumming, visualization, and storytelling--as effective tools for healing and self-transformation. In this collection of previously unpublished writings, leading figures of the neo-shamanism movement explore the origins and practices of shamanism and its relevance to the modern world. Are shamanic healing methods compatible with Western medicine? Can shamanism help in crises or difficult life transitions? Is it relevant to the search for meaning amid the wasteland of industrialization and runaway technology? Will it help in healing the planet and preventing ecological catastrophe or nuclear holocaust? These are just a few of the questions addressed by Michael Harner, Joan Halifax, Stanley Krippner, Serge King, Jeanne Achterberg, Stanislav Grof, and twelve other contributors to this comprehensive anthology.

The prose and verse readings in this book were chosen to interest the many people who have become attracted to Sufi teachings through their exposure to popular Sufi poetry, music, and dance. The selections-mostly from the Middle East and India, ranging from the tenth to the twentieth century-provide a sampling of Sufi thought on some of the basic aspects of this spiritual path. Most of the readings are published here in English for the first time. Brief introductory remarks place each selection into its historical and religious context, and an index of Qur'anic passages helps the reader to trace the extensive allusions to the Islamic holy scriptures. The topics covered include: • The nature of mystical love • Meditation • Listening to music as a spiritual practice • Ethical teachings of Sufism • Pitfalls on the spiritual path • Spiritual companionship and the master-disciple relationship • The importance of the Qur'an and the Prophet Muhammad • Biographical accounts of great mystics, including the poet Rumi as well as several female saints

In The Silent Question, Packer provides fresh insights on using the experiences of life that are raw, messy, painful, and sometimes full of laughter, to open a way to compassion. She urges us to let go of our thoughts and to sit "in the stillness of not knowing" in order to reflect upon the essential question of who we are. Packer encourages us to discover that life, energy, and insight come from the questioning, the looking, the listening.