Cyber Zen ethnographically explores Buddhist practices in the online virtual world of Second Life. Does typing at a keyboard and moving avatars around the screen, however, count as real Buddhism? If authentic practices must mimic the actual world, then Second Life Buddhism does not. In fact, a critical investigation reveals that online Buddhist practices have at best only a family resemblance to canonical Asian traditions and owe much of their methods to the late twentieth-century...

This study seeks to critically examine the field and function of social stratification, with emphasis on Africana phenomena. Phrased another way, this edited volume attempts to study and focus on who gets what and why, with regard to resources and structural application of support. The John Henrik Clarke query is who made this arrangement of leadership in America. Moreover, serving as a reference, this study will assist researchers in contextualizing and thematically examining the structur...

Buddhism, the Internet and Digital Media: The Pixel in the Lotus explores Buddhist practice and teachings in an increasingly networked and digital era. Contributors consider the ways Buddhism plays a role and is present in digital media through a variety of methods including concrete case studies, ethnographic research, and content analysis, as well as interviews with practitioners and cyber-communities. In addition to considering Buddhism in the context of technologies such as vi...

A low credit score doesn't have to define your financial future. Credit Repair: The Complete Guide to Rebuilding Your Credit is a practical, step-by-step guide designed to help you understand how credit works, repair damaged credit, and build a stronger financial foundation. Whether you've experienced missed payments, collections, high credit card balances, or reporting errors, this book provides the knowledge and strategies you need to take control of your credit with confidence. Written ...

Why should the Truth be scary? Except that we have been deceived by stories that are not true? Before it's too late to find out what's happening, read on... At least discover the following: 1. Reincarnation is true. 2. The Law of Karma applies to everyone. 3. There is a Purpose for Life. 4. Your Soul cannot be harmed. 5. The life you are living is the life you designed. 6. There really are Hells and Heavens. 7. Prophecies are true, but misunderstood regarding December 21, 2012. 8. And the ...

The premise of Greening of the Self is that we are not individuals separate from the world. Instead we are always "co-arising" or co-creating the world, and we cannot escape the consequence of what we do to the environment. Joanna Macy's innovative writing beautifully demonstres that by broadening our view of what constitutes "self" we can cut through our dualistic views and bring about the emergence of the "ecological self." Part of the Parallax Press Moments series.

In this dynamic and utterly novel presentation, David Loy explores the fascinating proposition that the stories we tell—about what is and is not possible, about ourselves, about right and wrong, life and death, about the world and everything in it—become the very building blocks of our experience and of reality itself. Loy uses an intriguing mixture of quotations from familiar and less-familiar sources and brief stand-alone micro-essays, engaging the reader in challenging and illuminating ...

As one who has written extensively about the interior life, meditation, and psychotherapy, Ken Wilber—the leading theorist in the field of integral psychology—naturally arouses the curiosity of his numerous readers. In response to this curiosity, this one-year diary not only offers an unprecedented entrée into his private world, but offers an introduction to his essential thought. "If there is a theme to this journal," Wilber writes, "it is that body, mind, and the luminosities of the soul...

A no-nonsense guide to the evolution of meditation, mindfulness, and enlightenment in modern-day society—from their religious origins in the East to their more secular incarnations in the WestEvolving Dharma is the definitive guide to the meditation revolution. Fearless, unorthodox, and irreverent scholar and activist Jay Michaelson shows how meditation and mindfulness have moved from ashrams and self-help groups to classrooms and hospitals, and offers unu...

The creative process doesn’t have to be torturous—with The Tao of Writing, it can be glorious!Invoking the principles of the Tao allows you to do your best work ever. By tapping into the true flow of your creativity, you can discover and develop your true talents and abilities. Author Ralph Wahlstrom uses the connection between teaching, writing, and the tenets of the Tao to help you learn to write from a new perspective, enhancing your work and your creat...

An informed, challenging, and engaging collection of essays on the new choices in lifestyles and community as we begin the countdown toward the year 2012.This fresh and thought-provoking anthology draws together some of today’s most celebrated visionaries, thinkers, and pioneers in the field of evolving consciousness— exploring topics from shamanism to urban homesteading, the legacy of Carlos Castaneda to Mayan predictions for the year 2012, and new paths in direct...

Noise, an underground music made through an amalgam of feedback, distortion, and electronic effects, first emerged as a genre in the 1980s, circulating on cassette tapes traded between fans in Japan, Europe, and North America. With its cultivated obscurity, ear-shattering sound, and over-the-top performances, Noise has captured the imagination of a small but passionate transnational audience.For its scattered listeners, Noise always seems to be new and to come from somewhere else: ...