**"...Both a refuge and a roadmap, this book illuminates the boundless love and wisdom that lies within each of us, waiting to be uncovered and shared."–Tara Brach, author of Radical CompassionA handbook for spiritual freedom in an age of global crisis.**The world is in turmoil because of its trauma. Our unhealed psychological wounds block our innate expressions of wisdom and compassion, setting the stage for ongoing conflict, division, and stress. Our fate, both individual...

An Insight Meditation teacher explores the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, an essential teaching that transcends all Buddhist traditions and provides a path to true liberationAwakening manifests through the application of mindfulness to four areas: body, feelings, mind, and dharmas. Buddhists of all the traditions share this foundational principle, which is defined in the Satipatthana Sutta and has been expounded upon since the time of the Buddha himself....

An amazingly succinct and accessible answer to the question “What is enlightenment?”—from one of America's most prominent teachers of Insight MeditationFormer Buddhist monk and highly regarded Insight Meditation teacher Rodney Smith describes the process of enlightenment in a way anyone can understand—demonstrating in clear language why we operate with the illusion of separation, how we can move out of it to the realization of emptiness and no-self, and how we can ...

At the NSW state election in 2011, the public turned on the 16-year-old Labor administration with unprecedented fury. The Government that had won spectacular victories in 1999 and 2003 was defeated with a swing that was an Australian postwar record. How did it manage to stay in power for four terms? What were its achievements and why did things unravel so badly?In From Carr to Keneally respected experts analyse the four terms of Labor government in NSW: the premiers and th...

**An invitation to everyday mystics: unbind yourself from the causes of suffering and step into grace.“We all want the freedom of sanity and peace, the undefended inclusiveness of love. We all want refuge in grace.”—Kathleen Dowling Singh, from her introduction to Unbinding**Unbinding is a spacious and sophisticated unfolding of one of Buddhism’s subtlest foundational teachings—the truth of dependent origination—offered in an utterly intimate voice....

Contemporary Politics in Australia provides a lively and wide-ranging introduction to the study of Australian politics. Written by a diverse range of experts, the book offers a comprehensive overview of current theories, debates and research in Australian political science and looks forward to new developments. It encompasses not only formal and institutionally based politics, but also the informal politics of everyday life, including the politics of Australian culture and media. The book ...

A prominent Insight Meditation teacher presents the Buddhist concept of “no-self” in an easy-to-understand way that will radically change your perspective on lifeAnatta is the Buddhist teaching on the nonexistence of a permanent, independent self. It’s a notoriously puzzling and elusive concept, usually leading to such questions as, “If I don’t have a self, who’s reading this sentence?” It’s not that there’s no self there, says Rodney Smith. It’s just that...

Are a person's perceptions and values altered when facing the end of life?Are a person's perceptions and values altered when facing the end of life? Do the dying see the world in a way that could help the rest of us learn how to live? This book takes us into the lessons of the dying. Through the words and circumstances of the terminally ill, we become immersed in their wisdom and in our own mortality. The dying speak to us in direct and personal ways, pointing towa...

In this captivating collection of short nonfiction works, renowned authors explore diverse themes and perspectives. From Thomas Paine's revolutionary treatise on human rights to poignant essays on nature and the human condition, this volume offers a rich tapestry of ideas and insights. Discover the power of words as they illuminate the complexities of society, challenge conventional wisdom, and inspire profound reflection.

In this ground-breaking and seminal work, esteemed Buddhist teacher Rob Burbea lays out an original and comprehensive approach to deepening insight. Starting from simple and easily accessible understandings of emptiness, Burbea presents a unique conception of the path along which he escorts the practitioner gradually, through the careful structure of the work, into ever more mystical levels of insight.Through its precise instructions, illuminating exercises and discussions that add...

Whether mere bumps in the road or genuine crises, we live in a world of unwanted events that no willpower can prevent. In The Art of Disappearing, Ajahn Brahm helps us learn to abandon the headwind of false expectations and follow instead the Buddha's path of understanding. Releasing our attachment to past and future, to self and other, we can directly experience the natural state of serenity underlying all our thoughts and discover the bliss of the present moment. In that space, ...

Go beyond mindfulness—practice kindfulness!Here Ajahn Brahm introduces a new kind of meditation: kindfulness. Kindfulness is the cause of relaxation. It brings ease to the body, to the mind, and to the world. Kindfulness allows healing to happen. So don’t just be mindful, be kindful!With his trademark knack for telling engaging stories paired with step-by-step anyone-can-do-it instructions, Brahm brings alive and makes accessible powerful tools transformati...