Ritualized Writing takes readers into the fascinating world of Japanese Buddhist manuscript cultures. Using archival sources that have received scant attention in English, primarily documents from an eighth-century Japanese scriptorium and colophons from sutra manuscripts, Bryan D. Lowe uncovers the ways in which the transcription of Buddhist scripture was a highly ritualized endeavor. He takes a ground-level approach by emphasizing the activities and beliefs of a wide range of in...

Zen Masters of China presents more than 300 traditional Zen stories and koans, far more than any other collection. Retelling them in their proper place in Zen's historical journey through Chinese Buddhist culture, it also tells a larger story: how, in taking the first step east from India to China, Buddhism began to be Zen.The stories of Zen are unlike any other writing, religious or otherwise. Used for centuries by Zen teachers as aids to bring about or deepen the experie...

Between the late seventh and early ninth centuries, Japan changed from a land largely without Buddhism to a country where Buddhist ideas, images, and practices were everywhere. The introduction of Buddhism transformed the social and intellectual life of the provinces. Regions that once lacked temples suddenly had so many that virtually every village had a place of worship nearby. People began to understand their world in new ways, imagining previously inconceivable possibilities for themse...

For nearly two decades, the Nanzan Guide to Japanese Religions has served as a valuable resource for students and scholars of religion in Japan. This exciting update expands the audience to include non-specialists of Japan while also complicating the notions of “Japan” and “religion.” Asking the provocative question “why study Japanese religions?” the editors argue that studying Japan is vital for the academic study of religion writ large and make a case for the continued importan...

Be disturbed, as you see the present reflected in the glass of an uneasy future…Enter ten darkly compelling futures in this stunning collection of full-cast radio dramas from some of the UK’s best writers, including Val McDermid, Anita Sullivan and Ed Harris. Starring Meera Syal, Tony Robinson, Gina McKee, Oliver Chris, Harriet Walter and more.From AI-controlled healthcare and genetic engineering to immersive virtual realities, ecological collapse, antibiot...

Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh presents the life and teachings of Gautama Buddha, drawn directly from 24 Pali, Sanskrit, and Chinese sources.Retold in Thich Nhat Hanh’s inimitably beautiful style, this book traces the Buddha’s life over the course of 80 years—partly through the eyes of Svasti, the buffalo boy, and partly through the eyes of the Buddha himself. Old Path White Clouds is a classic of religious literature.“I have not avoided including the ...

One of the Buddha's most central ideas is the importance of transcending "either/or" thinking to avoid the trap of extremist views. In Beyond the Self Thich Nhat Hanh suggests that we can find tranquility by embracing all aspects of life, instead of focusing on what we like and dislike. The book contains Nhat Hanh's original translation of the Sutra on the Middle Way, as well as his commentary on how we can use this teaching to better understand how to navigate our difficulties a...

Thich Nhat Hanh examines the Buddhist sutra that provides the foundation for all meditation and mindfulness practice—with guidance on its daily applications, plus 23 exercises.Passed from generation to generation for 2,500, the Satipatthana Sutra—or the Sutra on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness—is fundamental to Buddhist meditation and mindfulness practice. In Transformation and Healing, Thich Nhat Hanh guides readers through this important Buddhist ...

20th ANNIVERSARY EDITION: Thich Nhat Hanh offers commentary on a key Buddhist sutra and shares 16 breathing exercises and meditations taught by the Buddha himself.According to the Buddha’s teaching in the Anapanasati Sutra, maintaining awareness of our breathing is a means of awakening to the true nature of all things and arriving at spiritual liberation. Breathe, You Are Alive outlines 16 exercises of conscious breathing that were taught by the Buddha, to...

This easily accessible translation and commentary by Thich Nhat Hanh on the Sutra on Knowing the Better Way To Live Alone, is the earliest teaching of the Buddha on living fully in the present moment. "To live alone" doesn’t mean to isolate oneself from society. It means to live in mindfulness: to let go of the past and the future, and to look deeply and discover the true nature of all that is taking place in the present moment. To fully realize this is to meet our appointment with life an...

THE HEART OF BUDDHIST WISDOM: A comprehensive collection of the 9 key Buddhist sutras, with contemporary commentary by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.An essential companion to Happiness, Thich Nhat Hanh’s bestselling collection of meditation and mindfulness practices!Thich Nhat Hanh has a unique talent to make the Buddha’s teachings accessible and applicable to our daily lives and times. Here, he takes us to the heart of Buddhist wisdo...

Powerful Buddhist teachings, demystified—from the spiritual mentor of Jon Kabat-Zinn, Sharon Salzberg, and Jack KornfieldPrevious books by Ajahn Chah have consisted of collections of short teachings on a wide variety of subjects. This new book focuses on the theme of impermanence, offering powerful remedies for overcoming our deep-seated fear of change, including guidance on letting go of attachments, living in the present, and taking up the practice of meditation....