Eastern Books - Page 12

The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 28 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

alternative info on lucid dreaming 4 out of 5 stars.
6 of 7 people found this review helpful.

I think this is a really good book to get some alternative info on lucid dreaming. I still prefer Stephen Laberges EWLD, but this one is great in a different way. I'm not into buddhism. And if you don't have any experience with buddhism, then it's not very easy/clear. You'll just have to ignore some of the buddhist slang to get the best out of it. Anyway, it's nice to read about the subject from a different angle.

Ultimate Dreaming 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche presents Tibetan dream yoga in full detail, and most importantly, fully contextualizes its practice in the Dzogchen spiritual tradition. As I slowly worked my way through this illuminating book it increasingly dawned on me that this work was not only the clearest practical manual on dream yoga ever penned, but that it ranks as one of the most enlightening spiritual treatises I have ever encountered. The author starts by outlining the conceptual foundations of Dzogchen teachings as related to dream yoga, then presents preliminary practices necessary for developing the "mental muscles" needed for genuine engagement in the rigors of dream and sleep yoga. Then comes the meat of the text, where Tenzin Wangyal elucidates all the elements for the complete practice of these esoteric yogas. He repeatedly stresses that the ultimate aim must be a consistent abiding in clear, non-dual awareness, or "rigpa"--throughout waking, dreaming, sleeping, and ultimately in dying (bardo). As heavy as this sounds, the author actually carries it all out with the light touch of a true master. He gently leads the reader into a realm of wondrous mystery...

Editorial Review:

The yogas of dream and sleep are used in the Bon and Buddhist traditions of Tibet to attain liberation.

Touching Enlightenment: Finding Realization in the Body

Reginald A. Ray

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Finest American dharma book to date 5 out of 5 stars.
17 of 19 people found this review helpful.

Given the dismal review listed earlier from Publisher's Weekly, I feel compelled to write this, my first (and probably last) review for amazon. I am a 20 year Zen practitioner and former assistant editor of the Mountain Record. In that capacity I wrote 25 or so book reviews, but none for the past 10 years or so.

Reginald Ray's book is a revelation; it is the finest, most original book written by an American to date, at least as far as I'm concerned. I am one of the many, many practitioners has practiced diligently in one's head for a long time, with less than completely satisfying results. He talks about his childhood Ferberizing and the cathartic breakthrough he had. That is sufficient, in my view. He doesn't linger on his personal experience any more than he has to. He clearly is a very accomplished, experienced, and compassionate teacher, and there is video evidence that shows this on his website and others.

In my case, much of the problem dates from childhood sexual abuse, memories that I recovered while living at Zen Mountain Monastery in the late 1980's. Ray's focus on the body, and his descriptive language is highly appropriate; excessive editing would kill the meaning and the message. Anyone who has spent time with the ancient Buddhist texts will recognize the wisdom of repetition with subtle variations, especially from someone who is as clear as Ray clearly is. Ray himself is humble and treats the book as a beginning, not an end.

The Publisher's weekly person seems to have a passing interest in Buddhism, and much deeper interest in the editorial process. Ignore the review and buy the book. I'll be re-reading it for the rest of my life.

Editorial Review:

How is it that a person can meditate for five, ten, twenty years or more?and hardly change? Because they?ve reduced it to ?a mental gymnastic, ? explains Reggie Ray. In Touching Enlightenment, the esteemed author of five books on Buddhist history and practice guides readers back to the original approach of the Buddha: a systematic process that results in a profound awareness ?in our bodies rather than in our heads.? Combining the scholarship he's renowned for with original insights from nearly four decades practicing and teaching meditation, Reggie Ray invites readers to explore: ? The body as the ideal place for spiritual pilgrimage ? How to cultivate imagination, deal with pain, breathe more naturally, and other essential skills ? Why ?rejected? experience becomes imprinted in the body?and the steps to release it

The Three Pillars of Zen: Teaching, Practice, and Enlightenment

Philip Kapleau Roshi

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 44 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Additional resources for the unenlightened 3 out of 5 stars.
6 of 8 people found this review helpful.

I commented several months ago on a post made by Mike-in-the-Middle, asking for more resources to help a beginner (me) without easy access to a roshi who could offer clarity on Zen/Buddhist ideas. I have since received several emails which offered more resources for me to check out, and I'd like to share these resources with you.

Buddhism Without Beliefs by Stephen Batchelor. This one is obviously of a secular bent, and I've been reading it off and on since I purchased it. It's a bit. . . scholarly, with some big 50-cent words, if you know what I mean. You definitely need a quiet place to be able to focus on his intellectual renderings, but if you can get into it, it's very insightful. Although it's "intellectual" and contains "big words," it doesn't contain a lot of the mysterious and otherworldly terminology of other such books written by Zen/Buddhist disciples. The book shows how you can practice the tenets of Buddhism without necessarily buying into all the religious aspects.

The Positive Psychology of Buddhism and Yoga: Paths to a Mature Happiness by Marvin Levine. This is the book I am currently reading. Mr. Levine makes a good comparison between the tenets of Buddhism (and yoga) and those of Western Psychology, both of which seek to put the person in touch with his/her true self. He also gives advice, gleaned from his own life and journey, about how to incorporate the ideas into your life. This book is VERY readable; Mr. Levine goes out of his way to make this book accessible to the lay person. I'm enjoying this one very much. (It doesn't have to be QUITE so quiet at my house in order for me to get into it. =)

Also recommended to me, but which I haven't yet checked out, are the following books:

Here is a short email I received.
"Saw a comment you left on a review of 3 Pillars of Zen mentioning you were looking for a good place to start. For me, the perfect start was "Buddhism Plain and Simple" by Steve Hagen. It's short, inexpensive and simple. Then I went to his website and downloaded all his free audio talks to listen to on my commute, and now i feel i can approach more advanced zen books quite comfortably (but start with the book before the audio stuff).

Another book recommended was Everyday Zen by Charlotte Joko Beck.

I hope these books will help some of you on your journey.

=)
Laurie
(Lovejoy444 at a o l dot com)

Editorial Review:

Through explorations of the three pillars of Zen--teaching, practice, and enlightenment--Roshi Philip Kapleau presents a comprehensive overview of the history and discipline of Zen Buddhism.  An established classic, this 35th anniversary edition features new illustrations and photographs, as well as a new afterword by Sensei Bodhin Kjolhede, who has succeeded Philip Kapleau as spiritual director of the Rochester Zen Center, one of the oldest and most influential Zen centers in the United States.

The Dhammapada: A New Translation of the Buddhist Classic with Annotations

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Dhammapada is the most widely read Buddhist scripture in existence, enjoyed by both Buddhists and non-Buddhists. This classic text of teaching verses from the earliest period of Buddhism in India conveys the philosophical and practical foundations of the Buddhist tradition. The text presents two distinct goals for leading a spiritual life: the first is attaining happiness in this life (or in future lives); the second goal is the achievement of spiritual liberation, freedom, absolute peace. Many of the key themes of the verses are presented in dichotomies or pairs, for example, grief and suffering versus joy; developing the mind instead of being negligent about one's mental attitude and conduct; virtuous action versus misconduct; and being truthful versus being deceitful. The purpose of these contrasts is, very simply, to describe the difference between what leads to desirable outcomes and what does not.

For centuries, this text has been studied in its original Pali, the canonical language of Buddhism in Southeast Asia. This fresh new translation from Insight Mediation teacher and Pail translator Gil Fronsdal is both highly readable and scholarly authoritative. With extensive explanatory notes, this edition combines a rigorous attention to detail in bringing forth the original text with the translator's personal knowledge of the Buddhist path. It is the first truly accurate and highly readable translation of this text to be published in English.

Taoist Secrets of Love: Cultivating Male Sexual Energy

Mantak Chia

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Trim the fat and get your facts straight, Mantak. 2 out of 5 stars.
42 of 58 people found this review helpful.

The main problem with this book is that the idea of chi is presented in such a low-brow Western terminology that the concept nearly lost. References to "Tongue Kung Fu". "Air" and the Cranial "Pump" tend to deflate and demystify the spiritual ideology. Literal english translations or even the retention of his own native language would have showed more respect for the subject.

Chia's teachings of meditation seem accurate enough but make one fatal flaw. The whole book - all of the various levels of the energy transference exercises - lead to or stem from the Microcosmic Orbit. Through out the book, Chia states that energy moves from the sexual region, up through the body and is stored in the head.

Why would he say that and then state in one of his other books, Awaken Healing Energy of the Tao, that proper storage of this energy, after moving through the head, should be in the navel. Anyone familiar with t'ai chi knows that the navel is the center point to all of your body's energy. To store such energies in the head can lead to insanity. Very irresponsible on his part.

At the end of the book, I suppose in an effort to cover all bases, everything from the pubococcygeal muscle to refexology gets a paragraph or two. Needless to say that several Chia's notions on tangible sexual issues could use a bit more research. For example, Chia makes reference to how ingesting semen "is at least as rational as buying vitamins" as it is a "treasure house" of vitamins and minerals. Anyone worth his salt knows that it only contains trace elements.

That statement alone makes me question just how accurate the rest of the book is. (Chia, of course, doesn't condone this sort of behavior, for you see, according to him, loss of this fluid can lead to baldness and premature death - hence the books whole stand point of retention and recirculating the energy contained within to other vital areas of the body.)

Where Chia really lost me, however, is when he suggested that women practicing exercises in this book "should keep [their] panties on to prevent any chi from draining out."

Editorial Review:

Mantak Chia reveals for the first time to the general public, the ancient sexual secrets of the Taoist sages. These secrets enable men to conserve and transform sexual energy through its circulation in the microcosmic orbit, invigorating and rejuvenating the body's vital functions. Hidden for centuries, these esoteric techniques and principles make the process of linking sexual energy and transcendent states of consciousness accessible to the reader. This revolutionary and definitive book teaches: higher taoist practices for alchemical transmutation of body, mind and spirit; the secret of achieving and maintaining full sexual potency; the Taoist "valley orgasm" - pathway to higher bliss; how to conserve and store sperm in the body; the exchange and balancing of male and female energies, within the body and with one's partner; and, how this practice can fuel higher achievement in career and sports.

The Way of Zen

Alan W. Watts

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 44 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

After D.T. Suzuki, Alan Watts stands as the godfather of Zen in America. Often taken to task for inspiring the flimsy spontaneity of Beat Zen, Watts had an undeniably keen understanding of his subject. Nowhere is this more evident than in his 1957 classic The Way of Zen, which has been reissued. Watts takes the reader back to the philosophical foundations of Zen in the conceptual world of Hinduism, follows Buddhism's course through the development of the early Mahayana school, the birth of Zen from Buddhism's marriage with Chinese Taoism, and on to Zen's unique expression in Japanese art and life. As a Westerner, Watts anticipates the stumbling blocks encountered with such concepts as emptiness and no-mind, then illustrates with flawlessly apt examples. Many popular books have been written on Zen since Watts' time, but few have been able to muster the rare combination of erudition and clarity that have kept The Way of Zen in readers' hands decade after decade. --Brian Bruya

Zen in the Martial Arts

Joe Hyams

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 101 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Zen in the Martial Arts--a tribute to exaggeration of benefits 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is a fine book. The problem for me in it deals with the subject more than the treatment. Martial arts, and the Zen attitude toward it, presents exaggerated benefits. One doubts that it produces personal superpowers. That seems a myth. It reminds me of what Hirohito's wife said after World War II, which was that the nation should have paid more attention to science and less to spirit. That is, they assumed that simply through zen discipline, they could overpower all the nations of the Pacific, as well as the United States. It didn't work that way. Similarly, with all the benefits that Zen may confer on the martial artist, it may not amount to a complete transformation of experience, as the author seems to propose. Still, it is a good book and well worth reading.

Editorial Review:

"A man who has attained mastery of an art reveals it in his every action."--Samurai Maximum.

Under the guidance of such celebrated masters as Ed Parker and the immortal Bruce Lee, Joe Hyams vividly recounts his more than 25 years of experience in the martial arts. In his illuminating story, Hyams reveals to you how the daily application of Zen principles not only developed his physical expertise but gave him the mental discipline to control his personal problems-self-image, work pressure, competition. Indeed, mastering the spiritual goals in martial arts can dramatically alter the quality of your life-enriching your relationships with people, as well as helping you make use of all your abilities.

How to Meditate with Pema Chodron: A Practical Guide to Making Friends with Your Mind

Pema Chodron

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Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

When it comes to meditation, Pema Chödrön is widely regarded as one of the world's foremost instructors. Yet most of her books and teaching programmes have focused on the benefits and challenges of a well-established practice . . . until now. On How to Meditate with Pema Chödrön, the American-born Tibetan Buddhist nun and author of When Things Fall Apart (Shambhala, 2000) presents her first complete audio course for those new to meditation. This in-depth, 5-session curriculum helps listeners honestly meet and compassionately relate with the mind-the fundamental skill in meditation-as they join Pema to explore:- The basics of mindfulness awareness practice, including proper posture, inner and outer focus, and breathing- Overcoming common obstacles like physical discomfort, difficult emotions, wandering attention, or drowsiness- Guided sessions for resting in the nature of mind, staying present, and more-plus straightforward advice for bringing the fruits of practice into everyday life. If you could handpick someone to teach you the best way to meditate, Pema Chödrön would be a first choice for millions. Now this beloved voice shares with listeners everywhere her unique approach-simple and down-to-earth while informed by the highest traditions of Tibetan Buddhism-on How to Meditate with Pema Chödrön.

Bushido: The Way of the Samurai (Square One Classics)

Tsunetomo Yamamoto

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Total reviews: 24 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Bushido or Hagakure??? 1 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Hagakure: The Way of the SamuraiBushido: The Soul of Japan (Dodo Press)

This book (Bushido: The Way of the Samurai) really needs to have a different title. At first glance I thought it was the classic Bushido, especially as it is the first book to pop up when one searches Bushido on Amazon. This book is NOT the classic Bushido; it is a translation of the Hagakure.

The Japanese martial philosophy book, Hagakure: The Way of the Samurai, by Yamamoto Tsunetomo, is NOT the same book as the equally classic Japanese martial philosophy book, Bushido: The Soul of Japan, by Inazo Nitobé. Indeed, Bushido was written nearly 200 years after Hagakure.

Just a heads up for anyone that is looking for the real Bushido.

Editorial Review:

In eighteenth-century Japan, Tsunetomo Yamamoto created the Hagakure, a document that served as the basis for samurai warrior behavior. Its guiding principles greatly influenced the Japanese ruling class and shaped the underlying character of the Japanese psyche, from businessmen to soldiers.

Bushido is the first English translation of the Hagakure. This work provides a powerful message aimed at the mind and spirit of the samurai warrior. It offers beliefs that are difficult for the Western mind to embrace, yet fascinating in their pursuit of absolute service. With Bushido, one can better put into perspective Japan’s historical path and gain greater insight into the Japan of today.

The Wishing Year: A House, a Man, My Soul A Memoir of Fulfilled Desire

Noelle Oxenhandler

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Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

One New Year’s Day, Noelle Oxenhandler took stock of her life and found that she was alone after a long marriage, seemingly doomed to perpetual house rental and separated from the spiritual community that once had sustained her. With little left to lose, she launched a year’s experiment in desire, forcing herself to take the plunge and try the path of Putting It Out There. It wasn’t easy. A skeptic at heart, and a practicing Buddhist as well, Oxenhandler had grown up with a strong aversion to mixing spiritual and earthly matters. Still, she suspended her doubts and went for it all: a new love, a healed soul, and the 2RBD/1.5 BA of her dreams. Thus began her initiation into the art of wishing brazenly.

In this charming, compelling, and ultimately joyful book, Oxenhandler records a journey that is at once comic and poignant, light and dark, earthy and spiritual. Along the way she wonders: Does wishing have power? Is there danger in wishing? Are some wishes more worthy than others? And what about the ancient link between suffering and desire? To answer her questions, she delves into the history of wishing, from the rain dance and deer song of primeval magic to modern beliefs about mind over matter, prosperity consciousness, and the law of attraction.

As the months go by, Oxenhandler is humbled to discover the courage it takes to make a wish and thus open oneself to the unknown. She is surprised when her experiment expands to include other people and other places in ways she never imagined. But most of all, she is amazed to find that there is, indeed, both power and danger in the act of wishing. For soon her wishes begin to come true–in ways that meet, subvert, and overflow her expectations. And what started as a year’s dare turns into a way of life.

A delightfully candid memoir, unfettered, poetic, and ripe with discovery, Oxenhandler’s journey into the art and soul of wishing will inspire even the most skeptical reader to search the skies for the next shooting star.

Praise for THE WISHING YEAR
"This is a wonderful book, full of wisdom gleaned from a year of Noelle Oxenhandler's daring to embrace what she had previously denied herself--her own personal wishes. I highly recommend The Wishing Year for anyone wanting to learn more about what life has to offer when we pay attention to our heart's desires."
–Sarah Susanka, author of The Not So Big Life

"Do you want to know how wishes come true? Then read The Wishing Year. It's a book that beautifully illuminates the art and mystery of wishing--and it does so in a way that is inspiring, funny, serious, honest, heartfelt, and irresistibly readable."
–Jack Kornfield, author of After the Ecstasy, the Laundry

"The Wishing Year is an elegant exploration of the way thought shapes reality. Writing with great personal honesty and candor, Noelle Oxenhandler's exhilarating prose takes us deep into the pain and glory of being human."
–Mark Epstein, M.D., author of Open to Desire

“Oxenhandler's new book makes it okay to be a smart, sophisticated grow-up who also believes in magic. She dives beneath the new age veneer and deconstructs how wishes really come true.” –Susan Piver, author of How Not to Be Afraid of Your Own Life