Modern Buddhism

Buddhism is practiced by hundreds of millions of people worldwide, from Tibetan caves to Tokyo temples to redwood retreats. To an outside viewer, it might be hard to see what they all have in common. In Buddhism, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and American Buddhist nun Thubten Chodron map out with clarity the convergences and the divergences between the two major strains of Buddhism - the Sanskrit traditions of Tibet and East Asia and the Pali traditions of Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.

Some 25 centuries after the Buddha started teaching, his message continues to inspire people across the globe, including those living in predominantly secular societies. What does it mean to adapt religious practices to secular contexts? Stephen Batchelor, an internationally known author and teacher, is committed to a secularized version of the Buddha's teachings. The time has come, he feels, to articulate a coherent, ethical, contemplative, and philosophical vision of Buddhism for our age.

With characteristic humility, His Holiness the Dalai Lama begins this landmark survey of the entire Buddhist path by saying, "I think an overview of Tibetan Buddhism for the purpose of providing a comprehensive framework of the path may prove helpful in deepening your understanding and practice." In this book the Dalai Lama delivers a presentation that is both concise and profound, accessible and engaging.

First published in 1925, Buddha's Teachings was originally edited by Japanese scholars of Buddhism before WWII and distributed widely throughout Japan. The first English edition was published in 1934.

When European missionaries first arrived in India in the sixteenth century, they entered a world both fascinating and bewildering. Hinduism, as they saw it, was a pagan mess: the worship of devils and monsters by a people who burned women alive, performed outlandish rites and fed children to...

This lucid overview of the Buddhist path takes the perspective of the three "vehicles" of Tibetan Buddhism: the Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. While these vehicles are usually presented as a historical development, they are here equated with the attitudes that individuals bring to their Buddhist practice. Basic to them all, however, is the need to understand our own immediate condition. The primary tool for achieving this is meditation, and The Essence of Buddhism serves as a handbook for the various meditative approaches of Buddhist practice.

This user’s guide to Buddhist basics takes the most commonly asked questions - beginning with “What is the essence of the Buddha’s teachings?” - and provides simple answers in plain English. Thubten Chodron’s responses to the questions that always seem to arise among people approaching Buddhism make this an exceptionally complete and accessible introduction - as well as a manual for living a more peaceful, mindful, and satisfying Life.

Course objectives: Discuss the practice of Mahamudra, or "the great revelation," as a modern path of awakening to the boundless freedom that is our fundamental nature, and as it is is revered in Tibetan Buddhism as the most direct route to seeing the world in all its transcendent beauty, power...

A book that brings to light the true essence of Buddhism as a religion that inspires in each one of us a yearning for a higher and better life, one full of virtue, spiritual joy, and service to fellow human beings. A book that firmly reminds us that every man must be a fabricator of his own salvation, that The Buddha does not proclaim himself to be a savior but only professes to teach us the way we can liberate ourselves as he has liberated himself.

This essential guide to socially engaged Tantric Buddhism reveals how modern practitioners can use the wisdom of the Vajrayana to confront systems of power and abuse. Today, a new generation of Buddhists searches for ways to adopt Vajrayana while staying true to its historical legacy. Modern...

In the forest of insecurities, is it possible to discover humanity through pleasure? Can we stop seeing each other as predator, prey, rival or mate, and rediscover ourselves as lovers? Does the divine reside in sensual delight, in emotional intimacy and in aesthetic experience? Yes, yes, yes...

This treasury of essential Buddhist writings draws from the most popular Indian, Tibetan, Chinese, and Japanese sources. Among the selections are some of the earliest recorded sayings of the Buddha on the practice of freedom, passages from later Indian scriptures on the perfection of wisdom, verses from Tibetan masters on the enlightened mind, and songs in praise of meditation by Zen teachers.

Jack Kornfield's A Path with Heart has been acclaimed as the most significant book yet about American Buddhism—a definitive guide to the practice of traditional mindfulness in America today. On this audio edition, Kornfield teaches the key principles of Buddhism's cherished vipassana (insight)...

Brought to you by Penguin. Jack Kerouac's classic novel about friendship, the search for meaning, and the allure of nature A witty, moving philosophical novel, Jack Kerouac's The Dharma Bums is a journey of self-discovery through the lens of Zen Buddhist thought. This Penguin Modern Classics...

This is a parallel history of resistance to Indira Gandhi’s dictatorial rule between 1975 and 1977, when an internal emergency was proclaimed in India. The events here unfold entirely in the United States of America surrounded by the echoes of emergency action in India. The book has an...

A rare, intimate account of a world-renowned Buddhist monk’s near-death experience and the life-changing wisdom he gained as a result. 'One of the most generous, beautiful, and essential books I’ve ever read – thoroughly engaging, so clear, so honest, so courageous and full of wisdom.'...

Author and painter Mark McGinnis has collected over 40 of these hallowed popular tales and retold them in vividly poetic yet accessible language, their original Buddhist messages firmly intact.

Budismo moderno nos revela cómo aplicar todos los aspectos del budismo, desde los más básicos hasta los más avanzados, para solucionar nuestros problemas y lograr una paz interior y felicidad más profundas. Este manual para la práctica diaria es una fuente inagotable de inspiración y nos ofrece soluciones desde la perspectiva budista a los problemas que se nos presentan en la vida. Asimismo, anima a los practicantes de cualquier creencia a profundizar en la comprensión y práctica del camino espiritual.

Should I smile because we are friends or cry because we are just friends? Blessed with the gift of the gab, Apurv manages to charm everyone in his company. Like most teenage boys, he longs for a girlfriend but hasn't found one yet. In another part of town, beautiful and popular Amyra leads a...

The essential guide to training your brain for mindfulness—modern, science-based, and with no Buddhism required. Publisher’s note: Brain Training with the Buddha was previously published in hardcover as The Foundations of Mindfulness. Lifelong meditation teacher Eric Harrison intimately...