Mind, Body & Spirit

If you're drawn to ancient Indian philosophy, or simply seek a deeper understanding of life's truths, "The Heart of Awareness" offers that in a beautifully succinct way. Thomas Byrom’s translation captures the very essence of the Ashtavakra Gita's profound wisdom. This book could provide a serene reading experience that might just illuminate your path to inner peace.

This book could be a good read for someone seeking a comprehensive and practical guide to uncover ancient secrets of Tantra. Osho sheds light on the misunderstood and misinterpreted science, showing that it is not just about enhancing sexual experience. The book offers powerful transformative tools that can bring new meaning and joy to every aspect of daily life, making it an invaluable resource for self-realization in modern times.

This book, "The Tibetan Book of the Dead," is a captivating exploration that delves into the profound wisdom of Buddhist teachings on death and dying. It offers an accessible and informative version, providing instruction in meditation and offering illuminating commentary. Through its insights into the afterworld, it sheds light on the workings of the mind and helps us attune to the art of dying. With its psychological insights and guidance, this book can serve as a comforting and enlightening companion for those who wish to explore the deeper aspects of life and death.

In "Mindfulness Bliss and Beyond", Ajahn Brahm shares his expertise on the jhanas- the original Meditation Teaching of Buddha. This book is a must-read for those who want to deepen their meditation and experience inner peace and ultimate bliss. The book is full of amusing storytelling and surprises that will inspire and illuminate beginners and experienced practitioners alike.

This is a translation of T'ai-i chin-hua tsung-chih, a late 18th-century Chinese meditation text falsely attributed to the shadowy 9th-century figure Lü Yen. A late expression of Chin-tan ("Golden Elixir") Taoism, it teaches manipulation of internal forces ("light") to achieve revitalization and spiritual rebirth. The work became famous in the West when Richard Wilhelm translated it in 1929, and published it with a commentary by psychologist Carl Jung. In an afterword, Cleary confesses the importance that the Wilhelm/Jung version had for his own personal development. Yet he misses few opportunities to disparage both Wilhelm and Jung, charging that their version "contains dangerous and misleading contaminations" (p. 5). It is, at best, ironic that Cleary, never obsessed by historical or textual niceties, accuses Wilhelm of publishing "a garbled translation of a truncated version of a corrupted rescension" (p. 3). Cleary's familiarity with Chin-tan texts does exceed Wilhelm's, but on the whole his translation is not much better. Extensive notes do illumine some passages, largely through use of a commentary by the 19th-century Taoist Liu I-ming. But as usual, Cleary's renderings are often unblushing paraphrases, and specific readings are sometimes simply arbitrary assignations of meaning based on his own "transcultural, transdogmatic appreciation of the mental dynamic of religion" (p. 133). Both the scholar and the general reader should approach this, like most of his earlier offerings, with due circumspection. Thomas Cleary is the preeminent translator of classic Eastern texts, including The Essential Tao, The Essential Confucius, The Secret of the Golden Flower, and the bestselling The Art of War.

A leading spiritual teacher of the twentieth century presents meditation as a tool for better understanding not just ourselves but the world around us These selections present the core of Krishnamurti's teaching on meditation, taken from discussions with small groups, as well as from public talks to large audiences. His main theme is the essential need to look inward, to know ourselves, in order really to understand our own—and the world's—conflicts. We are the world, says Krishnamurti, and it is our individual chaos that creates social disorder. He offers timeless insights into the source of true freedom and wisdom.