Chinese painting might be called "philosophy in action", for it is one of the highest expressions of Chinese spirituality. Both a medium for contemplation leading to self-transcendence and a microcosm embodying universal principles and primal forces, it is a means for making manifest the Chinese worldview. At the heart of this worldview is the notion of emptiness, the dynamic principle of transformation. Only through emptiness can things attain their full measure and human beings approach the universe at the level of totality. Focusing on the principle of emptiness, Francois Cheng uses semiotic analysis and textual explication to reveal the key themes and structures of Chinese aesthetics in the practice of pictorial art. Among the many Chinese writers, poets, and artists whose writings are quoted, he gives special emphasis to a great Ch'ing dynasty theoretician and painter, Shih-t'ao. Twenty-seven reproductions of the words of Shih-t'ao and other masters illustrate the interpretive commentary.

Despite their differences within, two houses are close friends.

The question of Pessimism vs. Optimism is often misunderstood, or worse yet, misinterpreted. But by taking a childlike and playful approach, we can explore one of humankind's most ancient riddles and learn some of the deeper lessons that The Question can teach each of us.The Question exists, in some form, in every language across the globe, and its origins are as ancient as the human spirit. But does this simple question really tell us if one is a Pessimist or an Optimist? Can we use The Question to help us with finding balance, managing stress, and enjoying life? Using humor and innocence, this book provides us the opportunity to determine the fullness of our own glass, and how to apply it to our daily lives.

How to Thrive After Your Kids Leave Home IT’S HAPPENING! You weren’t always sure you’d get here, but the kids grew up and are surviving—more or less successfully. But what now?! If you’re like most moms, you’re caught between grief and delight, and full of questions, loose ends, hopes, and regrets. Empty nesting can be a disorienting time, but it can also be the best time of your life. Jill Savage, an empty-nest veteran, offers you WISDOM for the murky waters ahead. Teaching you what you need to let go of and hold on to ENCOURAGEMENT for when you’re feeling confused and discouraged. Full of stories and new insights, you’ll find your spirits lifted and hope renewed. IDEAS for when you don’t know "What’s next?" Jill offers loads of practical ideas for coping and thriving in this encore season.

One of the defining artists of her generation, photographer Catherine Opie (*1961 in Sandusky, Ohio) is known for her portraits and landscapes. She has frequently combined these two elements by training her camera on how people take possession of different landscapes-from high-school football players on the field or ice fishermen on frozen lakes to surfers waiting for the next wave. Opie recently returned to the genre of street photography, elaborating on the relationship between people and places. This catalogue presents her latest photographs of political demonstrations and gatherings-ranging from the inauguration of President Obama to Tea Party rallies. Drawing on the long and illustrious tradition of American landscape painting and documentary photography, like that of Berenice Abbott and Robert Frank, Opie affords us a look at democracy in action.

A dystopic look at what happens to one American town when all the fossil fuels run out...It's the near future - the very near future - and the fossil fuels are running out. No gas. No oil. Which means no driving. No heat. Supermarkets are empty. Malls have shut down. Life has just become more local than we ever knew it could be.Nobody expected the end to come this fast. And in the small town of Spring Valley, decisions that once seemed easy are quickly becoming matters of life and death. There is hope - there has to be hope - just there are also sacrifices that need to be made, and a whole society that needs to be rethought.

Every child gets bored or lonely. From award-winning author Tim J. Myers, Full of Empty will bring home the power of quality time.

“A must-read for anyone interested in moving from inspiration to action.” —Cal Newport, author of So Good They Can’t Ignore You Most of us fill our days with frantic activity, bouncing from task to task, scrambling to make deadlines and chase the next promotion. But by the end of each day we’re often left wondering if any of it really mattered. We feel the ticking of the clock, but we’re unsure of the path forward. Die Empty is a tool for people who aren’t willing to put off their most important work for another day. Todd Henry explains the forces that lead to stagnation and introduces practices that will keep you on a true and steady course. The key is embracing the idea that time is finite, so you should focus on the unique contribution to the world that only you can make. Henry shows how to sustain your enthusiasm, push through mental barriers, and unleash your best work each day.

ARE YOU TIRED OF BEING EMPTY? Do you want to be free from this condition, once and for all? From Empty to Full is a powerful testimony of how life shifted out of emptiness, brokenness, sickness, and sadness and into fullness! As you look inside the windows of this story, take a glimpse into the goodness of God as you are shown exactly how He removes empty places and replaces them with His fullness. Everyone can enter into ALL the fullness of God through the development of an intimate prayer life. By acknowledging and practicing His Word and using the life-giving help that He provides from these sources, that will help you to be full and stay full. Taking these steps seriously will stimulate your faith and unleash the power of the Holy Spirit to illuminate God’s love, mercy, compassion, and grace in your life. God’s desire is for you to receive healing and deliverance that will cause the empty corners in your heart, past, and life to fade away and be filled. Purpose to walk through the road of life’s battles and realize that there is freedom and FULLNESS in Jesus! God’s victory and best for every area of life is available; physically, emotionally, or spiritually. There is a way for ALL to be FULL and it will cause you to veer out of darkness and into light. This new found fullness of God will run off sin, depression, sickness, defeat and the many hindrances that have been holding you back from a life of happiness and fulfillment. It is time to give God your emptiness and let Him fill and launch you to the next level. Are you ready to let God heal your emptiness and pour into you with His FULL healing grace?

An editor at This American Life reveals the searing story of the secret binge-eating that dominated her adolescence and shapes her still. “Her tale of compulsion and healing is candid and powerful.”—People NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY MARIE CLAIRE For almost thirty years, Susan Burton hid her obsession with food and the secret life of compulsive eating and starving that dominated her adolescence. This is the relentlessly honest, fiercely intelligent story of living with both anorexia and binge-eating disorder, moving past her shame, and learning to tell her secret. When Burton was thirteen, her stable life in suburban Michigan was turned upside down by her parents’ abrupt divorce, and she moved to Colorado with her mother and sister. She seized on this move west as an adventure and an opportunity to reinvent herself from middle-school nerd to popular teenage girl. But in the fallout from her parents’ breakup, an inherited fixation on thinness went from “peculiarity to pathology.” Susan entered into a painful cycle of anorexia and binge eating that formed a subterranean layer to her sunny life. She went from success to success—she went to Yale, scored a dream job at a magazine right out of college, and married her college boyfriend. But in college the compulsive eating got worse—she’d binge, swear it would be the last time, and then, hours later, do it again—and after she graduated she descended into anorexia, her attempt to “quit food.” Binge eating is more prevalent than anorexia or bulimia, but there is less research and little storytelling to help us understand it. In tart, soulful prose Susan Burton strikes a blow for the importance of this kind of narrative and tells an exhilarating story of longing, compulsion and hard-earned self-revelation.