The spiritual tradition of India known as Advaita Vedanta is one of the most profound visions of the Absolute known to man. Its message speaks to the heart of freedom; it teaches that liberation is found only in the realization of God and that the deepest happiness is the knowledge of the essential identity between the soul and God. Advaita Bodha Deepika (Lamp of Non-Dual Knowledge) and Kaivalya Navaneeta (Cream of Liberation) are two gems taken from the crown of that great tradition. The content of both represents a distillation of the soul of Hinduism. Opening their pages, the reader is transported back in time to a grassy spot under a shady tree outside a temple in south India to overhear conversations between master and disciple concerning the most important questions of human existence. Many people have found that Lamp of Non-Dual Knowledge is the clearest, easiest to understand summary of Advaita Vedanta. It is in the form of a dialogue between a seeker and his spiritual master, with the seeker posing many probing questions about the nature of existence, the universe, and humankind. Cream of Liberation is a widely known Advaita classic and outlines the basic philosophical principles in a very clear way, again in the form of a dialogue between master and devotee. Among all of the explicitly formulated metaphysical doctrines found in the religions of the world, Advaita Vedanta is one of the most complete and clearly articulated. These two short classics (largely unknown in the West), presented in a single volume, provide an excellent introduction for the reader who wishes to drink from the stream of that transforming wisdom which Hindus call sanatana dharma (eternal religion). This is the underlying religion which has guided and illuminated countless souls since the Vedic period began some twelve hundred years before the birth of Christ.

The practice of Vipassana or insight meditation was described by the Buddha as the “direct way” for the overcoming of all sorrow and grief and for realizing Nibbana, the state of perfect liberation from suffering. The essence of this practice consists in the four foundations of mindfulness: mindful contemplation of the body, feelings, states of mind, and mind objects.

In this newly revised English translation from the French, including a comprehensive glossary, this volume surveys the enormous range of Schuon's writngs on prayer and spiritual life.

This complete guide to enlightenment presents the wisdom of the ancient science of self-inquiry, a time-tested means for achieving spiritual freedom. The author convincingly refutes the popular view that enlightenment is a unique state of consciousness and debunks a host of other myths. In his straightforward style he reveals proven methods for purifying the mind, and takes the reader from the beginning to the end of the spiritual path, patiently unfolding the logic of self-inquiry.

A page-turning novel that is also an exploration of the great philosophical concepts of Western thought, Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World has fired the imagination of readers all over the world, with more than twenty million copies in print. One day fourteen-year-old Sophie Amundsen comes home from school to find in her mailbox two notes, with one question on each: "Who are you?" and "Where does the world come from?" From that irresistible beginning, Sophie becomes obsessed with questions that take her far beyond what she knows of her Norwegian village. Through those letters, she enrolls in a kind of correspondence course, covering Socrates to Sartre, with a mysterious philosopher, while receiving letters addressed to another girl. Who is Hilde? And why does her mail keep turning up? To unravel this riddle, Sophie must use the philosophy she is learning—but the truth turns out to be far more complicated than she could have imagined.

A masterful translation of one of the most influential Buddhist sutras—the Avatamsaka Sutra—by one of the greatest translators of Buddhist texts of our time Known in Chinese as Hua-yen and in Japanese as Kegon-kyo, the Avatamsaka Sutra, or Flower Ornament Scripture, is held in the highest regard and studied by Buddhists of all traditions. Through its structure and symbolism, as well as through its concisely stated principles, it conveys a vast range of Buddhist teachings. This one-volume edition contains Thomas Cleary’s definitive translation of all thirty-nine books of the sutra, along with an introduction, a glossary, and Cleary’s translation of Li Tongxuan’s seventh-century guide to the final book, the Gandavyuha, “Entry into the Realm of Reality.”

A study on Bhagavat Gita with a different perspective.

From the moment we emerge into the world as an infant we begin a journey of experience. We all share the desire to be happy. In this journey we will all experience emotional and physical pain and the loss of what we love. How we meet our losses and pains will determine the amount of peace we have in our lives. If we meet them as the hardened warrior or the defeated victim we live from survival and peace escapes us. In Medicine of One, Lomakayu, spiritual teacher, Soul Dreamer, and the originator of primordial movements for emotional healing, offers us a path to spiritual awareness, self-compassion and freedom that is as simple as a Circle. Using his own unique teachings, personal experience, and poetic language, he shares a path that will enliven, bring clarity, inspire, and fulfill you no matter where you are in life. Allow yourself to open the pages of Medicine of One ... breathe in the words ... and slowly grasp all you can from what is written. You will find yourself in a Circle full of deep understanding and self compassion.