1918: Lord Howe Island, off Australias eastern coast. An American, Paul De Martinet, arrives to paint the sub tropical outposts vanishing birds. Home to an insular community, jealousy and suspicion lurk not far below the surface of what appears to be an otherwise carefree community. On expeditions into the islands mysterious and beautiful kentia palm forest he is accompanied by Margaret Sleap, a gifted local gardener. Re-animating vanished birds in paint, they find each specimen resonates with its own deeper story of loss and belonging. Together they map out the aching territory of love until one day, as tensions surface, they are the victims of a savage attack that sets in motion their own choices of survival.

You must accept that there will be loss. To deny this is to deny the nature of our struggle. And with the loss, the darkness will come for you at times. —Col. Akio Sato (726 AF). On a planet lost in the great Void, Lt. Thomas Walker wakes up after a horrific dream—alone, low on supplies, and at the beginning of a dangerous mission. One thousand years ago, the denizens of Earth colonized Thomas’s planet, but communications were cut off after a mysterious and catastrophic event destroyed their technology. Those who remain—like Thomas himself—are the survivors, battling to rebuild and define their existence despite a critical lack of resources, an absence of “home,” and the constant threat of the Others—a species of hostile aliens known for their unthinking violence. When a crude radio receiver picks up an indecipherable message, Thomas, a military scout, is told to investigate. Off he ventures into enemy territory, facing not only the Others, but his own cast of demons that visit him in his sleep, whispering of a tragedy that both torments him and drives him forward into the unknown.

The important Buddhist doctrine of the two truths—conventional truths and ultimate truths—is the subject of this book. It examines how the doctrine evolved within early Buddhism from efforts to make sense of contradictions within the collected sayings of the Buddha. The two truths, however, came to refer not primarily to statements or language, but to the realities to which statements or language referred. As such, the doctrine of the two truths became one through which Buddhist philosophers focused their efforts to elaborate an abhidharma, a higher teaching which allowed them to explain how the mind apprehends and misapprehends the world, how it attaches itself to objects that do not exist in and of themselves, thereby creating suffering. In effect, the doctrine then evolved into a distinction between different sorts of objects rather than a distinction between different sorts of statements. The doctrine of the truths understood in this way played a key role in the articulation of the Mahayana by its followers in distinguishing it from what they called Hinayana, especially in defining the central ideas of selflessness and emptiness. Unlike prior books on this topic which concentrate on the doctrine within the context of the Mahayana, Buescher's examines it within the context of the Hinayana. Tibetan Buddhist syntheses of Buddhist doctrine provide a fascinating perspective from which to compare the positions of the major Indian schools. Such works, however, often lack the historical perspective from which to discern the development of these positions.

When God promised Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky, Abraham was childless. Yet through many obstacles, temptations, and even failures, Abraham became an example of faith as he learned to trust God's promises regardless of circumstances. In this faith-filled book, Michael Youssef takes you through Abraham's incredible journey of faith, encouraging you to trust God's timing and plan when the road gets difficult. He also shares his own experiences of trusting God in a foreign land and includes reflection questions for you and your small group to pinpoint the ways in which you're trusting--or need to trust--God to keep his promises, even when the way forward seems impossible--even when you can't see the stars.

Loosely based on real-life events, this suspenseful story, by a debut novelist, is also funny and touching and will have readers riveted from start to finish. Lucy's mother is the U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia, so Lucy's life must be one big adventure, right? Wrong. Lucy's worrywart mother keeps her locked up inside the ambassador's residence. All Lucy can do is read about the exotic and exciting world that lies beyond the compound walls and imagine what it would be like to be a part of it. That is, until one day Lucy decides she has had enough and she and a friend sneak off for some fun. But to their horror, Lucy gets kidnapped! With only herself to rely upon, Lucy must use her knowledge of African animals, inventiveness, will, and courage to escape, and in the process embarks on an adventure beyond her wildest imagination. Includes bonus material! - Book Club Discussion Guide

At last, the way to become complete is revealed in Woo Myung’s bestselling book, "Stop Living in This Land, Go to the Everlasting World of Happiness, Live There Forever." Now we can live in the everlasting world of happiness. By discarding one’s false mind, and being reborn as the true mind of the universe, one can live eternally as Truth itself. This book is a treasure that gives all people hope to be free of pain and suffering. This book provides the ultimate answers to the questions, ’What is the human mind?’ ‘What is the meaning and the purpose of life?’ ‘What is enlightenment?’ Countless people have asked these questions and many have tried to answer them. Reading this book will provide the ultimate answers.

‘Empty Sky’, which draws its title from Sylvia Plath’s ‘I talk to God but the sky is empty’, features the top emerging writers from UTS’ creative writing program and showcases a range of extraordinary works. This edition is honoured to be introduced by writer, editor and activist Bri Lee, the award-winning author of Eggshell Skull. The smoky sky is empty: a deficit of light and sound, devoid of sentience…or is it? Our world is tumultuous – from political upheaval to environmental decay, the Earth is in the process of shifting and reforming. Technology surrounds us, encroaching. Society both evolves and regresses. 2020 was dealt a somewhat cruel hand: fires swept through Australia and the COVID-19 pandemic permeated every aspect of our lives. In one way or another, struggle is a part of us. These pieces depict precisely that. There is fantastic struggle against the self and the world and whoever is listening, and in this way, these works cry out to be read. They show that human lives are full: full of fighting and grief, full of compassion and joy. Full to the brim. The 34th UTS Writers’ Anthology: the 2020 collection of some of the best new writing – previously unpublished – from a student body with an incredible voice. Each year the UTS Writers’ Anthology showcases the best work from one of Australia’s most prestigious writing programs. This year’s anthology includes prose, fiction, poetry and screenplays from talented emerging writers including Christine Afoa, Ruth Armstrong, Sara Borman, Sally Breen, Alex Bulahoff, Shana Chandra, Daniel Comensoli, Olivia Costa, Daniel Date, Mark Gerts, Shoshana Gottlieb, Echo He, Sydney Khoo, ZA Knowles, Sam McAlpine, Helen Meany, David Naylor, Joseph Schwarzkopf, Amy Shapiro, Jack Cameron Stanton, EM Tasker and Tanya Vavilova.

The ultimate question is no longer "who am I" or "why am I here." These questions were answered in the earliest civilizations by philosophers and priests. Today we live in an age of such rapid advances in technology and science that the ultimate question must be rephrased: what shall we be? This book investigates what may become of human civilization, who is setting the agenda for a trans-humanistic civilization, and why . The modern Victor Frankenstein holds a high political office, carries diplomatic immunity, and is most likely funded by the largest corporations worldwide. His method is ancient: alchemy. His fraternities are well known and their secrets are well kept, but his goal of times past and present is the same; he dares to become as god, genetically manipulating the seeds of the earth, the beasts on the fields, and to claim legal ownership over humanity by re-creating it in his own image. This is no fairy tale, science fiction, or conspiracy theory … it simply is! Transhumanism, a Grimoire of Alchemical Agendas by Dr.'s. Joseph P. Farrell and Scott D. de Hart lifts the veil from the macabre transhumanistic monster being assembled and exposes the hidden history and agenda that has set humanity on a collision course for the Apocalypse. Joseph P. Farrell is the author of the best-selling Genes, Giants, Monsters, and Men: The Surviving Elites of the Cosmic War and Their Hidden Agenda.

Georges Bataille's powerful writings have fascinated many readers, enmeshed as they are with the themes of sex and death. His emotive discourse of excess, transgression, sacrifice, and the sacred has had a profound and notable influence on thinkers such as Foucault, Derrida and Kristeva. Bataille: Writing the Sacred examines the continuing power and influence of his work. The full extent of Bataille's subversive and influential writings has only been made available to an English-speaking audience in recent years. By bringing together international specialists on Bataille from philosophy and literature to art history, this collection is able to explore the many facets of his writings.

In its role as a scriptural charter, vinaya has justified widely dissimilar approaches to religious life as Buddhist orders in different times and places have interpreted it in contradictory ways. In the resulting tension between scripture and practice, certain kinds of ceremonial issues (such as those involving lineage, seniority, initiation, purification, repentance, visualization, vows, ordination) acquire profound social, psychological, doctrinal, and soteriological significance in Buddhism. Going Forth focuses on these issues over a wide sweep of history—from early fifth-century China to modern Japan—to provide readers with a rich overview of the intersection of doctrinal, ritual, and institutional concerns in the development of East Asian Buddhist practices. Despite the crucial importance of vinaya, especially for understanding Buddhism in East Asia, very little scholarship in Western languages exists on this fascinating topic. The essays presented here, written by senior scholars in the field, go beyond the timeworn method of relying on prescriptive accounts in the scriptures to describe what imaginary Buddhists must have done (or do). Rather, they address how actual people responded to local social and cultural imperatives by reading scripture in innovative ways to give new life to tradition. They place real people, practices, and institutions at the center of each account, revealing both diversity and unity, continuity and transformation, in Buddhist customs. The result is a well-integrated, accessible work—relevant for Buddhist studies, but with wider implications for anyone interested in East Asian cultural heritage. Contributors: T. H. Barrett, William Bodiford, David W. Chappell, James C. Dobbins, Daniel A. Getz, Paul Groner, John R. McRae, Morten Schlütter, Nobuyoshi Yamabe, Yifa.