He may not be wealthy or svelte, but the Laughing Buddha is happy and says that you can be, too. Layering your life with lucky objects and images such as the Laughing Buddha increases your chances for happiness and prosperity. This illustrated book contains the story of the Laughing Buddha, so prepareyourself for a life full of joy, luck, and prosperity!

The book talks about the spirit of the Laughing Buddha which is a state of ultimate relaxation, happiness and contentment. Sakshi Chetana brings in this book the rare combination of ancient Buddhist wisdom and its practical use in our daily lives in the modern world for living in joy. Buddha has had an immeasurable influence on the human race. The Laughing Buddha is a practical aspect of the Buddha, who, after enlightenment, showed us the way to a euphoric living right in the middle of our daily chores and responsibilities. In other words, Sakshi has brilliantly introduced the wisdom of Buddhism for ecstatic living in a market-place. This book wonderfully explores the legends and lessons from the life of Laughing Buddha, whose spirit we can imbibe for a delightful living. Lucidly and beautifully written, the Laughing Buddha" contains the wisest spirit of Buddhism in a readily understandable and accessible form, often in a question-answer format, for even those, who are new to Buddhism. The book is an enjoyable read for everyone who aspires to live a joyful and meaningful life.

"Excess of sorrow laughs. Excess of joy weeps."(William Blake) A cooly impassioned, and "pathward" adventurous series of poems joining two modes of enlightenment, Buddhist and Sufi, that may in many ways be parallel-from my sitting with saintly Shunryu Suzuki of the San Francisco Zen Center in the early 60s, and my blessed time with Qutb Shaykh ibn al-Habib of Fez in Meknes, Morocco, in the 1970s, may Allah be pleased with both of them. Are the two protagonists of these poems the main characters in Waiting for Godot, now no longer waiting, but there? Exalted humor lightens our spiritual endeavors.

These eighty-five cartoons provide a hilarious perspective on everything from reincarnation to mindful--or perhaps mindless--ness. Over the centuries, Buddhism has offered the world a clear-eyed, down-to-earth approach to life and death. This irresistible little book of teachings is no exception. It demonstrates that wisdom can--and often should--be taught through humor.Buddha Laughingis a healthy recipe for lightening up, the path to true enlightenment.

In Zen as in no other religious movement are the principal records, the techniques for spiritual realization, the art and aesthetics, and the portrayal of the spirit and style of its masters so intimately intertwined with the comic spirit and perspective. In the sayings of Zen masters one soon discovers that the object of laughter is really oneself, trapped in the predicament and folly of mankind. The purpose of wit, in Zen teachings, is to reveal the rational approach as a false trail. The author of this study surveys Zen literature to reveal the profound perception and direct experience of reality beneath the seeming playfulness and lightheartedness of Zen Buddhist writers and teachers.

Harris' book serves as a fresh introduction to Zen for Western readers which never fails to convey the radiant spirit of one of the most remarkable spiritual masters of our time.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • PEN/FAULKER AWARD WINNER • The acclaimed author of The Swimmers and When the Emperor Was Divine tells the story of a group of young women brought from Japan to San Francisco as “picture brides” a century ago in this "understated masterpiece ... that unfolds with great emotional power" (San Francisco Chronicle). In eight unforgettable sections, The Buddha in the Attic traces the extraordinary lives of these women, from their arduous journeys by boat, to their arrival in San Francisco and their tremulous first nights as new wives; from their experiences raising children who would later reject their culture and language, to the deracinating arrival of war. Julie Otsuka has written a spellbinding novel about identity and loyalty, and what it means to be an American in uncertain times.

Poetry. Asian Studies. Translated by Larry Smith and Mei Hui Liu Huang. One hundred poems by Japan's great poet Taigu Ryokan (1758-1831) included in English, original Chinese, and in Japanese, translated by poets Mei Hui Liu Huang and Larry Smith. With an introduction, "Taigu Ryokan: Great Fool," by Larry Smith. "These poems, wise and direct, have been rightly treasured for centuries because of the way they expand the mind and refresh the spirit. That is their nature in their original language, and Smith and Huang have managed, with great care and affection, to recreate that nature in English"--David Young, poet and translator.

The Laughing Buddha is a comic novel about our desire for knowledge and our incapacity to attain it. Jimmy Burman, a naive young man, is recruited by Rampal, an unflappable private detective, and soon they find themselves investigating the theft of a priceless Buddha. In the course of their investigation, Jimmy encounters a marvellous cast of characters, each with a distinctive philosophical view of which he is usually persuaded, with consequences that are invariably unhappy. The year is 1976, when in Britain intelligent people could still harbour the fantasy of revolution, and in China four insects were being mercilessly crushed.