Both practical and whimsical, this book presents Tibetan Buddhist altars witha three-dimensional pop-up flair. Color illustrations, b&w photos.

The thangka is a way for Tibetan Buddhist monks to bring the life and teachings of the Buddha to the people through the visual medium of paint. These paintings were rolled up and taken on journeys, used as traveling altars, or hung when certain deitieswere honored. Meulenbeld takes us through 37 thangkas that present a pictorial journey of the life of Buddha, Siddhartha Guatama, and the evolution of Tibetan Buddhism. 37 color plates. Glossary. Bibliography. Index.

In this comprehensive book, Lama Surya Das provides a bridge between East and West, past, present and future, making sacred and profound Tibetan teachings clear and easily accessible for anyone who wants to lead a more enlightened and sane life. Utilizing the unique Buddhist guidelines embodied in the Noble Eight Fold Path and the traditional Three Enlightenment Trainings of Virtue, Meditation and Wisdom, he elucidates the tried and true path of spiritual transformation - including key principles such as karma, rebirth and mind-training, as well as the highest, most secret teaching of Tibet, Dzogchen. In this wonderful marriage of the practical and the profound, Lama Surya Das reveals how sacred wisdom can be integrated into our busy lives. He offers a unique approach to the comprehensive wisdom of ancient Tibetan teachings on conscious living and dying and shows that the power of the Buddha is resting within us all. Drawing on Buddhist spirituality and wisdom, this is a view of the world written for Western seekers.

Confronting an urban nightmare of drugs, violence, and despair, a leading American Buddhist tests her faith in non-violence by putting spirituality to work where it really counts--in the community.

Transform your home into a calm, balanced and harmonious oasis using architect Anjie Cho's helpful advice, drawing on her background in green design and feng shui. You don't have to get rid of all your possessions and become an ascetic to change your space and discover the benefits that living in a considered, organic way can bring. The easy suggestions in Holistic Spaces show you how to implement the principles of feng shui and green design in your home. Written for the way we live today, as we move toward a more mindful approach to health, diet and the way that we choose the objects in our homes, this is the perfect guide to help you to clear and refresh your living environment. Learn how to make every room in your home serve its highest purpose, create eco-friendly spaces, bring nature indoors, choose colours for maximum impact, select a space for meditation practice, and overall, create a peaceful and organic home. From the bedroom to the home office, these intuitive, straightforward tips will teach you to how improve your spaces to boost the flow of energy through your life.

Snow Lion's bestselling author teaches practitioners to calm their minds, still mental chatter, and cultivate compassion in over fourteen hours of guided meditations. An outstanding and engaging introduction to the stages of the path, a step-by-step meditation program. Run time: 15 hours

Kalachakra is a system of highest tantra practice for overcoming the limitations imposed by historical, astrological, and biological cycles so as to become a Buddha for the benefit of all. His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other great Tibetan teachers have been conferring the Kalachakra initiation in the West, empowering prepared practitioners to engage in its meditations. Large numbers of people also attend this initiation as interested observers and gain inspiration for their spiritual growth. Introduction to the Kalachakra Initiation explains on a practical level and in everyday language the theory of tantra, the vows, commitments, and their implications, the factors to consider in deciding if one is ready to attend a Kalachakra initiation as a participant, how to visualize during the initiation, and the most important thoughts and feelings for participants and observers at each step of the empowerment. In preparing this guidebook, Alexander Berzin has done a great service to everyone interested in the Kalachakra initiation. It will help people to prepare for the ceremony and understand the essential points of each step of the procedure.

This easy-to-understand introduction to Buddhism is “written for people wanting to understand basic Buddhist principles and how to integrate them into their lives” (H.H. the Dalai Lama) This user’s guide to Buddhist basics takes the most commonly asked questions—beginning with “What is the essence of the Buddha’s teachings?”—and provides simple answers in plain English. Thubten Chodron’s responses to the questions that always seem to arise among people approaching Buddhism make this an exceptionally complete and accessible introduction—as well as a manual for living a more peaceful, mindful, and satisfying Life. Buddhism for Beginners is an ideal first book on the subject for anyone, but it’s also a wonderful resource for seasoned students, since the question-and-answer format makes it easy to find just the topic you’re looking for, such as: • What is the goal of the Buddhist path? • What is karma? • If all phenomena are empty, does that mean nothing exists? • How can we deal with fear? • How do I establish a regular meditation practice? • What are the qualities I should look for in a teacher? • What is Buddha-nature? • Why can't we remember our past lives?

Altar Your Space is an invitation to rethink your home and find the sacred in the simple and attainable, creating an intention that allows your environment to reflect your consciousness. Create a home within your house, and accentuate your vision of the sacred within your home. Humble or grand, your home should be your sanctuary. For many of us, however, what often used to be a safe haven has become a place to “put our stuff". Altar Your Space will show you how to set an intention, surround yourself with things that bring you to life and infuse your home with consciousness. Sacred furnishings, beautiful pieces sculpted by human hands from real wood, colorful textiles imbued with spirit and purpose — these should be the foundation of one’s home. Finding the traditional role of interior designer outmoded in many ways, guide Jagatjoti Singh Khalsa provides a foundation for an exploration of self-discovery through the expression of “altaring” one’s home environment. Using bold examples of transformed homes including those of Sharon Stone, Jeremy Piven, Joely Fisher, Adrienne Brody and Shiva Rae, Khalsa demonstrates how to create a sense of sacredness in your living space – whether it’s a bathroom, kitchen, a children’s playroom, a home office or the entire house. Drawing inspiration from the East; a team of craftsmen and artisans in Rajasthan and elsewhere in India, Khalsa suggests simple ways to fill your home with a spirit-infused décor. Discover within these pages the creative use of antique Chinese wagon wheels, silk bedding, Tara statues, Asian pine tables made from 300-year-old railroad ties, Antique screen doors and Kela vine bedding that bring an eastern sensibility into the modern home. Including 150 full-color photographs, Altar Your Space illuminates how small changes and a new perspective can make all the difference in the effort to live a grateful and radiant life.

In Jizo Bodhisattva, Zen teacher and practicing pediatrician Jan Chozen Bays explores the development of traditional Buddhist practices related to Jizo, as well as the growing interest in Jizo practice in modern American Zen Buddhism. She also shows how you can incorporate this rich tradition into your own life, through meditations, mantras and chanting. In traditional Buddhist belief, a bodhisattva is an enlightened being who has forsaken entry into nirvana until all beings are saved. Jizo, one of the four great bodhisattvas of Mahayana Buddhism, is know as "the Bodhisattva of the Greatest Vows." He is regarded as the protector of travelers—whether their journeys in the physical world, or in the spiritual reams. Jizo also has special significance for pregnant women and parents whose children have died.