In 1978, at the age of 80, the Burmese forest monk Taungpulu Sayadaw left his native country for the first time and came to California, where he taught and established the West's first Burmese Buddhist temple and monastery. Revered as a saint in his lifetime and after his death in 1986, Taungpulu Sayadaw's calm, joyful presence, forged in a lifetime's dedication to the austere spiritual path of the Theravada forest tradition, was a beacon of hope to Burmese people in exile and a radiant example of living Buddhism for all who encountered him. This selection of the Sayadaw's favorite discourses, parables, chants, and meditations distills the essence of the fundamental Buddhist practices of mindfulness, non-attachment, and loving-kindness.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1964.

Sonoran Wildflowers is the ultimate field guide to wildflowers of North America's most biologically diverse desert, which straddles the Gulf of California between the Baja Peninsula and northwestern Sonora and stretches north into California and Arizona. Packed with vivid color photos and informative text, this valuable reference will help you identify and appreciate the varied flora of this vast region's six different climates. This easy-to-use guide features: a tough, water-resistant cover and extra-durable binding, made to withstand vigorous field use; detailed descriptions and color photos of more than 300 plants; an introduction to the habitats and ecology of the Sonoran Desert; a primer on plant characteristics; a glossary of botanical terms. Sonoran Desert Wildflowers is perfect for the novice and expert wildflower enthusiast alike. Whether you are lucky enough to spot the inconspicuous blooms of Devil's Spineflower or the spectacular Desert Mariposa, this guide will enhance your next journey into the remarkable Sonoran Desert.

Hawthorne delivers an exquisitely illustrated picture book about the Saguaro cactus which grows in the Sonoran desert in Arizona and its flower, which blooms only one night a year. Full color.

What miracles do we miss when we close our eyes to the wonder of everyday moments? In this busy, jaded world of ours, we often take for granted what we see every day. We may set aside time to spend with God in a quiet room, but we struggle to see his hand in a traffic jam or while walking the dog. But for Karen Wingate, sight itself is something extraordinary, and what our eyes can reveal is even more astounding. Karen lived most of her life with severely limited sight due to a cluster of disorders stemming from a genetic defect. But through the chance outcome of a surgery, she regained sight in one eye that doubled her visual acuity—and allowed her to see things she had never seen before. And as she discovered a more detailed world for the first time, she also began to see God in every new discovery—from the prosaic numbers of a bathroom scale to the glory of sunsets. With Fresh Eyes invites readers to not only celebrate the gift of their own sight but also reawaken the wonder of what they observe in creation—great and small—and how God is working in everyday moments. In each of her sixty meditations, Karen's humor and whimsy draw a connection between physical sight and spiritual understanding that will leave readers with a renewed joy and delight in what is good and beautiful, and will reassure them that God still works in the lives of his people.

Deserts pose a particularly difficult challenge to gardeners. Surprising toany desert newcomers, it is possible to have a beautifully invitingandscape in the desert and minimize the use of precious water resources. TheArizona Flowerscaper" offers the key to successful desert gardening and is aeneral understanding of the extreme climate, seasons, and soil conditions.hrough wise plant choices, gardens emerge that intrigue and delight, oftenith little maintenance involved. The illustrated plants can be viewedogether through a unique tri-cut format, showing the plant at maturity andith appropriate details of foliage or flora. Offering plant selections fromround the world, the "Arizona Flowerscaper" is an essential resource foresert gardeners everywhere.

This is not your grandmother's gardening book. You Grow Girl is a hip, humorous how-to for crafty gals everywhere who are discovering a passion for gardening but lack the know-how to turn their dreams of homegrown tomatoes and fresh-cut flowers into a reality. Gayla Trail, creator of YouGrowGirl.com, provides guidance for both beginning and intermediate gardeners with engaging tips, projects, and recipes -- whether you have access to a small backyard or merely to a fire escape. You Grow Girl eliminates the intimidation factor and reveals how easy and enjoyable it can be to cultivate plants and flowers even when resources and space are limited. Divided into accessible sections like Plan, Plant, and Grow, You Grow Girl takes readers through the entire gardening experience: Preparing soil Nurturing seedlings Fending off critters Reaping the bounty Readying plants for winter Preparing for the seasons ahead Gayla also includes a wealth of ingenious and creative projects, such as: Transforming your garden's harvest into lush bath and beauty products Converting household junk into canny containers Growing and bagging herbal tea Concocting homemade pest repellents ...and much, much more. Witty, wise, and as practical as it is stylish, You Grow Girl is guaranteed to show you how to get your garden on. All you need is a windowsill and a dream!

Set up in 1975 to jump-start India's power sector, the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) soon became the largest company in the field. With thirty-two plants currently operating across the country and twenty-two projects under construction, it meets close to a quarter of India's demand and is among the top five power utilities in the world. This phenomenal success story is seen in large part as a result of the processes and work culture put in place during the early years by Team NTPC, led by its founding chairman and managing director, D.V. Kapur, who was described as a 'model manager' by the board of executive directors of the World Bank. In The Bloom in the Desert, Kapur offers first-hand insights into a uniquely Indian style of management of large corporations that holds lessons for management students and professionals across the board. During his time at NTPC, he demonstrated visionary leadership qualities by devising an ingenious workflow. The 'systems culture' that he introduced helped run the organisation smoothly, without missing deadlines or incurring extra costs, while increasing its output and meeting global standards of excellence. If these achievements were rare for Indian public sector enterprises in the 1970s and '80s, they continue to remain relevant, especially today, when the emphasis is on selfsufficiency and 'Make in India'. Kapur also demonstrated his sharp managerial instincts in his later stints-with the various departments of the government of India as well as other public and private sector enterprises. The Bloom in the Desert distills the experiences of his long and distinguished career to not only celebrate the foundation of a towering institution but also inspire the present generation of managers to transform and reinvent their styles of functioning.

An “outstandingly dramatic and moving” memoir of fleeing a brutal girlhood in Somalia—and becoming a supermodel and UN special ambassador (Kirkus Reviews). To escape an arranged marriage to a sixty-year-old man, Waris Dirie ran away from her oppressive life in the African desert when she was barely in her teens, illiterate and impoverished, with nothing to her name but a tattered shawl. She traveled alone across the dangerous Somali desert to Mogadishu—the first leg of a remarkable journey that would take her to London, where she worked as a house servant; then to nearly every corner of the globe as an internationally renowned fashion model; and ultimately to New York City, where she became a human rights ambassador for the U.N. Poignant and powerfully told, Desert Flower is Waris’s extraordinary story. “Affecting and at times very entertaining . . . it is Dirie’s remarkable lack of narcissism or entitlement that makes her so captivating a raconteur.” —Publishers Weekly “Written with innocence and warmth, this book shows how one woman’s tragedy can help others.” —The New York Times Book Review “Waris’s story is one of remarkable courage. From the deserts of Somalia to the world of high fashion, she battles against oppression and emerges a real champion. She is the most beautiful inspiration to anyone.” —Elton John

To the Navajo, sandpaintings are sacred, living entities that reflect the interconnectedness of all living beings--humans, plants, stars, animals, and mountains. This book, now available in paperback, explores the circularity of Navajo thought in sandpaintings, Navajo chantway myths, and stories reflected in the celestial constellations.Beautifully illustrated by the author, this well-documented book explores the spiritual world of the Navajo, their ceremonial practices, and their conceptions of time and stellar motion. Griffin-Pierce shows how the images of sacred sandpaintings not only communicate the temporal and spatial dimensions of the Navajo universe but also present, in visual form, Navajo ideas about relationships among nature, self, and society."Griffin-Pierce's approach is highly original, bringing this material together in an innovative and creative manner while grounding it holistically within the context of Navajo world view."--M. Jane Young, author of Signs from the Ancestors: Zuni Cultural Symbolism and Perceptions of Rock Art