Features a collection of Buddhist-inspired writings on a wide range of issues by talented contributors, including the Dalai Lama, Pema Chödrön, and Thich Nhat Hanh.

Wise and witty, heartfelt and profound, this second volume in an annual series brings together the year's most notable prose and verse inspired by the power and insight of Buddhist practice. Compiled by the editors of Shambhala Sun , North America's oldest and most widely read Buddhist magazine, the collection offers a lively array of styles, perspectives, and concerns of contemporary Buddhists. The twenty-five talented contributors include familiar favorites as well as some surprising voices who will delight and enlighten the reader, with pieces ranging from personal memoir, adventure travelogue, prison journal, and poetry, to advice for practitioners and wisdom teachings of the masters. Among this year's outstanding selections are: * Natalie Goldberg looks at the complex and troubled relationship with the two most important men in her life: her father and her Zen teacher. * The Dalai Lama explains Buddhism's signature doctrine of emptiness. * Dharma teacher Gaylon Ferguson writes on issues of self-worth and social justice for people of color. * Journalist Joan Duncan Oliver reflects on her struggle with twin addictions: "a drink and a man." * Thich Nhat Hanh offers personal meditations to help us lead a more wholesome and mindful life. * Cognitive psychologist Eleanor Rosch discourses on mind, meditation, and the creative process. * Peter Matthiessen ponders the longing for adventure as he travels the Antarctic. * Zen teacher John Tarrant tells how he applied a famed koan as his mother was dying. Contributors: Faith Adiele * Geoffrey Shugen Arnold * Rick Bass * Edward Espe Brown * Michael Carroll * Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche * Peter Coyote * John Daido Loori * H. H. the Dalai Lama * Scott Darnell * Gretel Ehrlich * Gaylon Ferguson * Norman Fischer * Gehlek Rimpoche * Natalie Goldberg * Joseph Goldstein * Jeff Greenwald * Erik Hansen * Sam Harris * Joan Duncan Oliver * The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche * Barbara Rhodes * Lewis Richmond * Eleanor Rosch * Andrew Schelling * Gary Snyder * John Tarrant * Thanissaro Bhikkhu * Thich Nhat Hanh * Claude Anshin Thomas * Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche * Francisco J. Varela

A treasury of the most notable, profound, and thought-provoking Buddhism-inspired writing published in the last year. The Best Buddhist Writing 2009 includes: * An interview with novelist Tom Robbins * Guiding principles for a new ecospirituality from Thich Nhat Hanh * Jack Kornfield on basic human goodness * Pico Iyer's portrait of the Dalai Lama * Olivia Ames Hoblitzelle on a couple's journey through Alzheimer's disease * The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche on the true, enlightened nature of mind * Wendy Johnson on bringing the beginner's mind to gardening * A mindfulness practice from Pema Ch�dr�n to help us wake up to the world around us * Joan Halifax on approaching death with fearlessness and compassion * Peggy Rowe-Ward and Larry Ward with stories, meditations, and exercises for experiencing love in a new and deeper way * Natalie Goldberg on the art of writing personal memoir * Dzigar Kongtr�l on our search for happiness * Sharon Salzberg on overcoming passion, aggression, and ignorance in our relationships * Stephanie Kaza on making environmentalism a spiritual path, not just a change in lifestyle * Meshuga-wisdom from Rabbi Rami Shapiro * John Welwood on how we can use our relationships for profound spiritual growth * And much more

Here is this year’s installment in the series Publishers Weekly says "does a great service by highlighting views and themes as they modulate with each passing year." The Best Buddhist Writing 2010 is an eclectic, inspiring collection of writings from the Buddhist perspective. Selected by the editors of the Shambhala Sun, North America’s leading Buddhist-inspired magazine, the essays, articles, and interviews in this anthology offer an entertaining mix of writing styles and reflect on a wide range of issues. Included are pieces by Gaylon Ferguson, Norman Fischer, Jaimal Yogis, H. H. the Dalai Lama, Joan Sutherland, Mingyur Rinpoche, Sakyong Mipham, Thich Nhat Hanh, Pema Chödrön, Diane Ackerman, Huston Smith, Susan Piver, Shozan Jack Haubner, and many others.

This handbook addresses the educational uses of mindfulness in schools. It summarizes the state of the science and describes current and emerging applications and challenges throughout the field. It explores mindfulness concepts in scientific, theoretical, and practical terms and examines training opportunities both as an aspect of teachers’ professional development and a means to enhance students’ social-emotional and academic skills. Chapters discuss mindfulness and contemplative pedagogy programs that have produced positive student outcomes, including stress relief, self-care, and improved classroom and institutional engagement. Featured topics include: A comprehensive view of mindfulness in the modern era. Contemplative education and the roots of resilience. Mindfulness practice and its effect on students’ social-emotional learning. A cognitive neuroscience perspective on mindfulness in education that addresses students’ academic and social skills development. Mindfulness training for teachers and administrators. Two universal mindfulness education programs for elementary and middle school students. The Handbook of Mindfulness in Education is a must-have resource for researchers, graduate students, clinicians, and practitioners in psychology, psychiatry, education, and medicine, as well as counseling, social work, and rehabilitation therapy.

This collection of starting points and texts of Buddha's discourses is filled with insightful commentaries and interpretations by the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, and other Buddhist thinkers.

Drawn from more than twenty of the books of Thich Nhat Hanh, these are the essential writings of one of the most popular spiritual writers of today. Thought-provoking and inspiring, this selection is aimed at the mind, body and spirit.-- Provided by publisher.

Relative Truth, Ultimate Truth is a clear and remarkably practical presentation of a core Buddhist teaching on the nature of reality. Geshe Tashi Tsering provides readers with an excellent opportunity to enhance not only thier knowledge of Buddhism, but also a powerful means to profoundly enhance their view of the world. The Buddhist teaching of the''two truths'' is the gateway to understanding the often-misunderstood philosophy of emptiness. This volume is an excellent source of support for anyone interested in cultivating a more holistic and transformative understanding of the world around them and ultimately of their own conciousness

The story of how a corporate communications consultant discovered Buddhism is woven through this bestselling, simply written, inspiring introduction to meditation practice and Buddhist philosophy.

"Were it not for the Buddhadharma, says Charles Johnson in his preface to Turning the Wheel, "I'm convinced that, as a black American and an artist, I would not have been able to successfully negotiate my last half century of life in this country. Or at least not with a high level of creative productivity." In this collection of provocative and intimate essays, Johnson writes of the profound connection between Buddhism and creativity, and of the role of Eastern philosophy in the quest for a free and thoughtful life. In 1926, W. E. B. Du Bois asked African-Americans what they would most want were the color line miraculously forgotten. In Turning the Wheel, Johnson sets out to explore this question by examining his experiences both as a writer and as a practitioner of Buddhism. He looks at basic Buddhist principles and practices, demonstrating how Buddhism is both the most revolutionary and most civilized of possible human choices. He discusses fundamental Buddhist practices such as the Eightfold Path, Taming the Mind, and Sangha and illuminates their place in the American Civil Rights movement. Johnson moves from spiritual guides to spiritual nourishment: writing. In essays touching on the role of the black intellectual, Uncle Tom's Cabin, and Ralph Ellison, Johnson uses tools of Buddhist thinking to clarify difficult ideas. Powerful and revelatory, these essays confirm that writing and reading, along with Buddhism, are the basic components that make up a thoughtful life.