Random House New Releases - Religion - Zen Buddhism

Mindful Eating by Jan Chozen Bays

2014-01-07T00:30:00-05:00

Mindful Eating A Guide to Rediscovering a Healthy and Joyful Relationship with Food
Written by Jan Chozen Bays

Unabridged Compact Disc | Shambhala Audio | Self Help - Eating Disorders; Psychology & Psychiatry - Eating Disorders; Religion - Zen Buddhism | $27.95 | 978-1-61180-138-5 (1-61180-138-9)

An audio edition of Jan Chozen Bays's landmark book on the power of mindfulness to cultivate healthy eating—read by the author herself.

Running time: 6.25 hours

     The art of mindfulness can transform our struggles with food and renew our sense of pleasure, appreciation, and satisfaction with eating. Practiced for centuries in the Zen tradition, mindful eating is an approach that involves bringing one's full attention to the process of eating—to all the tastes, smells, thoughts, and feelings that arise during a meal. Whether you are overweight, suffer from an eating disorder, or just want to get more out of life, this book offers a simple tool that can make a remarkable difference.

Audiobook listeners will learn learn how to

   • Tune in to the body's own wisdom about what, when, and how much to eat
   • Eat less while feeling fully satisfied
   • Identify habits and patterns with food
   • Develop a more compassionate attitude toward struggles with eating
   • Discover what we're really hungry for

Everything Is Workable by Diane Musho Hamilton

2013-12-03T00:30:00-05:00

Everything Is Workable A Zen Approach to Conflict Resolution
Written by Diane Musho Hamilton

Trade Paperback, 256 pages | Shambhala | Self Help - Success; Psychology & Psychiatry - Interpersonal Relations; Religion - Zen Buddhism | $16.95 | 978-1-61180-067-8 (1-61180-067-6)

Using mindfulness to work with and resolve the inevitable interpersonal conflicts that arise in all areas of life.

Everything Is Workable gives readers the tools they need for dynamic, vital, and effective relationships, both personal and professional. Diane Musho Hamilton draws on her years of experience as a professional mediator, Zen practitioner, and student of Ken Wilber's Integral Philosophy to present a spiritual approach to conflict resolution, providing teachings along with practices and exercises that can be applied to any sort of relationship in which conflict is a factor.

Few people would say they like conflict. Most of us try like heck to avoid it. If we take up meditation practice, we often expect that to make conflict go away. But . . . surprise! It never does. We still disagree with each other, argue, get hurt, say things we didn't mean to say. It's at the very least inconvenient. It's often also destructive. We're stuck with conflict as long as we're human beings with jobs, relationships, or dry cleaning to be picked up.

Meditation practice enables us to touch the inner source of clarity, understanding, compassion, and peace--yet the equanimity that we cultivate on the cushion does not always translate into skillfulness in the way we handle conflict in our personal lives. Interpersonal conflict ends up being the most difficult and painful part of our path. Though meditation is incomparably helpful, it doesn't make the sticky interpersonal issues go away. Conflict resolution skills are needed. Diane Musho Hamilton suggests that we make conflict resolution a valued part of our practice.

Evolving Dharma by Jay Michaelson

2013-10-15T00:30:00-05:00

Evolving Dharma Meditation, Buddhism, and the Next Generation of Enlightenment
Written by Jay Michaelson

Trade Paperback, 256 pages | EVOLVER EDITIONS | Body, Mind & Spirit - Meditation; Religion - Zen Buddhism; Self-Help - Spiritual | $17.95 | 978-1-58394-714-2 (1-58394-714-0)

Evolving Dharma is a next-generation book about meditation, Buddhism, and the contemplative path. It explores how the dharma (the path, the way, the teachings of the Buddha) has evolved in astonishing ways and how dharma practice evolves in one's own life. Instead of approaching the dharma as spirituality, therapy, or self-help, scholar and practicing Buddhist Jay Michaelson presents it as a set of technologies for upgrading the brain, for physically enhancing its capacity for wisdom and compassion.

In the last twenty years, Buddhism has exploded well beyond its former boundaries. Meditation is being taught to prisoners, cancer patients, and children. It is being practiced online--by geeks, hipsters, and punks; by atheists, Christians, and Jews; by people who are not "spiritual." It's not even "Buddhism" anymore, having evolved out of its original religious context and into dozens of new ones. Evolving Dharma is the first book to take stock of these trends, and to speak in real-life terms about how they affect the practice of meditation and the path to upgrading the mind.

Michaelson is fearless, unorthodox, and irreverent, yet his book is also based on his decade of meditation practice and teaching as well as his ten years of work as an LGBT activist. Including forays into neuroscience and cultural criticism as well as the author’s personal stories of his five months spent in silent retreat, life-changing realizations, pain, joy, and insight, this engaging, honest, and often humorous book is a must-read for younger practitioners in any Buddhist or secular tradition, as well as novice or experienced meditators interested in learning about how meditation has evolved in the last several decades.

Chapter titles include "The Dharma Evolves By Disappearing," "The Evolution of Enlightenment," and "When Every Mystical State You've Ever Wanted Isn't Enough."

Evolving Dharma by Jay Michaelson

2013-10-15T00:30:00-05:00

Evolving Dharma Meditation, Buddhism, and the Next Generation of Enlightenment
Written by Jay Michaelson

eBook, 256 pages | EVOLVER EDITIONS | Body, Mind & Spirit - Meditation; Religion - Zen Buddhism; Self-Help - Spiritual | $14.99 | 978-1-58394-715-9 (1-58394-715-9)

The Best Buddhist Writing 2013 by Natalie Goldberg

2013-09-24T00:30:00-05:00

The Best Buddhist Writing 2013
Edited by Melvin McLeod and editors of the Shambhala Sun
Contribution by Pema Chodron, Lodro Rinzler and Natalie Goldberg

Trade Paperback, 336 pages | Shambhala | Religion - Buddhism - Tibetan; Religion - Buddhism - Theravada; Religion - Zen Buddhism | $17.95 | 978-1-61180-069-2 (1-61180-069-2)

An eclectic and thought-provoking collection of Buddhist and Buddhist-inspired writings on a wide range of issues published in North America during 2012.
The collection includes writings by Pema Chödrön, Thich Nhat Hanh, Joseph Goldstein, Natalie Goldberg, Sylvia Boorstein, Dzongsar Khyentse, Sakyong Mipham, Norman Fischer, Philip Moffitt, Karen Miller, Tsoknyi Rinpoche, Kay Larson, and Lodro Rinzler, among others. Selected by the editors of the Shambhala Sun, North America's leading Buddhist-inspired magazine, this anthology offers an entertaining mix of writing styles and reflects on a wide range of issues from a Buddhist point of view.

Instructions to the Cook by Rick Fields

2013-06-18T00:30:00-05:00

Instructions to the Cook A Zen Master's Lessons in Living a Life That Matters
Written by Bernie Glassman and Rick Fields

Trade Paperback, 192 pages | Shambhala | Religion - Zen Buddhism; Self-Help - Personal Growth | $16.95 | 978-1-61180-068-5 (1-61180-068-4)

Zen is not just about what we do in the meditation hall, but what we do in the home, the workplace, and the community. That's the premise of this book: how to cook what Zen Buddhists call "the supreme meal"—life. It has to be nourishing, and it has to be shared. And we can use only the ingredients at hand. Inspired by the thirteenth-century manual of the same name by Dogen, the founder of the Japanese Soto Zen tradition, this book teaches us how we can "enlarge the family we're feeding" if we just use some imagination.

Bernie Glassman founded Greyston Bakery in Yonkers, New York, in 1982 to employ those whom other companies deem unemployable—the homeless, ex-cons, recovering addicts, low-skill individuals—with the belief that investing in people, and not just products, does pay. He was right. Greyston has evolved into an $8 million-a-year business with clients all over New York City. It is the sole supplier of brownies to Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, and has even sold cakes to the White House.

But financial profit is only one of two bottom lines that Greyston is committed to. The other one is social impact, and this goal is certainly being met. The bakery enterprise has led to the creation of the Greyston Foundation, an integrated network of organizations that provide affordable housing, child care, counseling services, and health care to families in the community. Using entrepreneurship to solve the problems of the inner city, Greyston has become a national model for comprehensive community development. Its giving back is more than just sloughing off a percentage of its profits and donating it to charity; it's about working with the community's needs right from the beginning—bringing them from the margins to the core. As its company motto goes, "We don't hire people to bake brownies. We bake brownies to hire people."

This book is as much a self-manual as a business manual, addressing such concepts as

   • Beginner's mind
   • The Middle Way of Sustainability
   • The "hungry ghosts" of Buddhism as a picture of all humanity
   • Working with our faults
   • Indra's Net and the interconnectedness of life
   • Leaving no trace

Treasury of the True Dharma Eye by Kazuaki Tanahashi

2013-05-14T00:30:00-05:00

Treasury of the True Dharma Eye Zen Master Dogen's Shobo Genzo
Edited by Kazuaki Tanahashi

Hardcover, 1280 pages | Shambhala | Religion - Zen Buddhism; Religion - Buddhism - Sacred Writings; Philosophy - Eastern | $100.00 | 978-1-59030-935-3 (1-59030-935-9)

This monumental work is considered to be one of the most profound expressions of Zen wisdom ever put on paper, and also the outstanding literary and philosophical work of Japan. It is a collection of essays by Eihei Dogen (1200–1253), founder of Zen’s Soto school.

Kazuaki Tanahashi and a team of translators that represent a Who’s Who of American Zen have produced a translation of the great work that combines accuracy with a deep understanding of Dogen’s voice and literary gifts. This volume includes a wealth of materials to aid understanding, including maps, lineage charts, a bibliography, and an exhaustive glossary of names and terms—and, as a bonus, the most renowned of all Dogen’s essays, “Recommending Zazen to All People.”

Zen Confidential by Leonard Cohen

2013-05-14T00:30:00-05:00

Zen Confidential Confessions of a Wayward Monk
Written by Shozan Jack Haubner
Foreword by Leonard Cohen

Trade Paperback, 240 pages | Shambhala | Religion - Zen Buddhism; Biography & Autobiography - Personal Memoirs; Humor - Topic - Religion | $14.95 | 978-1-61180-033-3 (1-61180-033-1)

“This punk of a monk, who should be tending to his own affairs, has decided to infect the real world with his tall tales, and worse, to let the cat out of the bag. And what a sly, dangerous, beautiful, foul-smelling, heart-warming beast it is.”—Leonard Cohen, from the foreword

These hilarious essays on life inside and outside a Zen monastery make up the spiritual memoir of Shozan Jack Haubner, a Zen monk who didn’t really start out to be one. Raised in a conservative Catholic family, Shozan went on to study philosophy (becoming de-Catholicized in the process) and to pursue a career as a screenwriter and stand-up comic in the clubs of L.A. How he went from life in the fast lane to life on the stationary meditation cushion is the subject of this laugh-out-loud funny account of his experiences. Whether he's dealing with the pranks of a juvenile delinquent assistant in the monastery kitchen or defending himself against claims that he appeared in a porno movie under the name "Daniel Reed" (he didn't, really) or being surprised in the midst of it all by the compassion he experiences in the presence of his teacher, Haubner's voice is one you'll be compelled to listen to. Not only because it's highly entertaining, but because of its remarkable insight into the human condition.

The Essential Dogen by Peter Levitt

2013-04-30T00:30:00-05:00

The Essential Dogen Writings of the Great Zen Master
Edited by Kazuaki Tanahashi and Peter Levitt

Trade Paperback, 224 pages | Shambhala | Philosophy - Zen; Religion - Zen Buddhism | $14.00 | 978-1-61180-041-8 (1-61180-041-2)

Eihei Dogen (1200–1253), founder of the Soto School of Zen Buddhism, is one of the greatest religious, philosophical, and literary geniuses of Japan. His writings have been studied by Zen students for centuries, particularly his masterwork, Shobo Genzo or Treasury of the True Dharma Eye. This is the first book to offer the great master’s incisive wisdom in short selections taken from the whole range of his voluminous works. The pithy and powerful readings, arranged according to theme, provide a perfect introduction to Dogen—and inspire spiritual practice in people of all traditions.

Cold Mountain Poems by Han Shan

2013-01-08T00:30:00-05:00

Cold Mountain Poems Zen Poems of Han Shan, Shih Te, and Wang Fan-chih
Written by Han Shan
Translated by J.P. Seaton

Trade Paperback, 136 pages | Shambhala | Poetry - Asian; Religion - Zen Buddhism | $14.95 | 978-1-59030-905-6 (1-59030-905-7)

Popularized in the West by Beat Generation writers Gary Snyder and Jack Kerouac, T’ang-era rebel poet Han Shan is an icon of Chinese poetry and Zen. He and his sidekick, Shih Te, are known as the laughing, ragged pair who left their poetry on stones, trees, farmhouses, and monastery walls, calling others to “the Cold Mountain way” of simple, honest, joyful living.

J. P. Seaton takes a fresh look at these poets, as well as at Wang Fan-chih, who followed in the outsider tradition a few centuries later. Forceful and wry, all three condemn the excesses of mind and matter that prevent people from attaining true enlightenment. With a comprehensive introduction and commentary throughout, this collection points to where, in a world that’s always moving and so full of suffering, stillness and clarity can be found.

The One Taste of Truth by William Scott Wilson

2013-01-08T00:30:00-05:00

The One Taste of Truth Zen and the Art of Drinking Tea
Written by William Scott Wilson

Trade Paperback, 256 pages | Shambhala | Philosophy - Zen; Religion - Zen Buddhism | $14.95 | 978-1-61180-026-5 (1-61180-026-9)

Traditionally in China and Japan, drinking a cup of tea was an opportunity for contemplation, meditation, and an elevation of mind and spirit. Here, renowned translator William Scott Wilson distills what is singular and precious about this traditional tea culture, and he explores the fascinating connection between Zen and tea drinking. He unpacks the most common phrases from Zen and Chinese philosophy—usually found in Asia printed on hanging scrolls in tea rooms, restaurant alcoves, family rooms, and martial arts dojos—that have traditionally served as points of contemplation to encourage the appropriate atmosphere for drinking tea or silent meditation.

Part history, part philosophy, part inspirational guide, The One Taste of Truth will connect you to the distinctive pleasure of sipping tea and allowing it to transport your mind and thoughts. This beautifully written book will appeal to tea lovers and anyone interested in tea culture, Chinese philosophy, and Zen.

Training in Compassion by Norman Fischer

2013-01-08T00:30:00-05:00

Training in Compassion Zen Teachings on the Practice of Lojong
Written by Norman Fischer

Trade Paperback, 176 pages | Shambhala | Religion - Zen Buddhism; Religion - Buddhism - Tibetan; Religion - Buddhism - Rituals & Practice | $16.95 | 978-1-61180-040-1 (1-61180-040-4)

Lojong is the Tibetan Buddhist practice that involves working with short phrases (called "slogans") as a way of generating bodhichitta, the heart and mind of enlightened compassion. Though the practice is more than a millennium old, it has become popular in the West only in the last twenty years or so—and it has become very popular indeed, because it's a practice that one can fit very well into an ordinary life, and because it works.Through the influence of Pema Chödrön, who was one of the first American Buddhist teachers to teach it extensively, the practice has moved out of its Buddhist context to affect the lives of non-Buddhists too.

It's in this spirit that Norman Fischer offers his commentary on the lojong slogans. He applies Zen wisdom to them, showing how well they fit in that related tradition, but he also sets the slogans in the context of resonant practices throughout the spiritual traditions. He shows lojong to be a wonderful method for everyone, including those who aren't otherwise interested in Buddhism, who don't have the time or inclination to meditate, or who'd just like to morph into the kind of person who's focused rather than scattered, generous rather than stingy, and kind rather than thoughtless.

Sky Above, Great Wind by Kazuaki Tanahashi

2012-10-09T00:30:00-05:00

Sky Above, Great Wind The Life and Poetry of Zen Master Ryokan
Written by Kazuaki Tanahashi

Trade Paperback, 224 pages | Shambhala | Religion - Zen Buddhism; Poetry - Asian; Poetry - Ancient, Classical & Medieval | $17.95 | 978-1-59030-982-7 (1-59030-982-0)

Ryokan (1758–1831) is, along with Dogen and Hakuin, one of the three giants of Zen in Japan. But unlike his two renowned colleagues, Ryokan was a societal dropout, living mostly as a hermit and a beggar. He was never head of a monastery or temple. He liked playing with children. He had no dharma heir. Even so, people recognized the depth of his realization, and he was sought out by people of all walks of life for the teaching to be experienced in just being around him. His poetry and art were wildly popular even in his lifetime. He is now regarded as one of the greatest poets of the Edo Period, along with Basho, Buson, and Issa. He was also a master artist-calligrapher with a very distinctive style, due mostly to his unique and irrepressible spirit, but also because he was so poor he didn’t usually have materials: his distinctive thin line was due to the fact that he often used twigs rather than the brushes he couldn’t afford. He was said to practice his brushwork with his fingers in the air when he didn’t have any paper. There are hilarious stories about how people tried to trick him into doing art for them, and about how he frustrated their attempts. As an old man, he fell in love with a young Zen nun who also became his student. His affection for her colors the mature poems of his late period. This collection contains more than 140 of Ryokan’s poems, with selections of his art, and of the very funny anecdotes about him.

The Best Buddhist Writing 2012 by editors of the Shambhala Sun

2012-09-25T00:30:00-05:00

The Best Buddhist Writing 2012
Edited by Melvin McLeod and editors of the Shambhala Sun

Trade Paperback, 336 pages | Shambhala | Religion - Buddhism - Theravada; Religion - Buddhism - Tibetan; Religion - Zen Buddhism | $17.95 | 978-1-61180-011-1 (1-61180-011-0)

A treasury of the most notable, profound, and thought-provoking Buddhist-inspired writing published in the last year.

The Best Buddhist Writing 2012 includes:

   • His Holiness the Dalai Lama on cultivating a universal ethic of kindness
   • Sharon Salzberg on getting your meditation practice started
   • Pema Chödrön on how to smile at fear
   • The Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi on analyzing global problems through the lens of traditional Buddhist teachings
   • Bruce Rich on the enlightened model of government of the Buddhist monarch King Ashoka
   • Thich Nhat Hanh on fidelity in loving relationships
   • Michael A. Stusser’s determined—and hilarious—effort to speak—and tweet—no evil
   • Norman Fischer on a new and more open understanding of language
   • Barry Boyce’s fascinating survey of the life and teachings of the late Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
   • Michael Stone and David Loy on the basic questions raised by the Occupy Wall Street movement
   • Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche’s explanation of the meditation practice of kusulu, the pinnacle of simplicity and relaxation
   • Nancy Baker on the powerful and useful energy behind anger
   • Diane Ackerman on living with her beloved husband’s Alzheimer’s disease
   • Yangzom Brauen’s moving account of her grandmother and mother’s escape from Tibet following the Chinese invasion
   • And much more

The Pocket Thich Nhat Hanh by Melvin McLeod

2012-09-11T00:30:00-05:00

The Pocket Thich Nhat Hanh
Written by Thich Nhat Hanh
Edited by Melvin McLeod

Trade Paperback, 240 pages | Shambhala | Religion - Zen Buddhism; Religion - Buddhism - Rituals & Practice; Religion - Buddhism | $7.95 | 978-1-59030-936-0 (1-59030-936-7)

This is a collection of powerful and inspiring teachings in an appealing, convenient pocket-size book from one of today's most important and beloved spiritual teachers, the Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. Next to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh is the best-known Buddhist teacher in the world, and his teachings have touched millions.

Thich Nhat Hanh is known for his warm, generous, and joyful teaching style that makes his wisdom remarkably accessible and resonant to readers from all backgrounds. These selected writings are drawn from Thich Nhat Hanh's many published works and provide a wonderful overview of his teachings. This reader covers the main themes that Thich Nhat Hanh has addressed as a Buddhist teacher: mindfulness in our daily lives, Buddhism and enlightenment, working with emotions and relationships, and transforming society (engaged Buddhism).

You Are Here by Sherab Chodzin Kohn

2012-08-14T00:30:00-05:00

You Are Here Discovering the Magic of the Present Moment
Written by Thich Nhat Hanh
Translated by Sherab Chodzin Kohn

Hardcover, 160 pages | Shambhala Library | Religion - Zen Buddhism; Religion - Buddhism - Rituals & Practice; Religion - Buddhism | $18.95 | 978-1-59030-983-4 (1-59030-983-9)

This moment is the gateway to enlightenment. It is the only moment we have to be joyful, mindful, and awake. The key is to be there for yourself—to learn to be fully present in your life. This, Thich Nhat Hanh explains, is the heart of Buddhist practice.

In this introduction to the practice of presence, the beloved Buddhist teacher provides indispensable insight on the essentials of Buddhist thought and offers a range of simple, everyday practices for cultivating mindfulness. These teachings empower us to witness the wonder of life and transform our suffering, both within us and around us, into compassion, tenderness, and peace—not in some long and hard struggle, but in this very moment. As Thich Nhat Hanh declares, “the energy of mindfulness is the energy of the Buddha, and it can be produced by anybody.” It’s as simple as breathing in and breathing out.

Nature, Man and Woman by Alan W. Watts

2012-07-11T00:30:00-05:00

Nature, Man and Woman
Written by Alan W. Watts

eBook, 224 pages | Vintage | Religion - Eastern; Religion - Zen Buddhism | $11.99 | 978-0-307-82298-7 (0-307-82298-2)

A provocative and enduring work that reexamines humanity's place in the natural world -- and the spirit's relation to the flesh -- in the light of Chinese Taoism.

That human beings stand separate from a nature that must be controlled, that the mind is somehow superior to the body, and that all sexuality entails a seduction -- a danger and a problem-are all assumptions upon which much of Western thought and culture is based. And all of them in some way underlie our exploitation of the earth, our distrust of emotion, and our loneliness and reluctance to love.

Few books have challenged those assumptions as directly as this erudite and engaging work by the author of The Way of Zen. Drawing on the precepts of Taoism, Alan Watts offers an alternative vision of man and the universe -- one in which the distinctions between self and other, spirit and matter give way to a more holistic way of seeing. Nature, Man and Woman is a book of great elegance and far-reaching implication -- one of those rare texts that can change the way we think, feel, and love.

Everything Is the Way by Elihu Genmyo Smith

2012-06-12T00:30:00-05:00

Everything Is the Way Ordinary Mind Zen
Written by Elihu Genmyo Smith

Trade Paperback, 240 pages | Shambhala | Religion - Zen Buddhism | $17.95 | 978-1-59030-972-8 (1-59030-972-3)

These days, when Zen has become a kind of shorthand for anything that’s enigmatic or aesthetically spare, it’s refreshing be reminded that Zen is at heart a practice for waking up from the dream we inhabit—in order to free ourselves from the suffering the dream imposes on us. Elihu Genmyo Smith’s eminently practical Zen teaching never loses sight of that central concern: Whether it takes the form of zazen (meditation), koan work, or just eating your breakfast, the aim of Zen practice is always nothing other than intimacy with ourselves and everything around us.

The Unfettered Mind by William Scott Wilson

2012-06-12T00:30:00-05:00

The Unfettered Mind Writings from a Zen Master to a Master Swordsman
Written by Takuan Soho
Translated by William Scott Wilson

Trade Paperback, 144 pages | Shambhala | Philosophy - Zen; Religion - Zen Buddhism; Sports & Recreation - Martial Arts & Self-Defense | $18.95 | 978-1-59030-986-5 (1-59030-986-3)

This classic samurai-era text fused Japanese swordsmanship with Zen and influenced the direction that the art has taken ever since. Written by the seventeenth-century Zen master Takuan Soho (1573–1645), The Unfettered Mind is a book of advice on swordsmanship and the cultivation of right mind and intention. It was written as a guide for the samurai Yagyu Munenori, who was a great swordsman and rival to the legendary Miyamoto Musashi.

Takuan was a giant in the history of Zen; he was also a gardener, calligrapher, poet, author, adviser to samurai and shoguns, and a pivotal figure in Zen painting. He was known for his brilliance and acerbic wit. In these succinct and pointed essays, Takuan is concerned primarily with understanding and refining the mind—both generally and when faced with conflict. The Unfettered Mind was a major influence on the classic manifestos on swordsmanship that came after it, including Miyamoto Musashi's Book of Five Rings and Yagyu Munenori's Life-Giving Sword.

The Practice of Perfection by Robert Aitken

2012-05-23T00:30:00-05:00

The Practice of Perfection The Paramitas from a Zen Buddhist Perspective
Written by Robert Aitken

eBook, 240 pages | Pantheon | Religion - Zen Buddhism; Philosophy - Zen; Self-Help - Spiritual | $18.99 | 978-0-307-81747-1 (0-307-81747-4)

Robert Aiken, author of Encouraging Words and Taking the Path of Zen, is America’s most senior Zen Roshi. In this new book he presents the Ten Pãramitãs, of Transcendental Perfections—namely, giving, mortality, forbearance, zeal, focused meditation, wisdom, compassionate means, aspiration, spiritual power, and knowledge—two-thousand-year-old ideals that can serve us as both methods and goals. The Pãramitãs are the “skillful means” a person may employ to nurture and develop his or her spiritual and moral life.

In religious instruction we are often met be restrictions, and are told what not to do. The Pãramitãs, explained from a Zen perspective, offer the seeker ten positive means of action, ten ways to live a life of clarity and grace in a modern world where neither seems easy or even possible. The transcendental perfections can lead us toward a life that is both spiritually invigorated and socially engaged.

Aitken Roshi’s way of teaching—anecdotal, careful, insightful, and easily accessible—leads us further along the path of harmony and balance. Each of the inspiring and instructional essays in this book is followed by a section in which Aitken answers questions most often asked by his own students in their course of study. The Practice of Perfection will be useful to seekers of all cultures and faiths.

Random House New Releases - Religion - Zen Buddhism

Mindful Eating by Jan Chozen Bays

Mindful Eating A Guide to Rediscovering a Healthy and Joyful Relationship with FoodWritten by Jan Chozen Bays

Everything Is Workable by Diane Musho Hamilton

Everything Is Workable A Zen Approach to Conflict ResolutionWritten by Diane Musho Hamilton

Evolving Dharma by Jay Michaelson

Evolving Dharma Meditation, Buddhism, and the Next Generation of EnlightenmentWritten by Jay Michaelson

Evolving Dharma by Jay Michaelson

Evolving Dharma Meditation, Buddhism, and the Next Generation of EnlightenmentWritten by Jay Michaelson

The Best Buddhist Writing 2013 by Natalie Goldberg

The Best Buddhist Writing 2013 Edited by Melvin McLeod and editors of the Shambhala Sun Contribution by Pema Chodron, Lodro Rinzler and Natalie Goldberg

Instructions to the Cook by Rick Fields

Instructions to the Cook A Zen Master's Lessons in Living a Life That MattersWritten by Bernie Glassman and Rick Fields

Treasury of the True Dharma Eye by Kazuaki Tanahashi

Treasury of the True Dharma Eye Zen Master Dogen's Shobo GenzoEdited by Kazuaki Tanahashi

Zen Confidential by Leonard Cohen

Zen Confidential Confessions of a Wayward MonkWritten by Shozan Jack Haubner Foreword by Leonard Cohen

The Essential Dogen by Peter Levitt

The Essential Dogen Writings of the Great Zen MasterEdited by Kazuaki Tanahashi and Peter Levitt

Cold Mountain Poems by Han Shan

Cold Mountain Poems Zen Poems of Han Shan, Shih Te, and Wang Fan-chihWritten by Han Shan Translated by J.P. Seaton

The One Taste of Truth by William Scott Wilson

The One Taste of Truth Zen and the Art of Drinking TeaWritten by William Scott Wilson

Training in Compassion by Norman Fischer

Training in Compassion Zen Teachings on the Practice of LojongWritten by Norman Fischer

Sky Above, Great Wind by Kazuaki Tanahashi

Sky Above, Great Wind The Life and Poetry of Zen Master RyokanWritten by Kazuaki Tanahashi

The Best Buddhist Writing 2012 by editors of the Shambhala Sun

The Best Buddhist Writing 2012 Edited by Melvin McLeod and editors of the Shambhala Sun

The Pocket Thich Nhat Hanh by Melvin McLeod

The Pocket Thich Nhat Hanh Written by Thich Nhat Hanh Edited by Melvin McLeod

You Are Here by Sherab Chodzin Kohn

You Are Here Discovering the Magic of the Present MomentWritten by Thich Nhat Hanh Translated by Sherab Chodzin Kohn

Nature, Man and Woman by Alan W. Watts

Nature, Man and Woman Written by Alan W. Watts

Everything Is the Way by Elihu Genmyo Smith

Everything Is the Way Ordinary Mind ZenWritten by Elihu Genmyo Smith

The Unfettered Mind by William Scott Wilson

The Unfettered Mind Writings from a Zen Master to a Master SwordsmanWritten by Takuan Soho Translated by William Scott Wilson

The Practice of Perfection by Robert Aitken

The Practice of Perfection The Paramitas from a Zen Buddhist PerspectiveWritten by Robert Aitken

Mindful Eating A Guide to Rediscovering a Healthy and Joyful Relationship with Food
Written by Jan Chozen Bays

Everything Is Workable A Zen Approach to Conflict Resolution
Written by Diane Musho Hamilton

Evolving Dharma Meditation, Buddhism, and the Next Generation of Enlightenment
Written by Jay Michaelson

Evolving Dharma Meditation, Buddhism, and the Next Generation of Enlightenment
Written by Jay Michaelson

The Best Buddhist Writing 2013
Edited by Melvin McLeod and editors of the Shambhala Sun
Contribution by Pema Chodron, Lodro Rinzler and Natalie Goldberg

Instructions to the Cook A Zen Master's Lessons in Living a Life That Matters
Written by Bernie Glassman and Rick Fields

Treasury of the True Dharma Eye Zen Master Dogen's Shobo Genzo
Edited by Kazuaki Tanahashi

Zen Confidential Confessions of a Wayward Monk
Written by Shozan Jack Haubner
Foreword by Leonard Cohen

The Essential Dogen Writings of the Great Zen Master
Edited by Kazuaki Tanahashi and Peter Levitt

Cold Mountain Poems Zen Poems of Han Shan, Shih Te, and Wang Fan-chih
Written by Han Shan
Translated by J.P. Seaton

The One Taste of Truth Zen and the Art of Drinking Tea
Written by William Scott Wilson

Training in Compassion Zen Teachings on the Practice of Lojong
Written by Norman Fischer

Sky Above, Great Wind The Life and Poetry of Zen Master Ryokan
Written by Kazuaki Tanahashi

The Best Buddhist Writing 2012
Edited by Melvin McLeod and editors of the Shambhala Sun

The Pocket Thich Nhat Hanh
Written by Thich Nhat Hanh
Edited by Melvin McLeod

You Are Here Discovering the Magic of the Present Moment
Written by Thich Nhat Hanh
Translated by Sherab Chodzin Kohn

Nature, Man and Woman
Written by Alan W. Watts

Everything Is the Way Ordinary Mind Zen
Written by Elihu Genmyo Smith

The Unfettered Mind Writings from a Zen Master to a Master Swordsman
Written by Takuan Soho
Translated by William Scott Wilson

The Practice of Perfection The Paramitas from a Zen Buddhist Perspective
Written by Robert Aitken