Welcome to Windhorse Books!

and its companion volumes:
Guide to the Buddhas by Vessantara

In this inspiringly written book we meet the historical and archetypal Buddhas who form part of the rich symbolism of Tibetan Buddhism. An informative guide for those new to Buddhism and a handy reference for more experienced practitioners. ISBN: 9781899579839    paperback    164 pp    234 x 156 mm    $29.95    more info...

Guide to the Bodhisattvas by Vessantara
This Guide introduces a panoply of figures, brilliant and beautiful, from the vast array that exists in the Buddhist tradition. Meet Tara, the rescuer, Manjusri the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of compassion, among others. Through meeting them we shall gain a feeling for the Bodhisattva ideal, the most sublime of all the goals to which a man or woman can aspire.
ISBN: 9781899579846    paperback    116 pp    234 x 156 mm    $29.95    more info...

Essential Sangharakshita: a half century of writings from the founder of the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order by Urgyen Sangharakshita; Karen Vidyadeva Stout (ed.)
Urgyen Sangharakshita is one of the most influential teachers to have introduced Buddhism into the West. Through his founding of the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order, he has introduced, directly and indirectly, countless people to the path of Buddhism in Australia and around the world. Profoundly knowledgeable and articulate, and equally at home with science, philosophy, myth, art, and poetry, Sangharakshita uses every inner avenue to communicate the timeless Dharma to the Western mind. Engaging both the intellect and the heart countless times in a single chapter, the author draws remarkably apt examples from sources as diverse as Orwell, Aeschylus, and Jane Austen. This volume is a primer to the breadth and depth of Buddhist thought and practice.
"Sangharakshita offers a rare combination of historical knowledge, cross-cultural awareness, and spiritual insight." —Professor Alan Sponberg, University of Montana
"His contribution to the transmission of the Dharma form East to West has been immense." —Professor Damien Keown, University of London.
"I have always looked to Sangharakshita's books for inspiration and ideas on how to better translate the principles and practices of Buddhism for Western audiences and practitioners today." —Lama Surya Das, author of Awakening the Buddha Within
"There is a great deal of depth and subtlety in his presentation." —Rigdzin Shikpo, author of Never Turn Away
ISBN: 9780861715855    paperback   792 pp    230 x 150 mm    $62.95    more info...

Question of Dharma: 108 questions & answers on practising the Buddhist path to liberation by David Smith
* How important is chastity for practice?
* How do I balance the need for a teacher and the need to be ‘a light unto myself’?
* Do you have anything to say about overcoming the tendency to control situations and people?
* Could you say more about working with irrational fear, e.g. panic attacks, phobias, etc.?
* What would you say is meant by spiritual friendship?
* How important is it to avoid killing insects?
We can learn much from the questions of others, and readers may see themselves in any number of the 108 questions in this book. Some of these are straightforward, others are more complex. Coming from a wide variety of seekers, they reflect the lived experience of numerous individual journeys. David Smith’s 108 responses to those questions reflect 30 years of commitment to his Buddhist practice. He meets the spirit of each question in his own direct and often playful way, leading the reader toward clarity and inspiration.
ISBN: 9780954247522    paperback    150 pp    186 x 124 mm    $27.95    more info...

How to Be Happy by Lama Zopa Rinpoche; Josh Bartok (ed.); Ailsa Cameron (ed.)
In How to Be Happy Lama Zopa Rinpoche helps us find our good heart, the heart that can easily rejoice in the happiness of others; he also gives us wonderful advice in transforming problems into happiness, and even in finding compassion for our “enemies” — those people, thoughts, and situations in daily life we find so troublesome and unpleasant. The books ends with three wonderfully rich and evocative guided meditations that help us vividly see that the more we give the more happiness we find always in this moment right here.
Anyone looking for advice on how to be happy — truly, meaningfully happy — will find Lama Zopa Rinpoche to be a trustworthy and skillful guide. He is a tireless teacher of methods that work for us when all is well, and also when life’s troubles, big and small, seem unmanageable.
ISBN: 9780861711963    hardcover    144 pp    168 x 117 mm    $21.95    more info...

Buddha’s Teachings on Prosperity: at home, at work, in the world by Bhikkhu Rahula Basnagoda
Money and investing. Family. Relationships. Work and business. Sex. What could the Buddha tell us about such worldly concerns? Actually, quite a lot. The Buddha had an unusually keen insight into what people with everyday concerns need to know, and this book presents the teachings he gave to all those many people he encountered who were not monks, nuns or even meditators. This is practical advice on the important stuff of life, those things nearly all of us must deal with in order to enjoy a meaningful, lasting happiness:
* Taking care of children and aging parents
* Providing for our families
* Working with employees and business partners
* Finding and maintaining love relationships and marital partnerships
* Making responsible, ethical financial decisions
* Cultivating the best in your personality
These practical teachings are for those who can't or won't be devoting their lives to meditation or any kind of religious practice but who, nonetheless, wish to minimize their suffering, maximize their joy, and help create a better world. Bhikkhu Rahula Basnagoda, Ph.D., was born in Sri Lanka and became a Buddhist monk in childhood. He holds a Master's Degree in literature, and a doctorate in English. He serves the congregation at the Houston Buddhist Vihara, and teaches English at the University of Houston.
ISBN: 9780861715473    paperback    248 pp    225 x 150 mm    $35.00    more info...

Living in the Face of Death by Glenn Mullin
Until recently, contemporary Western society viewed death the way the Victorians viewed sex — as taboo, a forbidden subject. Yet the Tibetan tradition incorporates death into everyday life. Over the centuries Tibetans have developed a wide-ranging literature on death, of which The Tibetan Book of the Dead — whose author, Karma Lingpa, has a selection included here — is perhaps the best-known. Eight other short texts include works by the Second, Seventh, and Thirteenth Dalai Lamas, and cover meditation techniques to prepare for death, rituals for preparing the dead, and accounts of what transpires during the bardo (the state of consciousness between death and rebirth).
 “This study performs the service of presenting the Tibetan understanding of death as a whole—circumambulating it, as we might say, to view it in the round.”—Huston Smith, author, “Buddhism: a concise introduction”
ISBN: 9781559393102    paperback    240 pp    220 x 150 mm    $34.95    more info...

Razor-Wire Dharma: a buddhist life in prison by Calvin Malone
Calvin Malone has plenty to teach us all about ideas that we rarely associate with the penal system: dignity; compassion; freedom behind bars. He speaks from experience: Malone is nearing the end of a 20-year prison sentence himself. Razor-Wire Dharma is his eloquent, enlightening, and utterly inspiring personal story how he found Buddhism—and real, transformative meaning for his life-despite being in one of the world's harshest environments. Some of his stories are hilarious, some are harrowing, but all express Buddhist wisdom as vividly as any practitioner could hope to do. Malone is living it and, for him, the choice of staying true to his principles often requires that he quite literally jeopardize his life, safety, and the few small comforts available to him to try to do what's right.
 “Razor-wire Dharma is not just for Buddhists, it is for anyone who values cultivating patience, forgiveness, tolerance, and a kind heart. Calvin shows us; in short, engaging anecdotes about his life in prison how to do this in even the most difficult of situations.” —Thubten Chodron, author of Open Heart, Clear Mind
ISBN: 9780861715633    paperback    248 pp    225 x 150 mm    $23.95    more info...

Back in Print

Buddhism: tools for living your life by Vajragupta
Buddhism: tools for living your life is a guide for those seeking a meaningful spiritual path while living everyday lives full of families, work and friends. Vajragupta gives clear explanations of Buddhist teachings and the necessary guidance on how to apply these to enrich our busy and complex lives. The personal stories, exercises, reflections and questions in this book help transform Buddhist practice into more than a fine set of ideals. They make the path of ethics, meditation and wisdom a tangible part of our lives. "In this book I am attempting to give a feel for what a ‘Buddhist life’ might be like, for people of all kinds of backgrounds and experience. The aim is to make the teachings as accessible and relevant as possible, to give you the ‘tools’ by which to lead a spiritual life."—Vajragupta
ISBN: 9781899579747    paperback    192 pp    210 x 164 mm    $32.95    more info...

Buddhist Art and Inspiration

Impermanence: embracing change by David Hodge and Hi-Jin Hodge
What does it mean that we are constantly changing? How do people confront ideas like death and change? Asked to contribute to an exhibit celebrating the work of the Dalai Lama, multimedia artists David and Hi-Jin Hodge interviewed over a hundred people about impermanence and change in their lives. Their subjects ranged from philosophers to gardeners, economists to spiritual leaders, doctors to patients. The result was incredibly moving. The Hodges' installation consisted of a large, circular arrangement of mounted iPods on which the interviews played simultaneously, each on its own screen. Now this unique record has been made available for a wider audience; it includes both a book and a DVD so that the interviews can be viewed as they were seen in the original exhibit.
Though impermanence is a central Buddhist concept, it's also a universal concern. We all grow up, change, and eventually pass into another state. Impermanence: Embracing change provides a range of voices, both profound and heartwarming, that address these questions.
ISBN: 9781559393072    hardcover & 3hr DVD    160 pp; 108 b&w photos     185 x 162 mm    $59.95    more info...

Way of the Buddha: the illustrated dhammapada by Rubin Museum of Art
The Dhammapada, a core text for Buddhists all over the world, consists of more than 400 sayings from Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism. Here, in a handsome gift format, The Way of the Buddha presents the complete text of F Max Müller’s 1881 translation, alongside illustrations from the extensive collections of the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City. Inspirational words are accompanied by gorgeous pieces of traditional Buddhist artwork, portraying the Buddha as well as other sages in paintings, sculptures, and textiles. The Dhammapada itself covers a wide range of themes, including old age, happiness, pleasure, anger, self-awareness, wisdom, and evil. Bound with a ribbon and gilded, The Way of the Buddha is a portable and elegant source of daily encouragement and spiritual illumination.
ISBN: 9780810972957    hardcover    320 pp    155 x 105 mm    $24.95    more info...

Garland of Flowers: beauty of the Odiyan mandala by Tarthang Tulku
A Garland of Flowers by Tarthang Tulku offers many glimpses of the expansive gardens and landscapes of Odiyan Retreat Center, an extraordinary mandala of Tibetan temples in Sonoma County, California. A contemplative photo essay celebrating the beauty of nature and capacity to heal the human spirit, the book begins by inviting the readers to cultivate aesthetic appreciation through observing the perfection in beauty itself.
ISBN: 9780898004380    paperback    170 pp    280 x 215 mm    $49.95    more info...

Looking after the Body

Living Well With Pain and Illness: the mindful way to free yourself from suffering by Vidyamala Burch
Living Well With Pain and Illness gives a detailed summary of the principles and practice of the Breathworks programme. It is intended for anyone looking for new ways to live with pain and illness or other long-term difficulties. The main focus of the book is physical pain, but the mindfulness techniques are relevant to illness of any sort. They will help with managing energy and fatigue; also improve quality of life. The techniques are also relevant to mental and emotional suffering, such as stress, anxiety and depression. The book starts looks at the nature of pain and describes how we can find a new relationship with it using mindfulness. It explores mindfulness and how it can bring wholeness. It then goes on to practical guidance on how to come home to your body through breath awareness and mindful movement, introduces three formal meditation practices with useful tips, and looks at how you can take mindfulness into your daily life.
“In this book, Vidyamala makes the practice of befriending your experience through mindfulness, however unpleasant or pleasant it may be, both commonsensical and compelling. I admire her tremendously. This is a beautiful and very important book. It could save your life — and give it back to you.”
—Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D.,Professor of Medicine Emeritus, Univ. Mass. Medical School and author of Full Catastrophe Living and Coming to our Senses
"The book is a moving and compelling invitation to bring a radically new way of working with the fact of our pain. It is a book of enormous tenderness and honesty, offering wise guidance on how we can live with greater ease by turning towards what we most fear about our pain and suffering."
—Prof Mark Williams, Professor of Clinical Psychology, Dept of Psychiatry, University of Oxford
ISBN: 9780749928605    paperback    256 pp    233 x 185 mm    $45.00    more info...

CDs for managing pain, illness and stress with Guided Mindfulness Meditation

Breathworks is a not-for-profit organisation that helps people living with pain, long term illness or stress to manage their condition and improve their quality of life. They are rapidly gaining recognition internationally as experts in the field of mindfulness-based pain management. They offer mindfulness-based pain management and strategies for living well to anyone wishing to live a richer life and feel a greater sense of initiative and confidence. We are pleased to present their approach in the form of meditation CDs:

Body Scan by Vidyamala and Sona
This is a meditation practice that helps us to develop habits of greater ease and awareness of the body. Adopting a comfortable posture (lying down or sitting) we ‘scan’ through the whole body with our awareness, using the breath to ‘let go’ of areas of pain and / or tension.
ISBN: 9780955012006    audio CD    $24.95    more info...

Mindfulness of Breathing by Vidyamala and Sona
This practice helps us develop awareness of ourselves in greater detail. By resting in a responsive space between suppressing our experience of pain or illness on the one hand, and over-identifying with it on the other, we can learn to make choices as to how we respond to our moment-by-moment experience.
ISBN: 9780955012013    audio CD    $24.95    more info...

Kindly Awareness by Vidyamala and Sona
This meditation practice helps us feel more positive, accepting and kindly towards both ourselves and others and helps us develop a sense of equanimity towards both the pain and pleasure in life.
ISBN: 9780955012020    audio CD    $24.95    more info...

Yantra Yoga: Tibetan Yoga of Movement by Chogyal Namkhai Rinpoche
Yantra Yoga offers the practitioner a unique approach to yoga practice, parallel to the Hatha Yoga of the Hindu tradition. Called the "Union of Sun and Moon", it is a dynamic system of movement and breath and differs from other yogas in that it is done as a sequence of movements co-ordinated with breathing and specific ways of holding. This practice helps us to relax and achieve a state of well-being and harmony, at the same time enhancing physical health, energy, and mental balance. At a more profound level, it is an important practice to integrate body, speech and mind in a state that is beyond our normal dualistic concepts. Profusely illustrated with drawings and photographs,Yantra Yoga presents Tibet's trulkhor yoga tradition as taught by one of its master exponents, Chogyal Namkhai Norbu.
ISBN: 9781559393089    paperback    424 pp    224 x 150 mm    $69.95    more info...

Tibetan Relaxation: kum nye massage and movement by Tarthang Tulku
Tibetan Relaxation presents Kum Nye – a holistic healing system that traces to 8th Century Tibetan Texts. Kum Nye aims to free the flow of the body’s energy to achieve optimum health and vitality. Brought to the West and systematized by Tarthang Tulku, the practice is a yoga –like tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Suitable for all ages, these gentle exercises serve to relive tension, heighten energy levels, improve concentration and enhance sensory awareness.
ISBN: 9781844834044   paperback    144 pp    235 x 191 mm    $29.95    more info...

For Parents and Younger Readers

Taneesha Never Disparaging by M. Lavora Perry
Fifth grade isn't exactly easy for eleven-year-old Taneesha Bey-Ross. For one thing, she's getting tired of being her best friend Carli Flanagan's personal bodyguard. Carli wears a leg brace and she's white, and when Taneesha does stand up for Carli in the face of a local bully—a giant of a girl with big fists and army boots—she's told to expect revenge. Taneesha's also running a loser's race for class president, and her love-hate interest Rayshaun has learned that Taneesha is a Buddhist, so now he's taunting her, saying that she's going to hell. Her mom may have told her that Taneesha's got heaven in her heart, but it doesn't feel that way. And just in case she forgets it, there's always Evella, Taneesha's evil imaginary twin, to remind her that she's a total failure. This beautifully written, fun, and instantly engaging novel presents vivid characters and a timely story about the big issues that every child faces.
ISBN: 9780861715503    paperback    216 pp    188 x 125 mm    $18.95    more info...

Buddha Heart Parenting: enrich your family with Buddhist wisdom and compassion by Dr C L Claridge
This book represents one of the finest guides for bringing Buddhism into our life at a practical level. Buddha Heart Parenting offers the reader deep insights into how to integrate Buddhist philosophy with contemporary psychology to arrive at a method of parenting that is both effective and enables family members to realise their true Buddha nature. The emphasis is on skills and strategies that combine compassion and wisdom to make all our interactions with our children supportive and joyous. While author, Dr C L Claridge, has a degree in child psychology and a PhD in empowerment processes, her special qualities are her sensitivity, compassion, commitment and sense of humour. As a mother she has found parenting to be one of the most rewarding roles she has undertaken. She is a practicing Buddhist and has, for more than 25 years, educated and counselled parents in effective parenting skills and strategies based on Buddhist principles and philosophy. Buddha Heart Parenting gives readers the skills and awareness to build connected, joyous relationships with their children.
ISBN: 9789994678839    paperback    230 pp    216 x 140 mm    $39.95    more info...

Buddha at Bedtime: tales of love and wisdom for you to read with your child to enchant, enlighten, and inspire by Dharmachari Nagaraja
Beautifully illustrated, charming and fun, this is an delightful collection of 20 bedtime stories guaranteed to entertain and encourage your kids
Growing up in the modern world, our children have to cope with an ever-increasing amount of stress, which can have a negative impact on their development. The ancient wisdom of Buddhism, with its emphasis on peace, mindfulness and compassion, is the ideal basis for helping any child to face these challenges with inner confidence and calm. Building on the age-old art of storytelling, this beautiful book re-tells 20 ancient Buddhist tales in a way that is thoroughly fun and accessible to children. Each one featuring superb, full-page  illustrations, the stories will transport your kids into an imaginary world of enlightenment and discovery. Here, they will meet delightful characters and discover an easy-to-understand Buddhist message, which will help them think about how they can apply values such as patience, compassion, honesty and generosity to their own lives. Designed to be read aloud by parents or by children on their own, these compelling narratives focus the mind and provide a soothing transition into sleep.
ISBN: 9781844835966   paperback    144 pp    240 x 190 mm    $34.95    more info...

Buddhist Writings

Seeking Nibbana in Sri Lanka by Jason Siff {author in Australia April, May & June}
Seeking Nibbana in Sri Lanka is a novel about a western Buddhist monk going to a remote forest hermitage to study under a meditation master, who is reputed to be fully enlightened. What begins as an idealistic search for nibbana turns into a realistic portrayal of life at a forest hermitage and the inner experience of meditation. The meditation master is also engaged in his own pursuit of nibbana, though his path is one of looking deeply into Buddhist teachings and questioning them thoroughly. “Seeking Nibbana in Sri Lanka is a finely crafted novel that succeeds both as a work of literature and as a profound reflection on the nature of Buddhist spiritual experience. In following the young Western monk Sumana into the Sri Lankan jungle to meet his teacher Aggachitta, we are drawn into a world of conflicting perceptions, in which sincerity and self-doubt, the mundane and the transcendent, are woven together into a poignant and moving tapestry of intersecting human lives.” —Stephen Batchelor, author of “Buddhism without Beliefs”
ISBN: 9789937506250    paperback    362 pp    210 x 134 mm    $39.95    more info...

Blue Poppy and the Mustard Seed by Kathleen Willis Morton
After the death of her six-week-old son, Liam, Katie Willis Morton embarks on a courageous search for solace and understanding. Interweaving what she witnesses—simple rituals like children's baths and picnics, and rites of passage like birth and death—with her own recovery and growth, she discovers that the pain she has experienced is both unavoidable and necessary, a pivotal part of the process of healing that can lead to "a victorious kind of joy, of acceptance." In discovering herself, Morton's story speaks to readers suffering similar tragedies, and indeed to all of us, in an intimate and inspiring story about enduring world-shattering pain and coming out whole. The Blue Poppy and the Mustard Seed confronts the universal truths of love and loss that we all will eventually and inevitably encounter. This book will be a comfort to anyone who has faced a tragic loss, but not only that, it takes us all on a rich journey, through joy, suffering, and ultimately to hope, in a way that is quietly beautiful and, above all, utterly life-affirming.
ISBN: 9780861715657    paperback    192 pp     225 x 150 mm    $34.95    more info...

Best of Inquiring Mind: 25 years of Dharma, drama, and uncommon insight by Barbara Gates & Wes Nisker (ed.)
For over a quarter century Inquiring Mind has been a path-blazer at the forefront of Buddhism in the West. Rich in insight, humour, and world-renowned expertise, The Best of Inquiring Mind is an unprecedented gathering of wisdom from the minds of some of the most influential thinkers in the realm of modern Dharma.
"Inquiring Mind has for decades gathered and preserved essential wisdoms and knowledge of Buddhist practice in the West. This book is an indispensable conversation partner for anyone engaged in— or curious about— the way forward into a more awake life." —Jane Hirshfield, author of Nine Gates
"Inquiring Mind is like a splash of cool water on your face in the morning; it wakes you up. Inquiring Mind is like a cup of fine coffee; it keeps you going with its dharma and humanity. Inquiring Mind is like a banana peel; it makes you laugh. Inquiring Mind is simply one of the great treasures of the Buddhist journals that we have in the West." —Jack Kornfield
ISBN: 9780861715510    paperback    360 pp    225 x 150 mm    $26.95    more info...

Together Under One Roof: making a home of the Buddha's household by Lin Jensen
In Together Under One Roof, Lin Jensen turns his keen eye and powerful prose explicitly to the teachings of the Buddha, to traditional Zen stories, and to the practices of meditation and compassion — as well as the intricacies of everyday language and the natural world, truth and beauty, family, and the myriad ways our simplest actions affect our whole lives. His previous two works, memoirs of growing up and growing old and of the hard-won but gentle wisdom gained in his daily public meditations for peace, were both critical successes earning a special place in readers' hearts. This book takes up symphonic variations on one main theme: we are all "in it" together, we are all living under one roof — and there's always a glowing hearth right here in this, the Buddha's household.
"Lin Jensen brings humility and all its gifts — rare nowadays — to the conveying of wisdom and the opening of the Way. Humour, humanity, even humus, the earth itself, are all at play in this genuinely humble man, so hearing his stories and encountering his modesty is like drinking fresh and deep from the old source. I value and trust it, and recommend a long cool draft of it." —Susan Murphy, Australian author of Upside-down Zen.
ISBN: 9780861715541    paperback    276 pp    225 x 150 mm    $26.95    more info...

Broken Buddha: critical reflections on theravada and a plea for a new buddhism by Ven. S. Dhammika
The Broken Buddha offers a new and refreshing point of view about the Theravada tradition. Ven. Dhammika critiques the lack of positive development of the practices, attitudes, and behaviour of a monastic community that has existed for over 2000 years. The issues of Theravada Buddhism explored in this book include topics such as the Vinaya, ritual, the role of women, asceticism, sectarianism and ethnocentricity. The purpose of this book, that may be considered controversial by many in the Buddhist community, is summed up by Ven. Dhammika: “My only hope is that The Broken Buddha will provoke wide-ranging, thoughtful and realistic discussion amongst Western Buddhists about the future of the Triple Gem in the West.”
ISBN: 9789810566565    paperback    177 pp    150 x 210 mm    $27.95    more info...