Our Spring catalogue is out! Those of you who get it mailed or emailed should have already received your copy.

For those who don't receive it, below we have a few 'picks-of-the-bunch'. However, if you would like view the whole catalogue, you can do so by clicking here. There is an option to subscribe to future mailed catalogues on that page.

Introductory Teachings in Buddhism

Concise Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism by John Powers {local author}

Lucid and economical, A Concise Introduction delivers a brisk, fast-moving survey. For many years, Powers' six hundred-page Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism has served as an authoritative and comprehensive introductory text on Tibet's distinctive Buddhist tradition. Now he has provided an introductory text in compact form which explains the core Buddhist doctrines and the practices of meditation and tantra in an engaging manner. It includes a survey of the four main sects of Tibetan Buddhism and a succinct history of the Tibetan cultural region.

"...presents the wide spectrum of Tibetan Buddhism in clear, concise form with Western methodology and critical appreciation. This work beautifully elucidates the nature of the complex religious and philosophical disciplines of Tibet." —Lobsang Lhalungpa, author of The Life of Milarepa

John Powers (PhD Buddhist Studies, Univ. Virginia) is a specialist in Indo-Tibetan philosophy and meditation theory. He has published widely on Buddhist thought and practice and teaches at the Centre for Asian Societies and Histories at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia.

ISBN: 9781559392969    paperback    165 pp    225 x 150 mm    $27.95    more info...

Guide to the Buddhas by Vessantara

Why does Buddhism refer to so many Buddhas? Who are they? What can they tell us about ourselves? As Buddhists over the centuries meditated on the archetypal Buddha, more and more forms appeared. They sprang up profusely, like wild flowers, in different shapes and colours. They evolved. New varieties were discovered. Eventually the Buddhist tradition was decorated with a riot of colour and beauty. In this inspiringly written book we meet the historical and archetypal Buddhas who form part of the rich symbolism of Tibetan Buddhism. This is an informative guide for those new to Buddhism and a handy reference for more experienced practitioners. Vessantara, with his 35 years of meditation experience, combines the power of story telling with practical guidance and succeeds in bringing the Buddhas and their visualization practices to life.

ISBN: 9781899579839    paperback    164 pp    234 x 156 mm    $29.95    more info...

Guide to the Bodhisattvas by Vessantara

Bodhisattvas, or ‘Enlightenment Beings’, are dedicated to one thing: helping ordinary people on the path towards Enlightenment. The bodhisattvas know that they are not alone; they are not apart from the rest of life. Seeking Enlightenment for themselves alone can never satisfy as they witness the suffering that is all around them. Their vision is to work endlessly in the service of living beings, helping them to achieve Enlightenment. This Guide introduces a panoply of figures, superheroes all, 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. The Bodhisattvas are heirs to the great kingdoms of the five Buddhas. 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...

Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rimpoche {new edition}

Sogyal Rinpoche's book The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, published in 1992, is seen as a classic text on the Tibetan Buddhist teachings. It has demonstrated how these teachings can be both accessible to everyone, and yet totally authentic and faithful to the tradition.  Acclaimed by people of all ages and backgrounds, as well as by Buddhist practitioners, Rinpoche's book has been adopted for use in courses, workshops, and retreats by a variety of groups and disciplines, therapeutic and spiritual. It carries all the immediacy and force of an oral teaching, and, with repeated study and reflection, deeper meanings are continually revealed.  Since its publication in 1992, more than a million copies have been sold worldwide including translations in over 22 languages.

ISBN: 9781846041051    paperback    425 pp    198 x 128 mm    $24.95    more info...

What Makes You Not a Buddhist by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse {now in paperback}

"You may not have been born in a Buddhist country or to a Buddhist family, you may not wear robes or shave your head, you may eat meat and idolize Eminem and Paris Hilton. That does not mean you can't be a Buddhist." Creative and provocative teacher, artist, poet and the director of two acclaimed feature films (The Cup and Travelers and Magicians), Dzongsar Khyentse in his first book challenges readers to make sure they know what they’re talking about before they claim to be Buddhist. With wit and irony, he urges readers to move beyond superficial trappings of Buddhism—beyond a romance with beads, incense and exotic people in robes—straight to the heart of what the Buddha taught.

ISBN: 9781590304068    paperback    134 pp    212 x 140 mm    $24.95    more info...

Power, Love, Money and War

Money, Sex, War, Karma: notes for a buddhist revolution by David R Loy

What's Wrong with Sex? * How to Drive Your Karma * Consciousness Commodified * The Karma of Food * The Three Poisons, Institutionalized * Why We Love War

These are just some of the chapters in this new book from David Loy. Loy has become one of the Buddhist worldview's most powerful advocates, explaining its ability to transform the socio-political landscape of the modern world.  In this most accessible work, he offers sharp presentations of oft-misunderstood Buddhist staples—the working of karma, the nature of self, the causes of trouble on both the individual and societal levels—and the real reasons behind our collective sense of "never enough," whether it's time, money, sex, security… even war.  Loy's "Buddhist Revolution" is nothing less than a radical change in the ways we can approach our lives, our planet, the collective delusions that pervade our language, culture, and even our spirituality.

ISBN: 9780861715589    paperback    160 pp    225 x 150 mm    $24.95   more info...

Art of Power by Thich Nhat Hanh

Power is one of the central issues in our lives. From work to personal relationships, the struggle for power plays a pivotal role and more often than not prevents us from attaining freedom and happiness. The bottom-line mentality in our culture seeps unnoticed into every other part of our lives. Thich Nhat Hanh illustrates how our current understanding of power leads us on a never ending search for external markers like job title or salary. This me-first approach to life may have originated in the business world, but the stress, fear, and anxiety it causes are being felt by all of us everyday. Turning the conventional understanding on its head, Thich Nhat Hanh teaches us that true power comes from within and that what we seek we already have. With colourful anecdotes, precise language, and concrete practices, this book will have an important and lasting legacy on how we understand our culture and choose to live our lives.

ISBN: 9780061242342    hardcover    256 pp    mm    $35.00    more info...

World as Lover, World as Self by Joanna Macy {new edition}

Weaving together the Buddhist principle of dependent co-arising with deep ecology and general systems theory, Macy offers a blueprint for positive social change and for reversing the destructive attitudes that have brought us to the brink of extinction. A thorough overview of two decades of this prominent eco-philosopher's ground-breaking work!

“The first great joy of this book is encountering Joanna Macy herself. It always inspires and refreshes to come into contact with a truly alive, spiritual personality." —Currents in Theology
ISBN: 9781888375718    paperback    251 pp    227 x 152 mm    $32.95    more info...

The Pursuit of Happiness and Other States of Well-being

Happiness Trap: stop struggling, start living by Russ Harris

Are you, like millions of others, caught in the happiness trap? Russ Harris explains that the way most of us go about trying to find happiness ends up making us miserable, driving the epidemics of stress, anxiety, and depression. This empowering book presents the insights and techniques of ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) a revolutionary new psychotherapy based on cutting-edge research in behavioural psychology. By clarifying your values and developing mindfulness (a technique for living fully in the present moment), ACT helps you escape the happiness trap and find true satisfaction in life. The techniques presented in The Happiness Trap will help readers to reduce stress and worry; handle painful feelings and thoughts more effectively; break self-defeating habits; overcome insecurity and self-doubt; and create a rich, full, and meaningful life

"Carefully and creatively presents techniques that anyone can use to undermine struggle, avoidance, and loss of the moment. Harris systematically explores how we get into the 'happiness trap' and then shines a powerful beacon showing us another way forward." —Steven Hayes, PhD, author of Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life

ISBN: 9781590305843    paperback    280 pp    236 x 156 mm    $28.95    more info...

Ending the Pursuit of Happiness: a zen guide  by Barry Magid

We all have a right to the pursuit of happiness—but could we actually be happier if we gave that whole thing up? This surprising new book from Zen teacher and psychoanalyst, Barry Magid, inspires us to move on and make peace with the perfection of the way things actually are, including ourselves. Magid invites us to consider that our "pursuit of happiness" may actually be a source of our suffering. He takes an unusual look at our "secret practices"—what we're really doing when we say we're meditating—like trying to feel calmer, or more compassionate, or even "enlightened" (whatever we imagine that means!). He also uncovers our "curative fantasies" about spiritual practice—those ideas that we can somehow fix all the messy human things about ourselves that we imagine are bad or wrong or unacceptable. In doing so, he helps us look squarely at—and avoid—such pitfalls. Along the way, Magid lays out a rich roadmap of the new "psychological-minded Zen"—a Zen that includes our entire life, our entire personality—as pioneered by his teacher, bestselling author Charlotte Joko Beck.

ISBN: 9780861715534    paperback    185 pp    230 x 155 mm    $26.95    more info...

 Joy of Living: unlocking the secret and science of happiness by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche {new in paperback}

For millennia, Buddhists have enjoyed the limitless benefits of meditation. But how does it work? And why? The principles behind this ancient practice have long eluded some of the best minds in modern science. Buddhist teacher, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, invites us to join him in unlocking the secrets behind the practice of meditation. Working with neuroscientists at the 'Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior', he investigates modern research indicating that systematic training in meditation can enhance activity in areas of the brain associated with happiness and compassion. He also works with physicists to develop a fresh interpretation of the Buddhist understanding of the nature of reality. With an infectious joy and insatiable curiosity, he weaves together the principles of Tibetan Buddhism, neuroscience, and quantum physics in a way that will change the way we understand the human experience.

ISBN: 9780307347312    paperback    288 pp    240 x 162mm    $27.95    more info...

This Moment Is the Perfect Teacher: ten Buddhist teachings on cultivating inner strength and compassion by Pema Chodron

Lojong is a Tibetan Buddhist practice created especially for training the mind to work with the challenges of everyday living. It teaches our hearts to soften, reframes our attitude toward difficulty, and allows us to discover a wellspring of inner strength. In this recorded retreat, Pema Chödrön introduces the lojong teachings and explains how we can apply them to any situation in our life—because, as Pema says, "every moment is an opportunity for awakening." In addition, Pema also leads a guided tonglen meditation, a practice aimed at developing courage and cultivating compassion for ourselves and others. Pema Chödrön is an American Buddhist nun in the lineage of Chögyam Trungpa. She is resident teacher at Gampo Abbey in Nova Scotia, the first Tibetan monastery in North America established for Westerners. She is the author of many books and audio books, including the best-selling When Things Fall Apart and Don't Bite the Hook.

ISBN: 9781590304938    audio CD    $59.95    more info...

Meditation

Still Quiet Place: Mindfulness for Young Children by Dr Amy Saltzman

If you’ve ever wondered how you could introduce the life skill of meditation to your children, here’s a delightful CD that will help you do just that. Still Quiet Place is a series of guided meditations for children (ages three or older) that gently leads them to find and appreciate the ‘treasure’ within themselves. With each track, Dr. Amy Saltzman helps children to explore a different aspect their inner world, including an awareness of their physical bodies and emotions, and begin to trust their own inner wisdom. And it’s not all about stillness and quiet. One track, called “wilds”, begins with a driving drumbeat and asks, “Do you sometimes feel wild, or crazy, or silly? Like a volcano about to erupt or a hurricane twirling around?” Dr. Saltzman honours the whole child, including the giggly, high-energy side, and encourages young people to fully experience all of their emotions and inner world.  The CD offers 12 guided practices for children—including for older children a couple of longer tracks on simple yoga poses and a full body scan—and two tracks for adults interested sharing the Still Quiet Place with children — including a brief mindfulness meditation of about 13 minutes, to help parents slow down and bring awareness to the present moment.

ISBN: 8016550932212    audio CD    77 mins    $26.95    more info...

Focused and Fearless: a meditator’s guide to states of deep joy, calm, and clarity by Shaila Catherine

Focused and Fearless provides a wealth of tools to cultivate non-distracted attention in daily life and on retreat. Shaila Catherine has a friendly, wise approach to rarely-talked-about meditative states that lead to liberating insight. Blended with contemporary examples, pragmatic exercises, and "how to" instructions that anyone can try, Focused and Fearless is about much more than merely meditation or concentration. It offers a complete path towards bliss, fearlessness, and true awakening.

"Focused and Fearless is a wonderful book. Shaila Catherine describes the paths of deep concentration and transforming insight in a way that both inspires and enriches our practice. Her prose and her understanding are exceptionally lucid. This book is a treat to read."—Joseph Goldstein, author of A Heart Full of Peace and One Dharma

ISBN: 9780861715602    paperback    276 pp    225 x 150 mm    $27.95    more info...

Hurry Up and Meditate: your starter kit for inner peace and better health by David Michie {local author}

If meditation was available in capsule form, it would be the biggest selling drug of all time. It has been scientifically proven to deliver highly effective stress relief, boost our immune systems and dramatically slow the ageing process, as well as to make us happier and more effective thinkers. David Michie, a corporate communications consultant, long-time meditator and author of Buddhism for Busy People, explains the nuts and bolts of meditation and how to integrate this transformational practice into everyday life. Combining leading edge science with timeless wisdom, Hurry Up and Meditate provides all the motivation and tools you need to achieve greater balance, better health and a more panoramic perspective of life.

“Direct, unsentimental and compelling, this is a book for the skeptics, ditherers, and those (many) of us who lapse in our meditative practices. If there is someone in your life you’d like to introduce to meditation, Hurry Up and Meditate is an ideal conversation-starter.” —Amanda Sinclair, Melbourne Business School and author of Leadership for the Disillusioned

ISBN: 9781741754476    paperback    168 pp    195 x 130 mm    $19.95    more info...

Miracle of Mindfulness: a manual on meditation by Thich Nhat Hanh {new edition}

There have been more than 250,000 copies sold of this famous introduction to Buddhist meditation. Thich Nhat Hanh's gentle stories and exercises show us how to use the practice of mindfulness to find joy in each moment and attain greater self-understanding and peace.

"Thich Nhat Hanh writes with the voice of the Buddha." —Sogyal Rinpoche

"One of the best available introductions to the wisdom and beauty of meditation practice." —New Age Journal

ISBN: 9781846041068    paperback    140 pp    215 x 135 mm    $24.95    more info...

 Transforming Our Lives

Truthful Heart: Buddhist practices for connecting with others by Jeffrey Hopkins

The Dalai Lama often says, "Kindness is society." His former translator, Jeffrey Hopkins, writes that by learning to live from a more compassionate viewpoint, we can create a better life not only for ourselves but for everyone. In A Truthful Heart Hopkins uses Buddhist meditations, visualizations, and entertaining recollections from his personal journey to guide us in developing an awareness of the capacity for love inside us and learning to project that love into the world around us. Delivering a potent message with the power to change our relationships and improve the quality of our lives, A Truthful Heart is the ideal book for an age in which our dealings with each other seem increasingly impersonal—and even violent and aggressive. Anyone seeking release from anger and hurt, or simply wanting to increase the love and caring among us, will welcome this timely vision for humanity.

"Jeffrey Hopkins has spent his life helping others to cultivate wisdom, compassion, and openheartedness. Read this warm and wonderful book and learn how…" —Lama Surya Das, author of Awakening the Buddha Within

"One of the finest presentations of Tibetan Buddhist mind-training in print." —Stephen Batchelor, author of Buddhism Without Beliefs

ISBN: 9781559392907    paperback    218 pp    225 x 150 mm    $27.95    more info...

 Vinegar into Honey: seven steps to understanding and transforming anger, aggression, and violence by Ron Leifer MD

Our desires and our fears are woven into a tangled web of conflicts. We want both to eat dessert and to be thin. We want money but don’t want to work. Anything that threatens our sense of self and its striving for happiness is perceived as a threat to our very lives—the response to which is defensiveness, anger, aggression, and violence. Vinegar into Honey proposes a new paradigm for understanding the relationship between stress, anxiety, anger, and depression. Leifer provides detailed instructions for working with anger and other painful emotions. The process of transforming suffering into equanimity and compassion is central in Buddhist psychology and practice. Each of the steps in Vinegar into Honey reflects views and methods drawn from Buddhist tradition. Leifer’s work holds promise for psychotherapists and their patients, individuals seeking to understand and work with their anger, and people interested in the interface of Buddhism and psychotherapy.

"Easily one of the best books on understanding and transforming anger, aggression, and violence that I have ever read."—Albert Ellis, founder of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy and author of A Guide to Rational Living

ISBN: 9781559392938    paperback    144 pp    $27.95    more info...

Light Comes Through: Buddhist teachings on awakening to our natural intelligence by Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche

Our thoughts and emotions can take us anywhere. In an instant they can bring us down or lift us up. If we don't attend to the mind, the source of all our thoughts and emotions, it can seem like a runaway train. Yet when guided by wisdom, our mind can lead us to awakening. How do we utilize this resource?  The Buddha asked big questions concerning the causes and conditions of happiness and suffering and how we can shape our mind and attitude to support our well-being. According to the Buddhist teachings, when our natural intelligence is sparked by contemplation and meditation, we discover insights into what true happiness means—and how to achieve it.  The distilled wisdom of the Buddhist tradition leads us to clarity of mind, and step by step, the light of our natural intelligence comes through.

With humour and insight, Dzigar Kongtrül engages us in a playful, and challenging, investigation of disturbing emotions, our relationships with others, the trap of self-centeredness, and the practicalities of working with a Buddhist teacher. Most important, he shows us the subtlest use of our own natural intelligence—its ability to recognize the nature of reality itself.

 “Light Comes Through shimmers with frank advice on becoming more intelligent about our emotions. Dzigar Kongtrül offers a practical path to clarity and peace.” —Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence

ISBN: 9781590305676    hardcover    144 pp    225 x 150 mm    $39.95    more info...

Let Go: a Buddhist guide to breaking free of habits by Martine Batchelor

“When we break free from the habits that limit us, a new world of possibilities opens up…” In Let Go, Martine Batchelor leads the way there. Negative patterns of mind may manifest as fear, avoidance, depression, addiction, judgment of self or other-and any of a host of other physical, mental, or psychological forms. Let Go aims at understanding what really lies at the root of these behaviours so we can reclaim their control. Helpful exercises and guided meditations—designed to build understanding of our negative habits, as well as the confidence and skill needed to embrace our greatest qualities—appear throughout the book. Batchelor also looks at Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for depression, Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz's use of meditation to deal with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, successful combinations of meditation and Twelve-Step programs, and offers her own innovations.
ISBN: 9780861715213    paperback    200 pp    225 x 150 mm    $27.95    more info...

Buddha Is As Buddha Does: the ten original practices for enlightened living by Lama Surya Das

Lama Surya Das presents ten core practices that we can all use to live a meaningful and fulfilling life. This book offers a thorough, tried and true map to the richest treasure a human being can find—a life of greater joy, clarity, peace, and wisdom. At the same time, we will be doing the best we can to change the world into a saner and more harmonious place to live. This claim can be said with authority because the core teachings in this book belong to the Buddha. In the process of awakening, the Buddha realized that each of us, deep within, is inherently perfect, whole and complete, with the capacity to overcome suffering, transform ourselves into forces for the good, and, in so doing, revolutionize and liberate the world. From Generosity to Effort, Ethics to Meditation, Patience to Wisdom, these practices—accompanied by lively and detailed anecdotes and practical exercises—will help awaken the Buddha within all of us. You don't have to be a Buddhist to want to live to your potential and this book is for everyone who seeks to become a better person and share in the bounty of their true nature.

ISBN: 9780060859534    paperback    262 pp    235 x 145 mm    $29.95    more info...

Cave of Tigers: the living zen practice of Dharma combat by John Daido Loori

Dharma combat is a practice form unique to Zen in which student and teacher confront each other before a live audience. The Zen master takes a seat at the front of the meditation hall and is approached by students, one by one, who challenge the master with questions. The Zen master challenges them in return, and the pithy, energetic exchanges become a teaching for all involved. Cave of Tigers consists of records of actual dharma combat sessions between John Daido Loori Roshi and his students at Zen Mountain Monastery—the ancient practice of dharma combat is alive and well in American Zen. The highly charged encounters range from koan-like exchanges to practical discussions of meditation, Buddhist philosophy, and bringing spiritual practice into everyday life.

ISBN: 9781590305652    paperback    256 pp    225 x 150 mm    $34.95    more info...

Art, Beauty and the Spiritual Life

Motionless Journey: from my hermitage in the himalayas by Matthieu Ricard

Matthieu Ricard—author, photographer and Buddhist monk—recently spent one year in retreat at the Pema Ösel Hermitage (the place of the lotus of light) near Kathmandu.  Surrounded by spectacular scenery, nestled between lush valleys and the towering Himalayas, Matthieu meditated daily, waiting for the light that illuminates the path to awakening. Each day from his sublime viewpoint, he contemplated the different subtleties of light: morning, before dusk and evening. At the rhythm of one image per week, he has thus immortalized the magnificent landscapes that surrounded him.  These photographs, taken from the hermitage’s terrace and nearby, are the fruit of this long ‘wait without waiting’, and of the elation of bearing witness to nature’s harmony mixing intimately with the peacefulness of meditation.  Matthieu Ricard is the author of numerous books, including Tibet: An Inner Journey and Buddhist Himalayas. He has lived in the Himalayas for almost thirty years, and has been the French interpreter for the Dalai Lama since 1989.

ISBN: 9780500543528    hardcover    140 pp    250 x 300 mm    $69.95    more info...

Making Love with Light: contemplating nature with words and photographs by John Daido Loori

This book of exquisite photographs arises from the premise that unless we love nature, we will not work to save it from exploitation and eventual destruction. The rich mixture of photographs, Zen poems, and essays presented on these pages is intended to open our hearts to the wild and the wilderness, and to direct us to the ways in which we can heal the earth.  The Zen master John Daido Loori, who is widely known for his efforts to make creative expression an integral part of spiritual practice, takes up the camera as a contemporary version of the Zen brush, and he captures moments of exceptional, unrepeatable beauty. Each image is a seed for contemplation.

ISBN: 9781590304860    paperback    176 pp    212 x 238 mm    $49.95    more info...

Gift Books

Global Gypsy by Gerar Toye (phot.)

This is a rich collection of images taken around the world and accompanied by quotes of wit and wisdom. Gerar Toye shares his spontaneous imagery and insights from his twenty years on the road. It makes a great gift and a wonderful source of contemplation, lifting us out of our sometimes mundane small world into a sense of appreciation and engagement with the broader world around us.

ISBN: 9780958360937    hardcover    144 pp    63 b/w illust.    155 x 155 mm    $30.00    more info...

Smile by Anders Blomquist (phot.) & Gerar Toye (phot.)

Two photographers journey into the realm of human kindness. A wonderful collection of faces from around the globe. The people in this book are truly generous, having freely shared their joy for life and the most valuable gift they can offer — a glimpse into their heart. They serve as a reminder that all people are born good: its easy to forget, but it is just as easy to remember.

ISBN: 9780958360920    hardcover    160 pp    70 col & 8 b/w illust.    155 x 155 mm    $25.00    more info...

Buddhist Lives

Dead Lucky: life and death on Mount Everest by Lincoln Hall {local author}

Awarded Special Jury Mention at the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival 2007

Lincoln Hall set off for Everest in early May 2006. Five weeks after reaching Base Camp in Tibet, he began his push for the summit. After three days of climbing higher into the oxygen-less air, he was blessed with a perfect summit day. For a few minutes, Hall was the highest man on the planet. His Sherpa companions arrived, photos were taken, and the climbers commenced their long descent. Then things began to go horribly wrong. Hall was struck by cerebral oedema - high altitude sickness - in the aptly named 'death zone'. Drowsiness quickly became overpowering lethargy, and he collapsed in the snow. Two Sherpas spent hours trying to revive him, but as darkness fell he was pronounced dead. The expedition's leader ordered the Sherpas to descend to save themselves. The news of Hall's death travelled rapidly from mountaineering websites to news media around the world, and by satellite phone to Hall's family in Australia. Early the next day, Dan Mazur, an American mountaineering guide with two clients and a Sherpa, was startled to find Hall sitting cross-legged on the knife-edged crest of the summit ridge. Hall's first words - 'I imagine you are surprised to see me here' - were a massive understatement. Much was reported in the press about Hall's resurrection, but here we have his insight into what happened, and how he survived that longest night.

ISBN: 9781741667363    paperback    408 pp    200 x 130 mm    $24.95    more info...

 Open Road: the global journey of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama by Pico Iyer

Pico Iyer has been engaged in conversation with the Dalai Lama (a friend of his father's) for the last three decades — an ongoing exploration of his message and its effectiveness. Now, in this insightful, impassioned book, Iyer captures the paradoxes of the Dalai Lama's position: though he has brought the idea of Tibet to world attention, Tibet itself is being remade as a Chinese province; though he was born in one of the most remote, least developed places on earth, he has become a champion of globalism and technology. He is a religious leader who warns against being needlessly distracted by religion; a Tibetan head of state who suggests that exile from Tibet can be an opportunity; an incarnation of a Tibetan god who stresses his everyday humanity. Moving from Dharamsala, India—the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile; to Lhasa, Tibet; to venues in the West where the Dalai Lama's pragmatism, rigour, and scholarship are sometimes lost on an audience yearning for mystical visions; The Open Road illuminates the hidden life, the transforming of ideas, and the daily challenges of a global icon.

ISBN: 9780747597261    paperback    288 pp    233 x 154 mm    $32.95    more info...

Why the Dalai Lama Matters: his act of truth as the solution for China, Tibet, and the world by Robert Thurman

His Holiness the Dalai Lama is an extraordinary example of a life dedicated to peace, communication, and unity. What he represents, and what he has accomplished, heals and transcends the current tensions between Tibet and China. This book explores why he has earned the world's love and respect, and how restoring Tibet's autonomy within China is not only possible, and reasonable, but absolutely necessary for a peaceful future as a global community. Since the illegal Chinese invasion of Tibet, Tibetans have seen their ecosystem destroyed, their religion, language, and culture repressed, and systematic oppression and violence against anyone who dares acknowledge Tibetan sovereignty. Yet, above it all, the Dalai Lama has been a consistent voice for peace, sharing a "Middle-Way" approach that has gathered accolades from the Nobel Peace Prize to the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal. Thurman illuminates a worldwide call to action presenting a revealing, provocative solution for a world in conflict, dealing with the very fundamentals of human rights and freedoms. When China changes policy and lets Tibetans be who they are, Tibet can, in turn, join with China in peaceful coexistence.

ISBN: 9781582702209    paperback    256 pp    235 x 160 mm    $29.95    more info...

Dragon Thunder: my life with Chogyam Trungpa by Diana J Mukpo & Carolyn Rose Gimian {new in paperback}

"It was not always easy to be the guru’s wife,” writes Diana Mukpo. “But I must say, it was rarely boring.” At the age of sixteen, Diana Mukpo left school and broke with her upper-class English family to marry Chögyam Trungpa, a young Tibetan lama who would go on to become a major figure in the transmission of Buddhism to the West. Trungpa attracted thousands of students in North America and is credited with introducing many key Buddhist concepts into the English language and psyche. During his lifetime he founded more than one hundred meditation centres and authored dozens of popular books on meditation, Buddhism, and the Shambhala path of warriorship. He was known for having an unorthodox and unpredictable teaching style and for leading an unconventional personal life. In Dragon Thunder, the reader gets an intimate look at this compelling and enigmatic figure through the eyes of his wife of seventeen years. Diana herself led an extraordinary and unusual life as the “first lady” of a burgeoning Buddhist community in the American 1970s and ’80s. It is not a simple matter to be a modern Western woman married to a Tibetan lama, let alone to be married to a man who is adored and sought out by thousands of eager students. Surprising events and colourful people fill the narrative as Diana seeks to understand the dynamic, puzzling, and larger-than-life man she married—and to find a place for herself in his unusual world.

ISBN: 9781590305348    paperback    432 pp    225 x 150 mm    $39.95    more info...

Sites & History of Buddhism

History of Buddhism in India by Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche

When, in 1991, Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche accompanied a group of western Buddhist students to each of the four major pilgrimage sites from the life of the Buddha (Bodhgaya, Sarnath, Kushinagar and Lumbini), he gave teachings at each pilgrimage site. This book enables us to share this unique experience. It also includes Rinpoche’s summary of the early history of Buddhism: the twelve great deeds of the Buddha’s life; the subsequent Buddhist councils and universities which oversaw the development of the sutras, shastras and tantras; and the emergence of the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions of Buddhism. The teaching are supplemented by a guide to the many sites of Buddhist pilgrimage that Rinpoche mentions in his history, including practical, historical and archaeological information, making this a valuable companion to Buddhist pilgrims.

ISBN: 9781877294396    paperback    242 pp    205 x 150 mm    $32.95    more info...

 Buddhist Teachers of the Past

Lion of Siddhas: the life and teachings of Padampa Sangye by Lama Tsering Wangdu Rinpoche; David Molk (tr.)

Best known as Machig Labdron's teacher, the Indian mahasiddha Padampa Sangye is counted as a lineage guru by all schools of Tibetan Buddhism. He brought the lineage of Chöd to Tibet, carried the Buddha's teachings to China, and is even asserted, in the Tibetan tradition, to have been the legendary Bodhidharma.  Padampa Sangye's teaching methods were unorthodox and sometimes extreme. This transcendent and irascible teacher encouraged his disciples to disregard social conventions, disdain social contacts, and go beyond their cultural conditioning. He inspired innumerable highly realized disciples, many of whom were women.  Lion of Siddhas presents two extraordinary texts: a biography of Padampa Sangye and a rare collection of his verbal and nonverbal teachings, called Mahamudra in Symbols, recorded by his chief Tibetan disciple almost a thousand years ago.

ISBN: 9781559392990    paperback    338 pp    225 x 150 mm    $34.95    more info...

King of the Empty Plain: the Tibetan iron bridge builder Tangtong Gyalpo by Cyrus Stearns

The legendary Buddhist master Tangtong Gyalpo (1361?-1485), "King of the Empty Plain," is familiar to every Tibetan, yet nearly unknown in the rest of the world. His incredible lifespan, profound teachings, unprecedented engineering feats, eccentric deeds, and creation of Tibetan opera have earned this fascinating figure a unique status in Tibetan culture. Tangtong Gyalpo discovered techniques for achieving longevity still held in high esteem and taught six hundred years later. His construction of an incredible number of iron suspension bridges, wooden bridges, ferries, stupa monuments, and temples and monasteries in Tibet and Bhutan remains awe-inspiring. King of the Empty Plain is a detailed study of the life and legacy of this great master. The introduction discusses his Dharma traditions, the question of his longevity, his "crazy" activities, and his astonishing engineering and architectural achievements. The book includes a translation of the Tibetan biography of Tangtong Gyalpo, as well as an early manuscript describing his miraculous death.

ISBN: 9781559392754    hardcover    682 pp    10 col. & 77 b/w illust.    240 x 160 mm    $89.95    more info...

 Life and Liberation of Padmasambhava, 2 vol set by Yeshe Tsogyal; Gustave-Charles Toussaint (tr.); Gwendolyn M Bays (tr.) {new in paperback}

Padmasambhava, or Guru Rinpoche, founded Tibetan Buddhism, inspiring one of the most spiritually advanced cultures the world has known.  In this classic translation from Tibetan in two volumes and with fifty-eight colour plates, we are given the complete biography of this renowned master as recorded by his chief disciple, Yeshe Tsogyal.  The poetic text of this powerful epic with its depictions of Padmasambhava, his various manifestations, and his twenty-five disciples, transports the reader into lands and times of majesty and wonder. We meet the siddhas and saints, the philosophers and kings who illuminated and set the spiritual, cultural tone for the entire continent of Asia.

The biography's 108 cantos sweep us along in an epic worthy of the truly great giants of history.  We see the teeming lands of India in all their pageantry, we travel with the Great Guru throughout this magnificent land witnessing the deeds and meeting the religious figures who inspired the spread of Buddhism. We follow Padmasambhava to the snowy peaks of Tibet where he establishes the Dharma in the face of enormous obstacles.  Throughout this vast panorama of the lands, the peoples, and the spirituality of a magical, mysterious age radiates the beauty, the power, and the blessings of the precious master from Uddiyana, Padmasambhava.
ISBN: 9780898004229    paperback in 2 vols.    770 pp    255 x 178 mm    $108.00    more info...

Ri-me Philosophy of Jamgon Kongtrul the Great: a study of the Buddhist lineages of Tibet by Ringu Tulku {new in paperback}

Jamgön Kongtrül the Great (1813–1899) is a giant in Tibetan history, renowned for his scholarly and meditative achievements, but also for his energetic work to unify and strengthen the different lineages of Buddhism. The Ri-me movement, led by Kongtrül and several other leading scholars of the time, was a unifying effort to cut through interscholastic divisions and disputes that were occurring between the different lineages. These leaders sought to appreciate the differences and acknowledge the importance of benefiting practitioners with different needs. The Ri-me teachers also took great care that the teachings, practices and unique styles of the different schools and lineages, did not become confused with one another. This compelling study of the Ri-me movement and of the major Buddhist lineages of Tibet is comprehensive and accessible.  It includes an introduction to the history and philosophy of the Ri-me movement; a biography of the movement's leader, the meditation master and philosopher known as Jamgön Kongtrül the Great; helpful summaries of the eight lineages' practice-and-study systems, which point out the different emphases of the schools; an explanation of the most hotly disputed concepts; and an overview of the old and new tantras.

ISBN: 9781590304648    paperback    304 pp    225 x 150 mm    $39.95    more info...

Buddhism and Science

Embracing Mind: the common ground of science and spirituality by B Alan Wallace & Brian Hodel

Both science and spirituality search for “ultimate truths.” God, the Big Bang, nirvana, the theory of evolution, relativity, quantum mechanics—these are some of the concepts that have been articulated as a result of that search. But the human capacity for exploring these ultimate sources of truth—the one thing that unites science and spirituality—is often overlooked. Embracing Mind argues (1) that science has hobbled itself by ignoring its unique source of inspiration—the mind—and (2) that the schism between science and spirituality is unnecessary. In language accessible to any intelligent reader, Embracing Mind first explores the veracity of major scientific “myths,” then presents a viable science of the mind emanating from contemplative spirituality, including Hindu, Christian, Sufi, and Buddhist views.

“This book shows clearly and compellingly how Buddhism and other spiritual traditions may help enrich our understanding of the mind and its role in nature, without reducing it merely to a material function property of the brain.” —H. H. the Dalai Lama

ISBN: 9781590304822    hardcover    272 pp    225 x 150 mm    $49.95    more info...

The Path of the Bodhisattva

Way of the Bodhisattva (book and CD set: a translation of the Bodhicharyavatara by Shantideva; Padmakara Translation Group (tr.)

Treasured by Buddhists of all traditions, Shantideva's Way of the Bodhisattva (Bodhicharyāvatāra) is a guide to cultivating the mind of enlightenment, and to generating the qualities of love, compassion, generosity, and patience. A personal meditation in verse, it outlines the path of the Bodhisattvas—those who renounce the peace of individual enlightenment and vow to work for the liberation of all beings and attain Buddhahood for their sake. This book and audio-CD edition offers a new way to encounter the beauty and profundity of Shantideva's verses—a complete reading by Wulstan Fletcher of the Padmakara Translation Group and a booklet with a helpful introduction and short biography of Shantideva.

"If I have any understanding of compassion and the practice of the bodhisattva path, it is entirely on the basis of this text that I possess it." —H. H. the Dalai Lama

"The Way of the Bodhisattva was composed in India over twelve centuries ago, yet it remains remarkably relevant for our times. This classic text gives surprisingly up-to-date instructions for people like you and me to live sanely and openheartedly, even in a very troubled world. It is the essential guidebook for fledgling bodhisattvas, those spiritual warriors who long to alleviate suffering, their own and that of others." —Pema Chödrön

ISBN: 9781590304785    3 audio CDs + 64 pp booklet    $34.95    more info...

Nectar of Manjushri's Speech: a detailed commentary on Shantideva's Way of the Bodhisattva by Kunzang Pelden; Padmakara Translation Group (tr.)

Patrul Rinpoche, the great and much-celebrated nineteenth-century master, devoted his whole life to the practice and teachings of the Bodhicharyavatara or Way of the Bodhisattva (see information in the review above). He never composed an extensive commentary on this great work yet he travelled all over Tibet, expounding it, sometimes in detailed courses lasting many months. This commentary, by a close disciple of Patrul Rinpoche, is a compilation of the extensive notes he took during a six-month teaching given by Patrul Rinpoche at Dzogchen Monastery.

 “This is a must-have, must-read, must-contemplate, and must-follow book for those who wish to exercise the privilege of being heir to Shakyamuni Buddha’s unique heritage.” —Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse, author of What Makes You Not a Buddhist

“What a tremendous blessing and joy it is that [this book] is now available in such a fluent and authoritative translation… an exceptionally clear and comprehensive guide to Shantideva’s timeless verses…” —Sogyal Rinpoche, author of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying

ISBN: 9781590304396    hardcover    512 pp    225 x 150 mm    $69.95    more info...

Steps on the Path to Enlightenment: A commentary on the lamrim chenmo, Vol. 3: the way of the Bodhisattva by Geshe Lhundub Sopa; Beth Newman (ed.)

Geshe Lhundub Sopa’s Steps on the Path to Enlightenment is a landmark commentary on what is perhaps the most elaborate and elegant Tibetan presentation of the Buddhist path, Tsongkhapa’s monumental Lamrim Chenmo. In this third volume of five, readers are acquainted with the bodhisattva’s path and the altruistic desire to make service to others the driving force of their spiritual development.  It begins with an explanation of what distinguishes the Mahayana practitioner from other Buddhists. The nature of bodhichitta is described in depth, and Geshe Sopa then provides a detailed, contemporary commentary on the two methods to develop this attitude: the “sevenfold cause-and-effect personal instructions” based on the teachings of Atisha, and the “training to exchange self and other” based on Shantideva’s teachings. While bodhichitta’s significance in Mahayana Buddhism is universally known, attitude alone is not sufficient—a practitioner must devote oneself to the performance of actions motivated by bodhichitta, the bodhisattva perfections.

ISBN: 9780861714827    hardcover    624 pp    225 x 150 mm    $57.95    more info...

Tibetan Buddhism

 Great Perfection: outer and inner preliminaries by Third Dzogchen Rinpoche; Cortland Dahl (tr.)

The Great Perfection is considered the most profound and direct path to enlightenment — a path that cuts through confusion and lays bare the mind's true nature of luminous purity. This book contains instructions on the foundational practices of this tradition from the Excellent Chariot, an instruction manual compiled by the 3rd Dzogchen Rinpoche and written as a commentary on the Heart Essence of the Dakinis, the Khandro Nyingtik, the most central collection of Great Perfection teachings in the Nyingma lineage. The Excellent Chariot guides the reader through the entire Buddhist path, starting with basic Buddhist contemplations that work to dislodge deeply ingrained patterns of thinking and behaving, and continuing on to the more advanced meditative practices of the Great Perfection. The teachings in this volume are drawn largely from the writings of the great Nyingma master Longchenpa and the root texts of the Heart Essence of the Dakinis itself. The 3rd Dzogchen Rinpoche presents practical instructions on the outer and inner preliminaries, the so-called "ngondro" practices, practices that enable the practitioner to transform and purify the mind.

"This amazing volume enshrines the Buddhist teachings for beginners, teaching how to deal with everyday life, how to apply one's mind to the pure teachings of the Buddha, and especially the extraordinary physical, vocal and mental exercises that awaken the enlightened nature of the mind… filled with practical advice." —Tulku Thondup Rinpoche, author of The Healing Power of Mind

ISBN: 9781559392853    hardcover    280 pp    235 x 160 mm    $45.00    more info...

Spiritual Song of Lodro Thaye by Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche

The Kagyu lineage is commonly known as the practice lineage, as it is practice above all else that is emphasized.  However, practice can only proceed correctly if one has a correct understanding of the view. The path and view of the Kagyu lineage is Mahamudra, which is the very essence and pith of all the teachings of Lord Buddha.  Texts on Mahamudra were often written by highly accomplished siddhas who would explain their realization of years and years of Mahamudra meditation in brief spiritual songs called dohas. These dohas, often only a few dozen lines long, are still sung by lamas today. They often contain profound instructions in metaphors of great beauty derived from simple meditative experience.  This Song of Lodro Thaye is just such a doha and covers the entire path of Mahamudra in less than 300 lines of verse. However, the spiritual song is condensed in meaning and one requires someone such as Thrangu Rinpoche, accomplished in Mahamudra meditation to explain the meaning of this great work.

ISBN: 9781877294403    paperback    168 pp    205 x 150 mm    $27.95    more info...

2009 Calendar

Complete Tibetan Calendar 2009 Earth Ox Year by Nitartha International

This terrific full-colour calendar comes complete with daily Tibetan astrological forecasts (with explanations of favourable and unfavourable energies) and notes special practice and lunar days, Buddhist holidays and anniversaries, days not to raise prayer flags, and more. For each western date the corresponding Tibetan dates are given, according to both the Phukluk and the Karma Kaygyu Tsurluk system. Full colour illustrations: Manjushri, Buddha, Vajrasattva, 1000-arm Chenrezig, Marpa, Milarepa, photo of the 17th Karmapa.

ISBN: 9781559393140    12 pp    300 x 600 open    $27.95    more info...

Meditation and Yoga Clock — back in stock!

Enso Meditation Clock

After the great response to our meditation clock, it’s great to have it back in stock. Staff are using it to bolster their meditation practice and on some days we’re using it in the office to ring mindfulness bells every 30 minutes.

Enso (‘circle’ in Japanese ) is the symbol of enlightenment, elegance and the universe. This all-encompassing image, traditionally painted with a single clockwise brushstroke, is the central display feature of the Enso Clock. This innovative time instrument has been designed from the ground up for the dedicated meditation, yoga or qigong practitioner. With its visual expression of passing time by means of a slowly closing circle the Enso Clock can free the mind from conceptual numerical distraction. Time intervals can be set to run sequentially to create an overall session tailored to suit your practice. The end of each interval is marked by your choice of sounds recorded from a Tibetan bowl, Japanese chime, or Zen woodblock. Placed flat on the floor or resting on its flexible stand this elegant clock, finished in satin champagne and black, is a pleasing addition to the place of practice. It comes with a neat zipped bag and has clear and straight-forward instructions. If you need more structure to your practice, need to keep aside the passing of time without the distraction of opening your eyes, or love to get into difficult yoga asanas, this is perfect!

$125.00    more info...

Buddhist Magazine

Urthona Magazine

Inspiring, colourful and stimulating, Urthona magazine explores the arts and world culture from a Buddhist perspective. Since 1992 the magazine has developed a reputation for insightful coverage of the arts, Buddhists working in the arts and the great figures of the past.

Current Issue: Urthona 25: “Celtic Connections”, an exploration of the myths of the celtic world, their enduring appeal and their continued relevance. This issue is for those who are trying to make connections with the pagan roots of our culture, who want to make these wonderful old stories meaningful for their lives, and who want to make links with the pre-christian ways of spirituality which existed in the British Isles before the Roman invasion.

magazine    56 pp    $11.95    more info...