Dear Subscriber,

Here we are in the midst of winter with plenty of winter evenings left to enjoy the solitude of our own company with a good book. 

With some wonderful new books being published, and some classics, perhaps there will be something here to enrich your winter?

Tales of past masters, undiscovered mountain monasteries, stories of love, compassion, coming out of darkness, and mystical and archetypal manifestations ....

Personal Journeys on the Buddhist Path

Way of the White Clouds by Lama Govinda

Lama Anagarika Govinda was one of the last foreigners to journey through Tibet before the Chinese invasion of 1950. A devoted Buddhist and a spokesman for Tibetan culture, Govinda's luminous and candid account is a spectacular, poetic story of—and a sensitive interpretation of—Tibetan traditions. The Way of the White Clouds is one the twentieth century's classic spiritual autobiographies and an invaluable document about a place and a way of thinking that is virtually defined by its mysteries. Unavailable for some time, it has been newly released in a 40th Anniversary edition!
ISBN: 1846040116    paperback   305 pp    215 x 136mm    $39.95    more info...

Steps to Happiness: travelling from depression and addiction to the Buddhist Path by Taranatha
"Could my life be an example to anybody? If I recorded my experience and made it available, perhaps it could?" —from the book
The themes of addiction and depression are common ones—major issues for many Australians from teenagers to public figures. Here is the story of a man battling these diseases. A family doctor, outwardly successful and compassionate, Taranatha feels ‘sucked dry’ – and struggling with the twin demons of depression and alcoholism. His search for a way out involves him in a dramatic suicide attempt before his will to live reasserts itself. His winding path to recovery takes him through AA and anti-depressants, but leaves him with an ongoing sense of worthlessness and lack of direction. Fumbling in the dark, a chance encounter with Buddhism illuminates the way and guides his steps on a journey where he meets himself and starts to find happiness. Honest, sometimes sad, often entertaining, full of personal stories which resonate with many of us, and told from a depth of reflection, Taranatha’s story rings true – and so gives hope. Taranatha was born in New Zealand, where he trained as a medical doctor and practiced for many years. Now retired and living in Auckland, he pursues full-time involvement in Buddhism – and enjoys his time in the bush.

ISBN: 189957963X    paperback   192 pp    235 x 158mm    $29.95    more info...

Mantras and Misdemeanours: an accidental love story by Vanessa Walker
When Vanessa Walker stepped off a dusty bus into McLeod Ganj (the home of the Dalai Lama) she was hoping to discover what lies at the heart of Buddhism. She never expected to fall in love, or to have a baby with a disrobed Tibetan monk. But sometimes karma can play funny tricks on a girl... Nestled in the foothills of the Indian Himalayas, McLeod Ganj is a town of quiet beauty and surprising violence, where reality has the wide-open sense of a dream. The home of the Dalai Lama, it is a place where a government consults an ancient oracle for matters of importance, monasteries flourish and people believe wholeheartedly in the truth of miracles. Full of contradictions, it is also a place where monks sport the latest Nike trainers, where the Dalai Lama's brother struggles with his own inner demons, and where a divided town must choose between protesting the death sentence of a much-loved monk or joining a pelvis-thrusting Tibetan compere and his bevy of beauties at the Miss Tibet beauty pageant. Vanessa Walker is a practicing Buddhist, the former Religious Affairs Writer on The Australian newspaper, and today lives in Auckland with her husband and their new-born son.
ISBN: 174114583X    paperback   312 pp    195 x 130mm    $24.95    more info...

Tibetan Buddhist books: Bodhisattvas, Buddhist Masters and Buddhist philosophy

Cultivating A Compassionate Heart: The Yoga Method of Chenrezig by Thubten Chodron
Perhaps the most widely known and loved deity throughout the Buddhist world, Chenrezig—also known as Avalokiteshvara, Kuan Yin, or Kannon—is the Buddha of Compassion. Buddhists turn to Chenrezig for protection, friendship, and inspiration on a daily basis. The meditation practice in this book—composed by a teacher with an extensive Western following—is presented as a useful manual for ease of practice. An enlightening and often humorous commentary by well-known author Thubten Chodron offers instructions and tips on making the practice even more relevant to daily life.
ISBN: 1559392428    paperback   155 pp    225 x 150mm    $31.95    more info...

How to Free your Mind: Tara the liberator by Thubten Chodron
The beloved deity Tara is the feminine embodiment of enlightenment. For centuries, practitioners have turned to her for protection from both external and internal dangers, from fire to arrogance, but her ultimate purpose is freeing us from all suffering, delusion and helping us towards liberation and enlightenment. This well-written book, presented in conversational style, is an authoritative guide to the practice of Tara. It includes very helpful chapters on the whys and hows of various Tara practices; the verses of devotion "Homage to the 21 Taras", "A Song of Longing for Tara, the Infallible" and Thubten Chodron's commentaries on these; as well as exploring Tara's ultimate nature and her wisdom—comprising an understanding of the complementary relationship between emptiness and dependent arising.
ISBN: 1559392266    paperback   244 pp    225 x 150mm    $31.95    more info...

The Great Kagyu Masters: the golden lineage treasury translated by Khenpo Konchog Gyaltsen
“Inspiring, authentic, and important…this single volume contains fascinating life stories of many enlightened masters such as Tilopa, Naropa, Marpa, Milarepa, and Gampopa who are the crown jewels of the Buddhist world.”—Tulku Thondup Rinpoche

For inspiration, Buddhists turn to the life stories of how the great masters struggled with their circumstances and achieved enlightenment. This important and very readable volume tells the extraordinary tales of these teachers of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism, who include some of the greatest teachers in Buddhist history. These wonderful stories of miracles, great feats, and transcendence make for a fascinating, meaningful read.
ISBN: 1559392444    paperback   294 pp    225 x 150mm    $34.95    more info...

The Centre of the Sunlit Sky: Madhyamaka in the Kagyu Tradition by Karl Brunnholzl
Madhyamaka is a potent and universally accessible means of calming our suffering and awakening to our innate wisdom. "The Center of the Sunlit Sky" artfully rescues this brilliant teaching from its unwarranted reputation for intellectual opacity and reinstates it as a supremely practical toolkit for everyday living. Best of all, Dr. Brunnholzl shows us that Madhyamaka can be fun. Profoundly coherent, uniquely functional and wonderfully readable, its relevance reaches well beyond an exclusively Buddhist readership. Anyone willing to question their unexamined attachment to suffering will find "The Center of the Sunlit Sky" a much needed and supremely enjoyable breath of fresh air.
ISBN: 1559392185    hardcover    990 pp    225 x 150mm    $99.95    more info...

Contemporary Expressions of Buddhist Practice and Thought

Open to Desire: embracing a lust for life insights from Buddhism and psychotherapy by Mark Epstein
Psychiatrist Epstein offers a novel reinterpretation of the thinking of both the Buddha and Freud about desire. Contrary to the popular view that these two major figures taught the danger of desire and the necessity of renunciation, Epstein argues that it is clinging—holding on to some person, object or experience—rather than desire that causes suffering. Instead, he argues that desire is a human urging that offers a path toward enlightenment. When rightly seen, desire can lead to sensing both the bliss and emptiness that Buddhism teaches. In support of this interpretation, Epstein ranges from ancient literature to the contemporary psychiatrist's office, draws on the Ramayana, Buddhist tantra, and case histories of his patients. The book contains fresh views on the fertile intersection between contemporary Buddhism and human psychology.
ISBN: 1592401856    paperback   204 pp    227 x 145mm    $27.95    more info...

Perfect Love, Imperfect Relationships: healing the wound of the heart by John Welwood
While most of us have moments of loving freely and openly, it is often hard to sustain this where it matters most—in our intimate relationships. If love is so great and powerful, why are human relationships so challenging and difficult? This book shows us how to overcome the most fundamental obstacle that keeps us from experiencing love's full flowering in our lives. It takes the reader on a powerful journey of healing and transformation that involves learning to embrace our humanness and appreciate the imperfections of our relationships as trail-markers along the path to great love. It sets forth a process for releasing deep-seated grievances we hold against others for not loving us better and against ourselves for not being better loved. And it shows how our longing to be loved can magnetize the great love that will free us from looking to others to find ourselves. Written by this respected author with penetrating realism and a fresh, lyrical style that honours the subtlety and richness of our relationship to love itself. This revolutionary book offers profound and practical guidance for healing our lives as well as our embattled world.
ISBN: 1590302621    hardcover    224 pp   212 x 138mm    $39.95    more info...

Mindful Therapy: the healing art of true presence and deep listening by Thomas Bien
This book is a welcome addition to the literature for psychotherapists, occupational therapists, therapists-in-training, and other types of teachers. A highly readable balance of theoretical groundwork, personal experience, case studies, and practice exercises, the book offers ways to bring the teachings of Buddhism into a psychotherapeutic practice, and provides a thorough explanation of the benefits of doing so. Grounded in his understanding of Buddhist teachings, Tom Bien's suggestions are particularly valuable to beginning therapists or those still in training, offering ways that therapists can care for themselves amid the challenges of their practice.

ISBN: 0861712927    paperback   272 pp   227 x 152mm    $34.95    more info...

2nd International Conference on the Mind and Its Potential
Windhorse Books is one of the official publications for the Mind and Its Potential Conference taking place in Sydney over the weekend of the 2nd and 3rd September 2006.

* Understand the fundamentals of Western neuroscience - does it have all the answers?

* Hear the results of Western scientific research on Eastern theories of death and rebirth.

* Participate in a dynamic world-class forum, featuring 4 international speakers and over 500 delegates - over one weekend.  more info...

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