Dear Windhorse Friend,

Welcome to our mid-year newsletter. And it feels like a turning point has been reached: His Holiness The Dalai Lama has departed our shores having, no doubt, stirred much interest and reflection on the Buddha Dharma and its application in the midst of our often crazy world; the weather in Sydney has somewhat settled after the intense rain of the last few weeks; and all of us in the southern hemisphere can now move on from the shortest day of the year towards more light entering our days.

As ever there are plenty of new books on offer. Some very practical, as in our first section below. Great to see Buddhism being explained—rather than as a 'religion' or 'philosophy'—as providing tools with which we can help to live our lives. It seems as though us humans often live on a knife edge. Mostly, unfortunately, it is a knife edge of emotion, conflict, wanting and debt while we deprive ourselves, others and the earth of our attention and care.

Most of the books here address this theme head-on and encourage a radically different approach from this; encourage each of us individually to take responsibility for our actions, speech, thoughts and emotions. And through taking responsibility, help us to make changes internally and externally. What I find inspiring is where I  get a real sense the authors are writing from a basis of experience. In making, or having made, those changes and having 'walked the talk', they help us to take the same steps, steadily, towards ever more wisdom and compassion.

I hope you too find inspiration in these titles!

Ratnajyoti

Practical Books on Living the Dharma

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 164mm    $32.95    more info...

Buddhism for Mothers with Lingering Questions: taking stock of what really matters by Sarah Napthali
For all mothers who loved the simplicity, clarity and warmth of the bestselling Buddhism for Mothers, comes the book which answers the next lot of questions. Now the mother of a toddler and a primary school-aged child, Sarah Napthali writes of the next stage of the parenting journey. Juggling working from home, managing a family and worrying about whether she'll ever have a future career, Sarah is now the mother of seven-year-old Zac and the unrelentingly naughty four-year-old Alex. While she's no longer changing nappies or carrying babies, she is contending with the next lot of parenting challenges that every mother will be able to relate to. Sarah takes us on a journey through the challenges (and joys!) of raising children, using Buddhist teachings and principles to help her answer the eternal questions of mothers everywhere: Who am I? Who are my children? Where am I going? And how can I do my best by my children and myself? Writing from personal experience, and weaving in stories from other mothers throughout her narrative, Sarah shows us how spiritual and mindful parenting can help all mothers to be more open, attentive and content.
ISBN: 9781741149074    paperback   272 pp    208 x 140mm    $26.95    more info...

Buddhist Meditation

Joy of Living: unlocking the secret and science of happiness by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche
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.

“An extraordinarily clear book on the whys and the hows of cultivating mindfulness effectively in our lives. It makes use of the idiom and exciting discoveries of modern science in ways that are easy to understand and entirely relevant to the meditation practices themselves.”—Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of Coming to Our Senses and vice-chair of the Mind and Life Institute
ISBN: 9780307346254    hardcover   288 pp    240 x 162mm    $46.95    more info...

Meditators Atlas: a roadmap of the inner world by Matthew Flickstein
Meditation can seem a mystery: Where do you begin? Where will you end up? What might you find along the way? Formerly titled "Swallowing the River Ganges" and now totally revised, The Meditator's Atlas truly is a comprehensive and trustworthy "roadmap of the inner world" for anyone who meditates. What makes this book unique is the way Flickstein uses two classic Buddhist texts—the Path of Purification, and the Four Foundations of Mindfulness—to help readers make clear sense out of the new, fascinating, and sometimes frightening states that one may encounter on the long journey to enlightenment. Readers will come away from this book with their own insights clarified and with a helpful sense of what lies ahead.
"A fresh, contemporary presentation of a venerable and ancient teaching. Readers of this book will find that it profoundly deepens their practice."—from the foreword by Bhante Gunaratana, author of Mindfulness in Plain English
ISBN: 9780861713370    paperback    181 pp    225 x 150 mm    $27.95    more info...

and other important teachings

Compassionate Action by Chatral Sangye Dorje Rinpoche; Larson, Zach (tr.)
Chatral Rinpoche, now in his nineties, is one of the greatest meditation masters and most compassionate Bodhisattvas in Tibetan Buddhism. Father Thomas Merton first met him in 1968 and famously remarked that he was "the greatest man I ever met." This is the first English-language book of this living legend and includes his biography and autobiography, six of his essays, five prayers he composed, an exclusive interview, and pages of photos from throughout his life. Here are teachings from a man who walks the talk of compassion and wisdom!
"Here, in these poetic writings and recorded interviews, Rinpoche… reveals his deep commitment to Buddhist ethics, his dedication to nonviolence and preserving life, and above all, his total dedication to the authentic teachings of Lord Buddha and Guru Padmasambhava."—Sogyal Rinpoche, author of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying.
ISBN: 9781559392716    paperback    112 pp    216 x 140 mm    $29.95    more info...

Now that I Come to Die by Longchenpa
The all-knowing Longchenpa (1308 - 1364) stands at the centre of the Nyingma tradition. Acknowledged by all schools of Tibetan Buddhism as one of Tibet's greatest masters, he wrote works that cover every aspect of the Buddhist path. His writings, in clear and luminous verse and prose, have the power to awaken our innermost knowing and inspire us to act on the knowledge we already have. The first work in this collection contains Longchenpa’s heartfelt advice to his closest disciples on how to make the teachings a path of transformation. The two other works focus on the powerful practices of the Four Immeasurables: Love, Joy, Compassion, and Equanimity. The final section, the commentary, never before published in book form, shows how systematic practice of these “catalysts of being” can up-end the usual routines of our daily existence and lead us beyond the limits we have learned to take for granted. Worldliness is done with; this life's show is over!
ISBN: 9780898003932    paperback    158 pp    228 x 150 mm    $27.00    more info...

Practice of Lojong: cultivating compassion through training the mind by Traleg Kyabgon
This book presents commentary, stories, and historical background on the lojong slogans of Tibetan Buddhism, such as:

Don't wait in ambush.

Always maintain a cheerful outlook.

Don't attack others' vulnerable points.

Used by meditators through the ages to cultivate awareness and compassion, this contemplation practice offers guidance for remaining receptive and wakeful amid the ups and downs of daily life. These meditations have long been considered the quintessence of Buddhist teachings for cultivating an awakened heart and a compassionate mind. Traleg Kyabgon, author of The Essence of Buddhism, is director of Kagyu E-Vam Buddhist Institute, in Melbourne. He has been teaching, leading retreats, and travelling to lecture Buddhist groups and university courses in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia since 1980. His new book, "The Practice of Lojong", will be of interest to all those who want to explore how Buddhist teachings can help us find clarity and balance in daily life.
ISBN: 9781590303788    paperback    304 pp    225 x 150 mm    $37.95    more info...

buddhist writing

Available Truth: excursions into Buddhist wisdom and the natural world by Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano
With his books "Landscapes of Wonder" and "Longing for Certainty", this American monk led readers down literary trails, providing enlightening glimpses of the natural world. In Available Truth, he guides us further along this path. He expresses an unqualified embrace of the Buddha’s worldview in intelligent and deeply thoughtful prose. Along with reflections on mindfulness, impermanence, and the end of suffering, Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano is not afraid to delve into the topics of rebirth, karma, non-virtue, and the roles of reasoned faith, ritual, and monasticism, revealing their continuing relevance for today's seeker. His patient awareness of the workings of the mind and the natural world will enable readers to deepen both their practice and their lives.
ISBN: 9780861715190    paperback    192 pp    225 x 150 mm    $29.95    more info...

She Still Lives: a novel of Tibet by Bill Magee
This is an action / love story set in a fictional Tibet of the future. The beginning of the next century is a pivotal time for the Land of Snows. A nascent freedom movement has been crushed by the Communists. Tara Gyatso, beloved Dalai Lama, and her advisor Mila Lakpa, have been imprisoned. Many years later Mila Lakpa emerges from jail. He is an aged remnant of his former self, but he rallies for a final act of rebellion. Outwardly he may appear to have forgotten the Dalai Lama, but inwardly a secret plan is taking shape. The path to success is a razor's edge: on the one side, the Dalai Lama's freedom; on the other, a life sentence and the annihilation of his hopes.

"Dr. Magee has written an original and compelling book about a future female Dalai Lama and a man whose love for her is inspiring and transcendent. The action is suspenseful and the characters are intensely human. She Still Lives is both a grippingly-entertaining novel and an indictment of the false gods of war, a reminder that love and non-violence are more powerful forces than tyranny and oppression."—Jeffrey Hopkins, author of numerous books on Tibetan Buddhism
ISBN: 9781559392471    paperback    168 pp    216 x 140 mm    $29.95    more info...

Pavement: reflections on mercy, activism, and doing nothing for peace by Lin Jensen
Every day, Lin Jensen has gone down to the centre of his small town of Chico, California, plopped down a meditation cushion, and sat "peace vigils" in protest of the US invasion of Iraq - his honest effort to change the world. From his knee-level spot on the pavement, he has encountered a wonderful array of what Lin calls "uprights": a heart-breakingly generous homeless man who offers Lin his only possession; hostile passers-by who shout "F@#k you, Peace Wimp!"; "White Wolf," who punctuates every comment (always SHOUTED!) with a sharp poke to Lin's chest; compassionate soldiers, and more—all amid rain and bright sun, exhaust fumes, and the scent of azaleas. Jensen, the author who so moved readers with his acclaimed memoir Bad Dog!, here shares what sidewalk-dwelling has taught him about humility, generosity, and what it really means to love our neighbours. It's inspiring, good-humoured reading - especially for anyone who might work or wish for change but doesn't want to be just spitting into the wind.
ISBN: 9780861715220    paperback    160 pp    200 x 125 mm    $22.95    more info...

titles newly arrived at special prices

Tibetan Way of Life, Death and Rebirth: the illustrated guide to Tibetan wisdom by John Peacock
This fascinating guide looks at key themes of Tibetan belief in relation to life's vital issues: how to live (including meditation and devotion), how to prepare for death, how to negotiate the terrifying intermediate state know as bardo, how to escape from the endless cycle of rebirth. Also covered are the teachings of Tantra and of the lamas, and sacred texts such as the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Beautifully illustrated  with images and photos, this would make a great gift
ISBN: 9781904292647    paperback    144 pp    240 x 194 mm    special price: was $ 29.95, now $17.95    more info...

Essential Dalai Lama by HH Dalai Lama
The Essential Dalai Lama brings together the best of the Dalai Lama's writings on all aspects of life from work to meditation. Divided into four sections - The Vision, Buddhist Perspectives, Practice, A World in Harmony - The Essential Dalai Lama contains eloquent applications of the principles of ancient Buddhist thought to contemporary issues, all expressed in the Dalai Lama's uniquely compelling voice. Covering topics such as the quest for human happiness, foundations of Buddhism, Karma, focusing the mind, ethics and society, the Buddhist perspective on the teachings of Jesus, and much more, The Essential Dalai Lama is perfect for anyone who wishes to have one source for the Dalai Lama's teachings or seeks an introduction to the philosophy and practice of Buddhism.
ISBN: 9780670034444    hardcover    274 pp    236 x 160 mm    special price: was $49.95, now $18.95 (please note: there is a remainder mark on book's edge)    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: 9781844830190    paperback    144 pp    280 x 232 mm    special price: was $ 29.95, now $17.95    more info...

For more specials please go to our website    more info...

 

 

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Ratnajyoti

Windhorse Books

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