Offering a fresh perspective on immediate presence and embodied spiritual practice, The Four Dignities shows how the mindful cultivation of the four essential postures – walking, standing, sitting, and lying down – are the basis for a formal practice to develop greater vitality and spiritual awakening. The author reveals the subtle inner nuances of the four traditional meditations, and shows how they can be practiced as a unified system. Readers are given a profound understanding of correct posture, alignment, breathing, and attention, and the author explains the philosophical basis for the practice, offering a pathway toward realizing profound spiritual and energetic transformation. This accessible yet profound study will be an invaluable resource for students and practitioners of yoga, taiji, qigong, and meditation, as well as spiritual seekers, and anyone interested in Eastern philosophy or the study of movement.

Examines the principles of Shambhala to reveal the inherent goodness of humanity and explain how readers can rediscover inner peace through compatible practices of meditation.

The Collected Works of Chögyam Trungpa brings together in eight volumes the writings of one of the first and most influential and inspirational Tibetan teachers to present Buddhism in the West. Organized by theme, the collection includes full-length books as well as articles, seminar transcripts, poems, plays, and interviews, many of which have never before been available in book form. From memoirs of his escape from Chinese-occupied Tibet to insightful discussions of psychology, mind, and meditation; from original verse and calligraphy to the esoteric lore of tantric Buddhism—the impressive range of Trungpa's vision, talents, and teachings is showcased in this landmark series. Volume Eight covers matters of culture, state, and society. The two complete books reprinted here—Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior and Great Eastern Sun: The Wisdom of Shambhala—explore the vision of an ancient legendary kingdom in Central Asia that is viewed as a model for enlightened society and as the ground of wakefulness and sanity that exists as a potential within every human being. The selected writings include discussions of political consciousness, the martial arts, and the true meaning of warriorship. Two previously unpublished articles are "The Martial Arts and the Art of War," on the place of warriorship in the Buddhist teachings, and "The Seven Treasures of the Universal Monarch," a little gem describing the world of the Shambhala monarch.

Sakyong Mipham, the leader of Shambhala, a global network of meditation and retreat centers, shows readers how to rule their own lives and live with confidence--even in their most frazzled moments.

The notion of quality of life has for several decades been well-established in ethical debate about health care and the care of older people. Dignity in Care for Older People highlights the notion of dignity within the care of the elderly, focusing on the importance of theoretical concepts. Primarily based on a Research Project, Dignity and Older Europeans, funded by the European Commission, this book provides a thorough investigation of the concept of dignity and related concepts such as quality of life and autonomy. It includes a chapter devoted to the dignity of human embodiment, emphasizing the importance of the notion of the lived body in the context of elderly care. As a result of the conceptual study a model of dignity emerges in which four variants of dignity stand out: dignity of merit, dignity as moral status, dignity of identity and Menschenwürde (the specifically human value). From this follows a discussion of how these variants of dignity can be used in characterizing the care of the elderly. The notions of dignity and dignified care are discussed particularly in relation to demented persons and dying persons. The book also contains a chapter on the dignity of the dead person. International in focus, Dignity in Care for Older People provides a contemporary discussion of the care of older people, and will be of use to qualified nurses and social care practitioners working with older people, as well as those on ethics and gerontology courses.

Techniques to fit mindfulness into the demands and pace of real life • Reveals the medical benefits of mindfulness for stress, anxiety, and depression as well as for coping with serious illness and major life changes • Offers a wide range of techniques, including a “high-speed” form of contemplation, from the authors’ extensive experience working with this practice as a healing modality We are all busy--and we all long for quiet and connection. Yet despite the growing body of evidence supporting the benefits of mindfulness, the hectic pace of modern life leaves little time to devote to meditation, relaxation, and contemplation. In New World Mindfulness, mindfulness teacher and therapist Donald McCown and physician Marc Micozzi provide techniques to successfully integrate mindfulness into real life so we can rise above the stress of work, family, and community that can easily pull us out of the moment and into states of tension, anxiety, or depression. Dispelling the two big myths of mindfulness--that it is an “exotic” activity and that it requires you to “slow down and find more time”--the authors present a history of mindfulness in the West, from the American Founding Fathers, Thoreau, and Emerson up to present-day leaders in the field such as Jon Kabat-Zinn, and reveal a high-speed form of contemplation ideal for even the busiest of lives. Exploring the physiological impact of mindfulness practices for stress, anxiety, depression, and coping with serious illness and major life changes, the authors show that mindfulness is not about being silent and alone--it can even be practiced as a family or community. Not prescribing change but rather working from within, this book connects Western no-nonsense, get-it-done pragmatism with the yearning for beauty and balance that makes a full life truly fulfilled.