A perfect bedside reader and inspirational book, this title offers short, accessible, and even humorous answers on a range of intimate topics, including the meaning of life and the nature of true love.

This exquisitely illustrated and authoritative volume presents a concise account of the history of the Hopi people, including the legends, customs, and ceremonies that form the Hopi "Road of Life," in an illuminating introduction to one of the most intriguing and influential of Native American cultures.

Love, compassion, and peace - these words are at the heart of all spiritual endeavors. Although we intuitively resonate with their meaning and value, for most of us, the challenge is how to embody what we know; how to transform these words into a vibrant, living practice. In these times of conflict and uncertainty, this transformation is far more than an abstract ideal; it is an urgent necessity. Peace in the world begins with us. This wonderfully appealing offering from one the most trusted elders of Buddhism in the West is a warm and engaging exploration of the ways we can cultivate and manifest peace as wise and skillful action in the world. This charming book is illuminated throughout with lively, joyous, and sometimes even funny citations from a host of contemporary and ancient sources - from the poetry of W.S. Merwin and Galway Kinnell to the haiku of Issa and the great poet-monk Ryokan, from the luminous aspirations of Saint Francis of Assisi to the sage advice of Thich Nhat Hanh and the Dalai Lama.

Beloved Buddhist nun Ayya Khema expertly guides the reader through ten meditations on generating loving-kindness and cultivating the fifteen wholesome qualities necessary for igniting compassion and boundless love. Having escaped Nazi Germany in 1938, Ayya Khema has singularly profound perspective on creating peace, unconditional love, and compassion. She gently teaches that inner peace is not necessarily natural or innate. Instead, peace should be considered a skill that needs intentional practice—every day. Peace is the sum of many parts, namely the fifteen wholesome qualities the Buddha himself noted in the Metta Sutta, including usefulness, mildness, humility, contentment, receptivity, and others. Ayya Khema expertly guides us through each individual condition, using her trademark humor and personal narrative, to help each reader shape their own path to self-transformation. The second part of the book includes an eye-opening discussion of metta (loving-kindness) as both a morality and concentration practice, as well as ten meditation practices that use visualizations rather than more traditional mantra repetition. These visualizations include your heart as a "Fountain of Love," reaching those close to you and those far away, and a "Flower Garden," where we tend to the blooms in our hearts through love and compassion and share them with others. Edited by her student and retreat leader, Leigh Brasington, this book is a complete course in practical ways to calm and brighten our minds.

"You Can Have a Rewarding Life!"Life does NOT have to be "Messed Up"... Really!Whether you're dealing with the adversity or insecurity of life, or have a desire to better yourself, master wisdom's way and garner contentment and strength in any situation and confidence and calm with all people.In following The Path of Wisdom, you will live with surprising ease when it comes to:1. Wealth: invest your life doing what you love ○ add riches without adding irritations ○ want what you have ○ acquire true and lasting wealth ...2. Friendship: easily see the good in others ○ kind and genuine words bring amazing results ○ always speak well of others ○ practice true listening by doing ...3. Confidence: secure positions of strength with humility ○ resist the influence of destructive tendencies ○ believe that you belong and you will ...4. Words: inspire others with the power of the tongue ○ speak forth the good in your heart ○ get heard by not always speaking your opinion ..."John Hunt draws upon the inherent desire for freedom from chaos and misery in daily living to offer people what they truly want-a more peaceful and contented way of life."-Becky Towne, Associate Dean, Houston Graduate School of Theology, Houston, Texas"Grace and truth jump off these pages, assisting and empowering any person seeking to live a freer, more fulfilling life."-Rich Robinson, Associate Director, US Military Mission, The Navigators, Tucson, ArizonaThe Path of Wisdom offers gentle, supportive, but powerful suggestions on relationships, finances, success, purpose, pleasure, work, and stress, among others... leading to true wealth and lasting peace.

Two popular American Buddhist teachers provide an overview of insight meditation, offering a “skillful blend of pragmatic instruction, psychological insight, and perennial wisdom” (Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence) In Seeking the Heart of Wisdom, Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield present the central teachings and practices of insight meditation in a clear and personal language. The path of insight meditation is a journey of understanding our bodies, our minds, and our lives, of seeing clearly the true nature of experience. The authors guide the reader in developing the openness and compassion that are at the heart of this spiritual practice. For those already treading the path, as well as those just starting out, this book will be a welcome companion along the way. Among the topics covered are: • The hindrances to meditation—ranging from doubt and fear to painful knees—and skillful means of overcoming them • How compassion can arise in response to the suffering we see in our own lives and in the world • How to integrate a life of responsible action and service with a meditative life based on non-attachment Useful exercises are presented alongside the teachings to help readers deepen their understanding of the subjects.