Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Buddhist Philosophy: Essential Readings


Buddhist Philosophy: Essential Readings
The Buddhist philosophical tradition is vast, internally diverse, and comprises texts written in a variety of canonical languages. It is hence often difficult for those with training in Western philosophy who wish to approach this tradition for the first time to know where to start, and difficult for those who wish to introduce and teach courses in Buddhist philosophy to find suitable textbooks that adequately represent the diversity of the tradition, expose students to important primary texts in reliable translations, that contextualize those texts, and that foreground specifically philosophical issues.
Buddhist Philosophy fills that lacuna. It collects important philosophical texts from each major Buddhist tradition. Each text is translated and introduced by a recognized authority in Buddhist studies. Each introduction sets the text in context and introduces the philosophical issues it addresses and arguments it presents, providing a useful and authoritative guide to reading and to teaching the text. The volume is organized into topical sections that reflect the way that Western philosophers think about the structure of the discipline, and each section is introduced by an essay explaining Buddhist approaches to that subject matter, and the place of the texts collected in that section in the enterprise.
This volume is an ideal single text for an intermediate or advanced course in Buddhist philosophy, and makes this tradition immediately accessible to the philosopher or student versed in Western philosophy coming to Buddhism for the first time. It is also ideal for the scholar or student of Buddhist studies who is interested specifically in the philosophical dimensions of the Buddhist tradition.

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Chinese Bamboo Flute Music - Various Artists


Chinese Bamboo Flute Music - Various Artists
Because it sounds great, is easy to learn, light to carry and inexpensive, the Dizi (Chinese Bamboo Flute) is one of most popular Chinese instruments in Asia.
The Dizi (also called D'Tzu or Zhu Di), is a side blown wind instrument made of Bamboo. The Dizi has a very simple structure: 1 blowhole, 1 membrane hole, 6 finger holes, and two pairs of holes in the end to correct the pitch and hang decorative tassels.

Tracklist:
01. A Tayal Folk Song
02. The Flower Of Hsin-Jang
03. Capriccio For Chinese Flute
04. The Funny Genius On The Horseback
05. Go Dating With My Love
06. The Maidens of the Tea Mountain
07. Chatting With An Old Friend By The Window
08. The Song Of The Four Seasons
09. The Crab And The Egret

depositfiles.com p.1

Women Living Zen: Japanese Soto Buddhist Nuns


Women Living Zen: Japanese Soto Buddhist Nuns
In this study, based on both historical evidence and ethnographic data, Paula Arai shows that nuns were central agents in the foundation of Buddhism in Japan in the sixth century. They were active participants in the Soto Zen sect, and have continued to contribute to the advancement of the sect to the present day. Drawing on her fieldwork among the Soto nuns, Arai demonstrates that the lives of many of these women embody classical Buddhsit ideals. They have chosen to lead a strictly disciplined monastic life over against successful careers and the unconstrained contemporary secular lifestyle. In this, and other respects, they can be shown to stand in stark contrast to their male counterparts.

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Monday, May 25, 2009

Teaching the Daode Jing


Teaching the Daode Jing
The Daode Jing, a highly enigmatic work rooted in ancient Chinese cosmology, ontology, metaphysics, and moral thinking, is regularly offered to college and high-school students in religion, philosophy, history, literature, Asian studies, and humanities courses. As a result, an ever-expanding group of faculty with very different backgrounds and training routinely confront the question: "How should I teach the Daode Jing?"

Written for non-specialists who may not have a background in ancient Chinese culture, the essays collected in this volume provide up-to-date information on contemporary scholarship and classroom strategies that have been successful in a variety of teaching environments.

A classic text like the Daode Jing generates debate among scholars and teachers who ask questions like: Should we capitalize on popular interest in the Daode Jing in our classrooms? Which of the many translations and scholarly approaches ought we to use? Is it appropriate to think of the Daode Jing as a religious text at all? These and other controversies are addressed in this volume.

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Sunday, May 24, 2009

Zen Flesh, Zen Bones - Paul Reps


Zen Flesh, Zen Bones - Paul Reps
When Zen Flesh, Zen Bones was published in 1957 it became an instant sensation with an entire generation of readers who were just beginning to experiment with Zen. Over the years it has inspired leading American Zen teachers, students, and practitioners. Its popularity is as strong today as ever.

Zen Flesh, Zen Bones is a book that offers a collection of accessible, primary Zen sources so that readers can struggle over the meaning of Zen for themselves. It includes 101 Zen Stories, a collection of tales that recount actual experiences of Chinese and Japanese Zen teachers over a period of more than five centuries; The Gateless Gate, the famous thirteenth century collection of Zen koans; Ten Bulls, a twelfth century commentary on the stages of awareness leading to enlightenment; and Centering, a 4,000 year-old teaching from India that some consider to be the roots of Zen.

Torrentzap

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Monova

Sayings of the Buddha: New Translations from the Pali Nikayas


Sayings of the Buddha: New Translations from the Pali Nikayas
As more and more westerners study and practice Buddhism, reliable modern translations of the Buddha's teachings are increasingly in demand. One of the main sources for knowledge of the Buddhadharma is the four Pali Nikayas or "collections" of his sayings. Written in Pali, an ancient Indian language closely related to Sanskrit, the Nikayas are among the oldest Buddhist texts and consist of more than one and a half million words. This new translation offers a selection of the Buddha's most important sayings, reflecting the full variety of material contained in the Nikayas: the central themes of the Buddha's teaching (his biography, philosophical discourse, instruction on morality, meditation, and the spiritual life) and the range of literary style (myth, dialogue, narrative, short sayings, verse). This edition is the most critically up-to-date and For anyone seeking a more direct encounter with the Buddha's words and teaching, this new translation will prove to be essential reading, rewarding scholars and practitioners alike.

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Thursday, May 14, 2009

The Backdoor To Enlightenment - Za Rinpoche


Special Gassho Björn for this link.

The Backdoor To Enlightenment - Za Rinpoche
Za Rinpoche shows us The Backdoor To Enlightenment.

Za Rinpoche, a Tibetan monk, first came to the world's attention when his life story was chronicled in the first chapter of Po Bronson's bestseller, What Should I Do with My Life?

While growing up in a refugee camp in Southern India, Za Rinpoche was recognized by the Dalai Lama as the sixth reincarnation of the Za Choeje Rinpoche.

Now, in The Backdoor To Enlightenment, he shares with us the keys to immediate, profound realization and lasting peace, revealing the secrets to enlightenment that have remained hidden in the distant reaches of the Himalayas for more than a thousand years.

Fora.tv

Monday, May 11, 2009

Perfect Just As You Are - Pema Chodron

Gassho to Alluman for the info and Ordinarywonder for the Upload.

Perfect Just As You Are - Pema Chodron
Spiritual practice, Pema Chödrön teaches, has nothing to do with self-improvement, since, as the course’s title claims, you’re already perfect right now. The limitless qualities of loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity are your deep-down, ultimate reality, and those are qualities that can’t be improved upon. If you’re not feeling particularly kind, compassionate, joyful, or equanimous at the moment, take heart: the Four Limitless Ones are there like seeds, waiting to be cultivated through practice—and, being limitless, they’re rich enough to be worked with for a lifetime. This intensive program of study and practice provides the tools you need to access these radiant states and to nurture their growth for sake of all beings, including yourself. Here’s some of what you’ll learn:
• How cultivating the Four Limitless Ones is the antidote to depression, irritation, and isolation
• Basic meditation instructions to get you started in the foundational practice
• A wealth of guided meditations for generating these radiant qualities to yourself, others, and the world
• Writing and reflection exercises to bring the Four Limitless Ones powerfully into real life
• A simple chant you can use to create love and good will around yourself
• Powerful on-the-spot practices you can use throughout the day, even when there’s “no time to practice.”

Bitsnoop

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Gayatri Mantra and Maha Mrityeonjaya Mantra - Hein Braat


Gayatri Mantra and Maha Mrityeonjaya Mantra - Hein Braat
Twenty years ago Hein got into touch with mantra singing through a teacher in kriya yoga. Although he couldn’t totally find himself in the yoga doctrine and the content of the mantra lyrics, it was the inspiration with which this teacher sang his mantras that appealed to him most. Thus his interest was aroused, and driven by his musical constitution, he wondered what kind of technique and mechanism was behind it all. The rest of the yoga he more or less put aside and decided to focus all his attention and energy on the art of chanting mantras. By experimenting and constant practice, Hein managed to open many doors within himself. In order to widen/deepen his understanding of mantras he also studied Sanskrit for one year (the language in which the mantras were originally written down). Compared to Dutch he finds Sanskrit a much richer language with a wide spectrum of sounds that involve the entire body in pronunciation. And that he finds essential for reaching unity. Just like an instrument, all tones are utilised to reach an integral sound that unites everything together. The mantra does the same thing: the singer uses his own body to tune himself to his Higher Self, Soul, Life essence or whatever name you wish to attach to it.


Friday, May 8, 2009

John Tarrant - Zen Koan Master

John Tarrant - Zen Koan Master
John Tarrant was born and raised in rural Tasmania. His earliest influences included Catholicism (particularly the Latin Mass), Aboriginal culture and English literature and poetry, for which he developed an almost endless appetite. He attended the Australian National University where he earned a dual degree in Human Sciences and English Literature.

Before and after school he worked at a variety of jobs ranging from being a laborer in open-pit mine to fishing the Great Barrier Reef. He also found himself a lobbyist on behalf of the Aboriginal land rights movement. After discovering Buddhist practice he moved to Hawaii where he studied with the renowned koan master and social justice activist Robert Aitken. He is Robert Aitken’s first Dharma successor.

Later he earned his doctorate in Psychology and worked for several years as a psychotherapist. A poet, he has contributed to various journals and is anthologized in Beneath A Single Moon: Buddhism in Contemporary American Poetry and What Book!? Buddha Poems From Beat to Hiphop.

Arguably the most interesting and talented koan master in the west, John Tarrant’s many teisho and Dharma talks - collected around the web and beginning to be archived here at the Boundless Way Zen website - are creative and inviting, allowing the reader just as much as the original listener to find ways into this discipline that are both authentic to the tradition and yet as contemporary as this very breath.

Demonoid