Buddhism

Great teachers like the Buddha, Jesus, Moses, Mohammed, and Gandhi were all born with brains built essentially like anyone else’s—and then they changed their brains in ways that changed the world. Neuroscience now reveals how the flow of thoughts actually sculpt the brain, and more and more, we are learning that it’s possible to strengthen positive brain states. By combining breakthroughs in science with insights from thousands of years of mindfulness practice, you too can shape your own “Buddha’s Brain” for greater happiness, love, and wisdom.

For decades, Western psychology has promised fulfillment through building and strengthening the ego. We are taught that the ideal is a strong, individuated self, constructed and reinforced over a lifetime. But Buddhist psychiatrist Mark Epstein has found a different way. Going to Pieces Without Falling Apart shows us that happiness doesn't come from any kind of acquisitiveness, be it material or psychological.

'The Tibetan Book of the Dead’ provides the guidelines on preparing for death and achieving enlightenment by escaping the cycle of birth, suffering, and death. According to the author, monks can utilize meditation to explore the approximation of the life that exists beyond death and help gain knowledge on the preparation of souls for the afterlife experiences.

From self-realization and self-promotion to self-help and the selfie, the modern world encourages us to be self-obsessed. We are even told that finding ourselves is the key to happiness. Better to lose yourself! More than 2,500 years ago, the Buddha argued that the self is an illusion—and that our belief in it is the cause of most, if not all, of our suffering. How to Lose Yourself presents lively, accessible, and expert new translations of ancient Buddhist writings about the central, unique, and powerful Buddhist teaching of "no-self."

We are nothing but a pack of neurons, Francis Crick once said. Vladimir Miskovic and Steven Jay Lynn show that this way of thinking is both limited and an obstacle to understanding consciousness. In Dreaming Reality, Miskovic and Lynn connect the latest findings from neuroscience—which studies the brain from the outside in, as a purely physical object—to the insights of the world’s mystical traditions, which chart elaborate cartographies of the mind from inside out through experiences of meditation, prayer, and ecstasy.

Happy Relationships is designed for all of us who are sometimes challenged by our husbands, wives, kids, parents, and best friends. It’s for those in happy marriages and close-knit families who want to feel closer and more connected to the most important people in their lives. Happy Relationships is a relatable and useful guide with practical applications to help us stay attuned and cultivate understanding with our dearest people.

This collection of 21 short, soul-soothing Zen stories is designed to help you quiet your mind, let go of unnecessary worries, and reconnect with the simplicity of the present moment. Each story is quick and easy to listen to, yet filled with timeless wisdom that gently shifts your perspective—offering clarity where there was confusion, peace where there was tension.

The spiritual exercises and Buddhist stories for a calming attunement to sleep serve to slow down and promote inner serenity. It is well known that sleep helps us to relax. Buddhist nuns and Buddhist monks welcome you warmly and accompany you on a meditation path through a Buddhist monastery. A pleasant participation in different, inspiring meditations and in the various relaxation exercises, which are practiced only in the mental imagination, can touch an inner space. Buddhist stories that invite you to smile are also calming relaxation impulses.

After flipping her raft days away from help on a trip down the remote Salmon River, Katie Arnold's shattered leg tests both her spirit and her marriage for years to come. It also reignites her meditation practice and motivates her to dive into Zen in search of healing. Before the accident, Katie was an elite ultrarunner with a simmering but adequate marriage who avoided being indoors whenever possible. But who is she afterwards? In the midst of hardship, Katie turns for support to the Zen practice she had long dabbled in.

Buddhas Lehre ist bekannt als der "Mittlere Weg", also als Mittelweg zwischen zwei extremen Weisen der Lebensführung: einerseits einem Lebe in materiellem Luxus und andererseits einem Leben in vollständiger Armut und spiritueller Askese. Buddha erkannte durch eigene Erfahrung, dass beide extreme Existenzweisen das Leiden, dem der Mensch unterliegt, nicht vermindern. So fand er den "Mittleren Weg" als eine Praxis der ausgewogenen, maßvollen und achtsamen Lebensführung.