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. Happiness comes from letting go. Weaving together the accumulated wisdom of his two worlds--Buddhism and Western psychotherapy--Epstein shows how "the happiness that we seek depends on our ability to balance the ego's need to do with our inherent capacity to be." He encourages us to relax the ever-vigilant mind in order to experience the freedom that comes only from relinquishing control.

Drawing on events in his own life and stories from his patients, Going to Pieces  Without Falling Apart teaches us that only by letting go can we start on the path to a more peaceful and spiritually satisfying life.

"A must-have for anyone who is new and serious about exporing the subject further. Also recommended for advanced practitioners who may want to 'brush-up' on their Sanskrit." -- "Yoga Magazine UK"

"This slim volume is a lot more than its title lets on." -- "The Asian Reporter"

..".A joy to read: it has accuracy in its translations, beauty in its presentation, and conveys the spiritual richness of the yogic tradition. It will definitely enrich the life of many yoga teachers and students." -- "Ascent Magazine"

Joseph Campbell called Sanskrit "the great spiritual language of the world." Designed by ancient Indian holy men to express the states of enlightened consciousness through syllabic sounds, Sanskrit is widely used in the West during yoga practice to channel spiritual pathways and to discuss important meditative and philosophical concepts. This book introduces 180 Sanskrit words (including "chakra," "karma," "om," "namaste," "veda," "nirvana") with Devanagari scripts, pronunciations, chants and brief cultural/historic explanations. A practical reference that makes an excellent gift book for any student of yoga, meditation or Eastern religion.

Leza Lowitz is a much-published writer and director of Sun and Moon Yoga Studio in Tokyo.

Reema Datta grew up in India and teaches Ashtanga yoga and Ayurvedic cooking in San Francisco.

Chosen as one of the Best Spiritual Books of 2002 by Spirituality & Health

Beloved Buddhist teacher and poet Thich Nhat Hanh offered the world much-needed words of calming wisdom in his previous book, Anger-a coast-to-coast bestseller in both hardcover and paperback.

Now, in a book both timely and timeless, he tackles a subject that has been contemplated by Buddhist monks and nuns for twenty-five hundred years-and an eternal mystery that touches us all: What is death? Through Zen parables, guided meditations, and personal stories, he explodes the traditional myths of how we live and die. Even more, Thich Nhat Hanh shows us a way to live a life unfettered by fear.

Sati--the burning of a widow on her husband's funeral pyre--has for centuries been one of the few ways in which women of India could achieve renown, respect, and even deification. This eye-opening work exposes what this still persistent ritual (officially outlawed in 1829) reveals about this society and about the women who choose or are forced to become sati. 8-page insert.

Vedic Sanskrit literature contains a wealth of material concerning the mythology and religious practices of India between 1500 and 500 B.C.E. a crucial period in the formation of traditional Indian culture. Stephanie W. Jamison here addresses the conditions that have limited our understanding of Vedic myth and ritual, such as the profusion and obscurity of the texts and the tendency on the part of scholars to approach mythology and ritual independently. Tracing two key myths through a variety of texts, Jamison provides insight into the relationship between early Indic myth and ritual as well as offering a new methodology for their study.

After a brief survey of Vedic literature and religion, Jamison examines the recurrences of the myths "Indra fed the Yatis to the hyenas" and "Svarbhanu pierced the sun with darkness." Focusing on their verbal form and ritual setting, she essays a general interpretation of the myths and their ritual purpose. Her book sheds new light on some central figures in Vedic mythology and on the evolution of Vedic mythological narrative, and it points to parallels in other cultures as well. Indologists and other scholars and students of South Asian culture, Indo-Eurepeanists, folklorists, historians of religion, classicists, and comparatists will welcome this rich and suggestive introduction to the Vedic tradition."