Winner of the Books for a Better Life Award Chosen as one of "The 10 Best Spiritual Books of 2006" by Spirituality and Health magazine Rabbi Irwin Kula explores desire in spiritual life. Rather than leading us astray, our longings are gateways to self discovery. Our yearnings, once understood, can lead us to discover an expansive vision of God or a wider reality. And when we embrace even our most painful or taboo desires, we can love more deeply and live more fully. The Biblical authors wrote about characters who, rather than leading perfect lives, actually struggled with their longings for success, love, sex, and happiness. Through interpreting those stories and other spiritual traditions, as well as exploring his own desires and those of regular people, Rabbi Kula shows that "The more we allow ourselves to unfold, the less likely we are to unravel. The more we dive into our desires, the more exquisite life becomes."

How to Sit is part of a charming series of books from Zen Master, Thich Nhat Hanh, exploring the essential foundations of mindful meditation and practise. How to Sit provides explicit, simple directions on the mechanics of posture and breathing, along with instructions for how best to achieve an awakened, relaxed state of clarity to cultivate concentration and compassion.

Contemplative prayer and the contemplative way of life are the central themes of this book. Against the backdrop of their rich experience of accompanying those coming on retreat to House Gries, Germany, the authors talk about what happens in silence: healing and wholeness, suffering and consolation, forgiveness and reconciliation, gratitude and joy... This originated from a desire to make more widely available the experiences that emerge through conversations between retreatants and guides. The individual chapters of the book, each based on a particular theme have a clear and consistent structure. A short introduction to the theme is followed by a conversation. Scripture, the writings of St. Ignatius, experiences from spiritual accompaniment as well as the authors' own personal experiences form the basis for these conversations. Through using the questions, "Where was my heart burning?" "Where were my eyes opened?" the authors pick out aspects in the conversation which triggered a particular resonance within them. Finally, each chapter concludes with short exercises for the reader, relevant to the theme.

Dance plays an important role in many religious traditions, in rites of passage, processions, healing rituals or festivals. But it is also controversial, especially in Christianity. Colonial European Christian discourses tend to separate dance from religion(s) and spirituality. This volume explores dance as Third Space, following Homi Bhabha's postcolonial metaphor. The Inter-Dance approach combines interdisciplinary theoretical considerations with case studies. International experts examine dance controversies and discourses from the early church to World Christianity, as well as in Hasidic Judaism, Greek mysteries, Islamic Sufism, West African Togolese religions, and Afro-Brazilian Umbanda. Christian dance theologies are unfolded and the boundary-crossing potential of dance in interreligious and intercultural encounters is explored. The volume breaks new ground in how dance as ephemeral performative art, embodied thought and gendered discourse can transform studies of religion.

A radical exploration of how rituals have influenced history over thousands of years. From infancy, we copy those around us in order to be like others, to be one with the tribe. Other primates will copy behaviour that leads to transparent benefits, such as access to food, but only humans promiscuously copy actions that have no obvious instrumental purpose. The copying of causally opaque behaviour (rituals) has allowed cultural groups to proliferate over time and space. The frequency and emotional intensity of ritual performances constrains the scale and structure of cultural groups. Rare, traumatic rituals (e.g. painful initiations) produce very strong social cohesion in small, relational groups such as military battalions or local cults whereas daily and weekly rituals (e.g. collective praying in mosques, churches, and synagogues) produce diffuse cohesion in indefinitely expandable communities. This pioneering study presents a theory of how these two 'ritual modes' have influenced the course of human history over many thousands of years and continue to shape the groups we live in today. The resulting programme of research offers a radically new paradigm for the social sciences, one that bridges across disciplinary silos, samples the full diversity of the world's populations, and plumbs our richest sources of information about cultural systems, past and present. In doing so, leading anthropologist Harvey Whitehouse shows how we can modify the way we tackle some of the most pressing challenges of our day, from violent extremism to global heating. All the problems humanity creates are ultimately problems of cooperation. Solving these problems will require social glue. Whitehouse suggests various practical ways in which our growing knowledge about the role of ritual in group bonding can help us achieve a more peaceful and prosperous future, not only for ourselves but for all species who share the planet with us.

This book employs the concept 'Resurrection' to signify the human being's spiritual awakening amidst the phantoms and decay of physical existence. Thus considered, 'Resurrection' means the rising from the leaden sleep of minds who dream they are awake. "Resurrection" here is not the arbitrary gift reserved by an imagined higher power for believers, but every human being's spiritually given obligation and potential. How this obligation is fulfilled, the author shows in all his books from different perspectives. The present book would make the reader comprehend that people can be physically awake while being spiritually fast asleep, and that this state is typical for the majority. It follows that the concepts "knowledge", "God", "Eternal Life" and others touching final things, which spiritually sleeping minds debate, are in reality no more than intellectual fabrications. The objective truth that underlies these concepts can be apprehended only when the individual has been spiritually "resurrected". As the attainment of this all-surpassing goal requires competent advice, knowledgeable guidance, and effective help, the book sheds light on what is to be known and done, and what should be avoided.

Some Stories Just Can't Be Stopped . . .
"What Difference Do It Make?" continues the hard-to-believe story of hope and reconciliation that began with the ""New York Times"" bestseller, """Same Kind of Different as Me""." Ron Hall and Denver Moore, unlikely friends and even unlikelier coauthors--a wealthy fine-art dealer and an illiterate homeless African American--share the hard-to-stop story of how a remarkable woman's love brought them together. Now, in """"What Difference Do It Make?"""" Ron and Denver along with Lynn Vincent offer:
"""""more of the story"""""--with untold anecdotes, especially Ron's struggle with his difficult father and Denver's dramatic stint in Angola prison
""""""the rest of the story""""""--how """""""Same Kind of Different as Me""""""" came to be written and changed the lives of its authors
""""""""the ongoing story""""""""--true tales of hope from people whose lives have been changed by Ron and Denver's story and how they make a difference in their worlds
"""""""""your part in the story"""""""""--wise, practical, and hard-lived guidance for how you can make a difference to those in need
""""""""""plus intriguing extras""""""""""--including full-page color samples of Denver's paintingsDeeply moving but never sappy or sentimental, """""""""""What Difference Do It Make?""""""""""" answers its own question with a simple and emphatic answer. What difference can one person (or two) make in the world? A lot

Max Lucado cree que el dia que Jesucristo regrese es el comienzo de lo mejor. Nuestra tarea como cristianos es aprender a esperar en paz y estar preparados para su regreso.

The Sediq and Truku Indigenous peoples on the mountainous island of Formosa – today called Taiwan – say that their ancestors emerged in the beginning of time from Pusu Qhuni, a tree-covered boulder in the highlands. Living in the mountain forests, they observed the sacred law of Gaya, seeking equilibrium with other humans, the spirits, animals, and plants. They developed a politics in which each community preserved its autonomy and sharing was valued more highly than personal accumulation of goods or power. These lifeworlds were shattered by colonialism, capitalist development, and cultural imperialism in the twentieth century. Based on two decades of ethnographic field research, Truly Human portrays these peoples’ lifeworlds, teachings, political struggles for recognition, and relations with non-human animals. Taking seriously their ontological claims that Gaya offers moral guidance to all humans, Scott E. Simon reflects on what this particular form of Indigenous resurgence reveals about human rights, sovereignty, and the good of all kind. Truly Human contributes to a decolonizing anthropology at a time when all humans need Indigenous land-based teachings more than ever.

Many Christians today tend to view the story of medieval faith as a cautionary tale. Too often, they dismiss the Middle Ages as a period of corruption and decay in the church. They seem to assume that the church apostatized from true Christianity after it gained cultural influence in the time of Constantine, and the faith was only later recovered by the sixteenth-century Reformers or even the eighteenth-century revivalists. As a result, the riches and wisdom of the medieval period have remained largely inaccessible to modern Protestants. Church historian Chris Armstrong helps readers see beyond modern caricatures of the medieval church to the animating Christian spirit of that age. He believes today's church could learn a number of lessons from medieval faith, such as how the gospel speaks to ordinary, embodied human life in this world. Medieval Wisdom for Modern Christians explores key ideas, figures, and movements from the Middle Ages in conversation with C. S. Lewis and other thinkers, helping contemporary Christians discover authentic faith and renewal in a forgotten age.

Type 9: The Peaceful Mediator, from The Enneagram Collection, is for anyone who loves the Enneagram and wants to go deeper with this interactive book exploring the unique motivations, longings, and strengths and weaknesses of a Type 9-those who have a core desire to have inner stability and peace of mind. The Enneagram has never been more popular. This ancient personality typing system identifies nine types of people and how they relate to one another and helps people discover what motivates them, their fears, and how best to interact with others. With the growing popularity of this self-assessment tool in all spheres of life, including personal relationships, professional relationships, faith communities, students, and even pop culture, these interactive books are great for anyone newly interested in the Enneagram or the longtime Enneagram enthusiast. With space to journal about the unique motivations, longings, and strengths and weaknesses of a Type 9-those who have a core desire to have inner stability and peace of mind, Beth McCord shows how to transform self-limiting behaviors into life-enhancing personal empowerment. In addition to deeply informative content from Enneagram expert Beth McCord, the pages include interactive prompts and space provided for reflection and notes. Each book teaches about the strengths, challenges, and opportunities for that personality type in order to lead to a more meaningful life, lasting relationships, and a deeper understanding of God and yourself.

**A TLS BOOK OF THE YEAR SELECTION** As heard on The Tim Ferriss Show! 'Captivating' TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT 'The book Shukman was born to write' NATALIE GOLDBERG, author of WRITING DOWN THE BONES 'A wonderful and generous book' DAVID HINTON, author of THE WILDS OF POETRY *** One Blade of Grass is award-winning novelist and poet Henry Shukman's account of his journey through the world of Zen Buddhism. Raised in a rationalist household in Oxford during the spiritual heyday of the Sixties and Seventies, an unexpected spiritual awakening would prompt a lifelong quest to integrate the experience into his life, leading him eventually to Zen Buddhism. As Shukman gets to grips with meditative practice and struggles with anxiety, depression and the chronic eczema he had had since childhoods, he discovers in surprising ways the emotional, spiritual and even physical healing that he has been searching for all along. By turns humorous and moving, this beautifully written memoir demystifies Zen training, casting its profound insights in simple, lucid language, and takes the reader on a journey of their own, into the hidden treasures of life that contemplative practice can reveal to any of us.