The Noble Eightfold Path--the Buddha's first teaching--is a timeless truth. One starts with a vision, a moment of insight, then transformation of thoughts, and follows in the light of that truth.

This teaching is explored in relation to every aspect of life and is a treasury of wisdom and practical guidance. The reader is taken deeper than in most introductions, while always remaining practical, inspiring, and accessible. This is the first in a new series, Buddhist Wisdom for Today.

Sangharakshita is a leading Western Buddhist teacher and a popular author of more than thirty books on Buddhism.

Some say that the Buddha was a man--a good, holy, or wise man, but just a man. Others may think that he is the Buddhist version of God. But the Buddha is neither man nor God. Born just as we are born, by his own efforts he became an enlightened being, a journey we too can undertake if we so choose. Sangharakshita, a Western Buddhist practitioner and teacher for fifty years, looks at the Buddha in the contexts of time and eternity, karma and rebirth, his life and teachings, and helps answer the question: who is the Buddha?

Growing the seed to happiness Kindness is one of the most basic qualities we can possess, and one of the most powerful. In Buddhism it is called metta - an opening of the heart to all that we meet. Any friendly feeling contains the kernel of metta. It is a seed that is waiting to be developed, right here amidst the conditions of our daily life. Living with Kindness is a pithy commentary on the Buddha's teaching of metta in the Karaniya metta sutta. In it, Sangharakshita, a teacher of Buddhism for over fifty years, shows us how to cultivate many of the facets of kindness in ordinary, everyday life. Outlining the nurturing conditions the seed of kindness needs to grow, he encourages us to follow the path that leads to a warm and expansive heart - and beyond. And with_that heart, we can be happier and more fulfilled in ourselves and empathise with the joys and sufferings of all living beings. An excellent companion to Living with Awareness, also by Sangharakshita, which is a commentary on the Satipattana Sutta (Living with Awareness, ISBN 1899579389)

To walk in the footsteps of the Buddha we need a clear and thorough guide to the essential principles of Buddhism. Whether we have just begun our journey or are a practitioner with more experience, What is the Dharma? is an indispensable exploration of the Buddha's teachings as found in the main Buddhist traditions. Constantly returning to the question 'How can this help me?' Sangharakshita examines a variety of fundamental principles, including: karma and re-birth, nirvana and shunyata, conditioned co-production, impermanence, unsatisfactoriness and insubstantiality, ethics, meditation, and wisdom. The result is a refreshing, unsettling, and inspiring book that lays before us the essential Dharma, timeless and universal.

Ever since the Buddha's lifetime, people have been trying to express the ultimate meaning of Buddhism in a form that makes complete rational sense. The Prajnaparamita or "Perfection of Wisdom" teachings offer a giddying counterbalance to this exercise, and a sophisticated slap in the face to anyone undertaking it. Emerging 2000 years ago as the core-teachings of Mahayana Buddhism, texts such as the Ratnaguna-samcayagatha, the Diamond Sutra and the Heart Sutra were to give new impetus to the ideal of the Bodhisattva, one whose entire energies are dedicated to the attainment of enlightenment for the sake of all beings. They are unique, extraordinary teachings, addressing the practical, everyday concerns of Buddhists, but in a way that can leave the rational mind spinning. Sangharakshita has a rare combination of scholarship, intellectual clarity and insight. As founder of the Western Buddhist Order he is necessarily alive to the immediate concerns of Buddhists practising in the West. This perspective is crucial in a guide to texts that seem to express the goal and justification for Buddhist practice in a "breath of nonsense, a touch of Lewis Carroll".

"To consider the Bodhisattva ideal is to place one's hand on the very heart of Buddhism". The Bodhisattva's life exemplifies the resolution of the conflict between our own desires and the needs of others. Sustained by a deep understanding gained through meditation and reflection, the Bodhisattva works tirelessly for the benefit of all. The development of inner calm and positivity that leads to true wisdom is balanced by an active and genuine concern for others that flowers into great compassion. Sangharakshita places the ideal of the Bodhisattva, one of the sublimest spiritual ideals mankind has ever seen, within the context of the entire Buddhist tradition. Unfolding this vision of our potential, he demonstrates how we ourselves can faithfully engage with that vision and make our lives worthwhile.

In 1964 Sangharakshita, the seniormost Buddhist monk of British birth, left India for a visit to the UK. After twenty years in the subcontinent-travelling and lecturing, writing, working among the most deprived, and extending and deepening his knowledge of the Dharma-he had been invited by leading British Buddhists to help resolve tensions in the British Buddhist scene. While he was trying to ease conflicts and create harmony, an unexpected turn of events brought Sangharakshita to a crucial decision. This fourth volume of memoirs, covering the years 1964 to 1967, deals with Sangharakshita's return to Britain and describes the difficulties he encountered in his attempts to unite English Buddhists. We witness the turning point at which he decided to dedicate his life to working 'for the good of Buddhism' in his native land. This culminated in the birth (in a shop basement in central London) of a new Buddhist movement. Thirty-six years later the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order is spreading the Buddha's message in more than twenty-six countries around the globe.
Other Memoirs by Sangharakshita: "The Rainbow Road," "Facing Mount Kanchenjunga," "In the Sign of the Golden Wheel"