Despite its burgeoning influence, few people truly understand the core beliefs, traditions, and movements of this popular Eastern religion. Robert Thurman, professor of Indo-Tibetan studies at Columbia University, has assembled the first guide to Tibetan Buddhism that introduces the distinctive Tibetan practice through its own rich literature. He includes excerpts from The Book of the Dead as well as lesser known but comparable scriptures.Essential Tibetan Buddhism is a part of The Essential Series, beautifully packaged works that feature the core texts of major religious traditions in definitive translations, edited by leading authorities.

Tibet has suffered extreme political turmoil and upheaval over the last 50 odd years. Occupied in 1950, Red Guards destroyed thousands of official buildings and holy places during the Cultural Revolution, and religious freedom and traditional education are still severely under threat.
Due to the strength of Tibetan faith in Buddha, in the Dalai Lama, and against the odds, many buildings have been reconstructed, their devotion and belief remain extraordinarily strong. Buddhism permeates every aspect of a Tibetan's life, whether living in Tibet or in exile in Nepal, India or the United States.
A magnificent and time-stopping work, "The Path to Buddha" is divided into five parts, in which we see the monks in animated discussion, meditation and prayer; and we follow the devout believers on their arduous journeys to prayer. The two main chapters are interspersed with sections of portraits of this proud and dignified people whose own innate sense of their own being can be seen in the simplest of things, such as the way they dress and adorn themselves.

When people and circumstances upset us, how do we deal with them? Often, we feel victimized. We become hurt, angry, and defensive. We end up seeing others as enemies, and when things don't go our way, we become enemies to ourselves. But what if we could move past this pain, anger, and defensiveness? Inspired by Buddhist philosophy, this book introduces us to the four kinds of enemies we encounter in life: the outer enemy, people, institutions, and situations that mean to harm us; the inner enemy, anger, hatred, fear, and other destructive emotions; the secret enemy, self-obsession that isolates us from others; and the super-secret enemy, deep-seated self-loathing that prevents us from finding inner freedom and true happiness. In this practical guide, we learn not only how to identify our enemies, but more important, how to transform our relationship to them. Love Your Enemies teaches us how to: - Break free from the mode of "us" versus "them" thinking - develop compassion, patience, and love - Accept what is beyond our control - Embrace lovingkindness, right speech, and other core concepts Throughout, authors Sharon Salzberg and Robert Thurman share stories and exercises for achieving finding peace within yourself and with the world. Drawing from ancient spiritual wisdom and modern psychology, Love Your Enemies presents tools that are useful for all readers.

Jack Kerouac's profound meditations on the Buddha's life and religion
In the mid-1950s, Jack Kerouac, a lifelong Catholic, became fascinated with Buddhism, an interest that had a significant impact on his ideas of spirituality and later found expression in such books as "Mexico City Blues" and "The Dharma Bums." Originally written in 1955 and now published for the first time in paperback, "Wake Up" is Kerouac's retelling of the life of Prince Siddhartha Gotama, who as a young man abandoned his wealthy family and comfortable home for a lifelong search for enlightenment. Distilled from a wide variety of canonical scriptures, "Wake Up" serves as both a penetrating account of the Buddha's life and a concise primer on the principal teachings of Buddhism.

Haute Couture Architecture: The Art of Living Without Walls by Anneke van Waesberghe is so much more than a book about tented green building architecture. The book is part design manifesto, part personal diary, and part manual for future sustainable living. One in which rampant consumerism has been replaced by a more thoughtful design from the excesses of modern times to a new state of being for living sustainably and in harmony with the rhythms of the planet. It is the tale of one woman’s odyssey living alone in the jungle finding true meaning in life and manifesting its beauty into a way of sustainable living that may set a blueprint for our future existence on Earth. The author leads readers to encounter a new paradigm by showing the luxury of simplicity and the beauty of small things. With our consumer way of living and doing things and how the world is evolving, the pace we follow as consumers rather than humans has become outdated and is not the way to go forward. We cannot solve new problems that follow our destructive actions; we have to shift our thinking from ‘me’ to ‘we’. Haute Couture architecture respects artisans, hand-made goods, self-sufficiency, and caring for nature. Being close to nature is a lifestyle of forward-thinking outside the box and is a natural means to discovering ourselves. Ultimately Haute Couture Architecture: The Art of Living Without Walls bridges the gap between nature and architecture.