Eastern Wisdom

Alan Watts introduced millions of Western listeners to Zen and other Eastern philosophies, but he’s also recognized as a brilliant commentator on Judeo-Christian traditions as well as a celebrity philosopher who exemplified the ideas — and lifestyle — of the 1960s counterculture.

Sadhguru speaks on the "Spirit of Eastern Wisdom: The Intelligence Within". He looks at how "Eastern wisdom does not come from the limited amount of data gathered from books or scriptures but by enhancing one's perception."

Join author and Japanologist Beth Kempton on a sacred journey to uncover the secrets of fearless writing which have lain buried in Eastern philosophy for two thousand years. In a radical departure from standard advice and widely held assumptions about the effort and suffering required for creative success, The Way of the Fearless Writer will show you there is another way to thrive—a path of trust, ease, freedom and joy.

While many Westerners still think of yoga as an invigorating series of postures and breathing exercises, these physical practices are only part of a vast and ancient spiritual science. For more than three millennia, yoga sages systematically explored the essential questions of our human existence: What are the root causes of suffering, and how can we achieve freedom and happiness? What would it be like to function at the maximum potential of our minds, bodies, and spirits? What is an optimal human life?

The Buddhist saint Nāgārjuna, who lived in South India in approximately the second century CE, is undoubtedly the most important, influential, and widely studied Mahāyāna Buddhist philosopher. His greatest philosophical work, the Mūlamadhyamikakārikā - read and studied by philosophers in all major Buddhist schools of Tibet, China, Japan, and Korea - is one of the most influential works in the history of Indian philosophy. Now, in The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way, Jay L. Garfield provides a clear translation of Nāgārjuna's seminal work.

The comprehensive and accurate edition of the Hagakure is a must-have for serious martial artists or fans of samurai and the Bushido code.

The Urban Monk, a New York Times best seller, reveals the secrets to finding an open heart, sharp mind, and grounded sense of well-being, even in the most demanding circumstances. Shojai's no-nonsense life mastery program brings together clear tools and exercises that can elevate your existence.

A Little Book of Eastern Wisdom is a wide-ranging and thought-provoking collection of spiritual and meditative gems by mystics, prophets, poets, and philosophers, mainly from the Middle East, ordered here into thematic sections by translator and author Claude Field. It was first published in 1910 by George G. Harrap & Co.

Ancient oriental civilization became the cradle of world philosophy and wisdom. This is evident in the writings of such men as Confucius, Lao Tzu, Sun Tzu, and others. Despite the fact that these aphorisms are hundreds of years old, they still remain relevant and appropriate to our reality. Human relationships, fortitude, honor, love, knowledge - all these topics are discussed by the philosophers in their writings.

Author and painter Mark McGinnis has collected over 40 of these hallowed popular tales and retold them in vividly poetic yet accessible language, their original Buddhist messages firmly intact.

Mindfulness meets execution...at work. The wisdom of 13 Eastern sages, augmented by modern research on workplace influence, is the basis for profound yet practical advice on getting things done without force. The Art of Quiet Influence shows anyone how to use influence, a key mindfulness principle, to get things done. Through the classic wisdom of 13 Eastern sages (especially the Buddha), relevant insights from influence research, and anecdotes and advice from 25 contemporary experts, Davis lays out a path for becoming a 'mainspring,' an unobtrusive yet powerful influencer.

Ramayana must rank as one of the most loved and revered books of all time. A part of India's ancient Vedas, it is a beautiful story of romance and adventure. It recounts the history of Rama, said be an incarnation of the Godhead, and his divine consort Sita. Filled with magic and mysticism, it entrances the listener and stirs deeply moving emotions. At the same time its profound spiritual messages leave one feeling uplifted and enriched. This is a novelization of the classic. It contains all the essential narrative of the original Sanskrit poem.

Deep down, most people think that happiness comes from having or doing something. Here, in Alan Watts’s groundbreaking third book (originally published in 1940), he offers a more challenging thesis: authentic happiness comes from embracing life as a whole in all its contradictions and paradoxes, an attitude that Watts calls the “way of acceptance.” Drawing on Eastern philosophy, Western mysticism, and analytic psychology, Watts demonstrates that happiness comes from accepting both the outer world around us and the inner world inside us,

The Gay Science (The Joyful Wisdom) is one of Nietzsche's greatest books. His wonderfully fertile mind roams over mankind, his thoughts, his emotions, his behaviour and his weaknesses with remarkable clarity, with insight - but also with humour!In this work are 383 separate paragraphs, some short, some long, but all singular observations - the epitome of his famous aphoristic style. 'Morality is the herd instinct in the individual.'

Children will benefit from Dharmachari Nagaraja's appealing combination of warmth, wisdom, wit and playfulness in this third book from the At Bedtime series. Growing up in the modern world, our children can often feel distracted, stressed and anxious. The ancient wisdom of Buddhism, with its emphasis on peace, compassion and mindfulness, is the ideal basis for helping any child face the challenges of daily life with increased confidence and calm.

The Wisdom of Compassion offers rare insights into the Dalai Lama’s life and his efforts to translate compassion into action through deeply engaging, behind-the-scene stories about his interactions with remarkable people from all walks of life. This is the Dalai Lama at his most human, and most humane. We see how he approaches the world with playfulness, optimism, and a profound empathy for the suffering of others. Through his own conduct, he shows us the tangible benefits of practicing kindness, forgiveness, and compassion.

Why do we worry without cause? Why do we fear without reason? This book is a collection of 365 verses of unadulterated wisdom, providing answers to all our confusions. In the battleground of our life, no one day is the same as the other, each comes with its own set of challenges. We can never be prepared enough to handle all that life throws our way. It would not be unusual for us to feel discouraged, or even panic, just like the Pandava prince Arjun lost his nerve just before the start of the battle of Mahabharata.

Walk down the streets of Chinatown in any American or western European city and look around. She is there. Walk through the downtown streets, look in a shop window. She is there. Go to any city in China and open your eyes. She is there, too. Kuan Yin is the most ubiquitous Chinese deity - and the most loved. She is the living expression of compassion whose gentle face and elegant figure form the center of devotion in most Chinese homes and workplaces. Until relatively recently, she was barely known in the West, and few studies had been made of her.

This book shows how we can move beyond secular mindfulness and compassion techniques to the cultivation of insight - seeing into and thereby becoming free of the repetitive thinking that keeps us trapped in cycles of suffering. Most books in the secular mindfulness tradition stop with mindfulness and self-compassion but do little to uncover the root causes of our suffering. Drawing on both Buddhist analyses of mind and current findings in psychology and neuroscience, the book explains how our thinking becomes fixed through our engaging with unconscious preferences and reactions.

In 2001, Toni Bernhard got sick and, to her and her partner’s bewilderment, stayed that way. As they faced the confusion, frustration, and despair of a life with sudden limitations - a life that was vastly different from the one they’d thought they’d have together - Toni had to learn how to be sick. In spite of her many physical and energetic restrictions (and sometimes, because of them), Toni learned how to live a life of equanimity, compassion, and joy.