Informed by almost two decades of dialogue, research, and teaching, this book refutes the mistaken premise that Zen Buddhism is more suited to people who lived long ago, or at least live far away. Pivotal to this work is recognition that Buddhism is a mind culture. To appreciate that one is not in control of one s own mind is alarming indeed, but it is perceptions of real and imagined threats that generate anxieties, not an objective appraisal of the situation. Beginning with the annotated ox path pictures, the gradual development of the wayward mind away from aimless wandering and toward...

This book explores the diversity of Hindu goddesses and the variety of ways in which they are worshiped. Although they undoubtedly have ancient origins, Hindu goddesses and their worship is still very much a part of the fabric of religious engagement in India today, and this work offers an introduction to a complex and often baffling field of study. Part I, Beliefs, Providing a series of encounters with a range of Hindu goddesses, starting with the idea of Goddess as a philosophical concept, this work moves on to topics that include textual evidence for belief structures, goddess mythology,...