"Enlightenment does exist," internationally renowned author and meditation master Jack Kornfield assures us. "Unbounded freedom and joy, oneness with the divine ... these experiences are more common than you know, and not far away."

But even after achieving such realization -- after the ecstasy -- we are faced with the day-to-day task of translating that freedom into our imperfect lives. We are faced with the laundry.

Drawing on the experiences and insights of leaders and practitioners within the Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, and Sufi traditions, this book offers a uniquely...

Buddhist master Achaan Chah spent years meditating in a forest monastery of Thailand. This remarkable book reflects his simple and powerful message as well as the quiet, joyful Buddhist practice of dhudanga, or "everyday mindfulness," with profound insights for the West.

This treasury of essential Buddhist writings draws from the most popular Indian, Tibetan, Chinese, and Japanese sources. Among the selections are some of the earliest recorded sayings of the Buddha on the practice of freedom, passages from later Indian scriptures on the perfection of wisdom, verses from Tibetan masters on the enlightened mind, and songs in praise of meditation by Zen teachers. The book also includes traditional instruction on how to practice sitting meditation, cultivate calm awareness, and live with compassion. Jack Kornfield, one of the most respected American Buddhist...

This life story of one of the few women in her generation to devote herself entirely to the pursuit of meditation also includes Dipa Ma's spiritual teachings, which have made her a major figure in contemporary Buddhism. Dipa Ma was the first truly accomplished female meditation master in the Thereavada tradition to teach in the United States and, while she had a deep devotion to the tradition, she also had a fierce understanding that the spiritual accomplishments of women could be in every way equal to those of the predominantly male religious hierarchy. Her influence on the teaching of...

Jesus and Buddha were separated by five hundred years, three thousand miles, and two drastically different cultures. Yet this trade paper edition of the highly acclaimed hardback juxtaposes passages from the New Testament and ancient Buddhist scriptures to illuminate the striking similarity between their lives, deeds, and teachings.

Chah offers a thorough exploration of Theravadan Buddhism in a gentle, sometimes humorous, style that makes the reader feel as though he or she is being entertained by a story. He emphasizes the path to freedom from emotional and psychological suffering and provides insight into the fact that taking ourselves seriously causes unnecessary hardship.

Ajahn Chah influenced a generation of Western teachers: Jack Kornfield, Sharon Salzberg, Sylvia Boorstein, Joseph Goldstein, and many other Western Buddhist teachers were at one time his students. Anyone who has attended a retreat led by one...

Schlägt man ein grundlegendes Buch über den Buddhismus auf, erwartet man als Erstes den Hinweis auf das allem Leben zugrunde liegende Leiden. Nicht so bei Jack Kornfield. Im Ursprung, schreibt er, liegt die Würde, die unser tiefstes Wesen ausmacht. Sie entstammt unserer Verbundenheit mit allem Lebendigen, die die Wurzel jedes wahrhaftigen Mitgefühls ist. Seine Vision des Buddhismus offenbart ein absolut positives und ermutigendes Menschenbild. Kornfield versteht den Buddhismus als großartiges psychologisches Konzept und nicht als ab- und ausgrenzende Religion. Das weise Herz ist ein...

Bewegende, humorvolle, heilende und manches Mal verblffende Weisheitsgeschichten aus aller Welt, zusammengestellt und herausgegeben von zwei bekannten buddhistischen Meditationslehrern.

When the path ahead is dark, how can we keep from stumbling? How do we make our way with courage and dignity? Inside each of us is an eternal light that I call 'the One Who Knows, ' writes Jack Kornfield. Awakening to this wisdom can help us find our way through pain and suffering with grace and tenderness. For anyone seeking answers duri..