Zen koans are stories of exchanges between Zen masters and their disciples at the moment of enlightenment or near-enlightenment. These stories have long fascinated Western readers because of their wisdom, humor, and enigmatic quality. Drawing on over thirty years of practice and teaching, Richard Shrobe (himself a recognized Zen Master) has selected twenty-two cases from The Blue Cliff Record and Wu-men-kuan that he finds deeply meaningful and helpful for meditation practice. In Elegant Failure, he provides a wealth of background information and personal anecdotes for each koan that help to illuminate its meaning without detracting from its paradoxical nature. As Shrobe reminds us, "The main core of Zen teaching is the bare bones of what is there. In a certain sense, embellishing a story takes away from the central teaching: Don’t embellish anything, just be with it as it is."
The "self-made" man is a familiar figure in nineteenth-century American history. But the relentless expansion of market relations that facilitated such stories of commercial success also ensured that individual bankruptcy would become a prominent feature in the nation's economic landscape. In this ambitious foray into the shifting character of American capitalism, Edward Balleisen explores the economic roots and social meanings of bankruptcy, assessing the impact of widespread insolvency on the evolution of American law, business culture, and commercial society. Balleisen makes innovative use of the rich and previously overlooked court records generated by the 1841 Federal Bankruptcy Act, building his arguments on the commercial biographies of hundreds of failed business owners. He crafts a nuanced account of how responses to bankruptcy shaped two opposing elements of capitalist society in mid-nineteenth-century America--an entrepreneurial ethos grounded in risk taking and the ceaseless search for new markets, new products, and new ways of organizing economic activity, and an urban, middle-class sensibility increasingly averse to the dangers associated with independent proprietorship and increasingly predicated on salaried, white-collar employment.
A dynamic and exciting way to understand success and failure, through the life of Hannibal, one of history's greatest generals. The life of Hannibal, the Carthaginian general who crossed the Alps with his army in 218 B.C.E., is the stuff of legend. And the epic choices he and his opponents made-on the battlefield and elsewhere in life-offer lessons about responding to our victories and our defeats that are as relevant today as they were more than 2,000 years ago. A big new idea book inspired by ancient history, Hannibal and Me explores the truths behind triumph and disaster in our lives by examining the decisions made by Hannibal and others, including Albert Einstein, Eleanor Roosevelt, Steve Jobs, Ernest Shackleton, and Paul Cézanne-men and women who learned from their mistakes. By showing why some people overcome failure and others succumb to it, and why some fall victim to success while others thrive on it, Hannibal and Me demonstrates how to recognize the seeds of success within our own failures and the threats of failure hidden in our successes. The result is a page-turning adventure tale, a compelling human drama, and an insightful guide to understanding behavior. This is essential reading for anyone who seeks to transform misfortune into success at work, at home, and in life.
The Miracle! In this book Nicholas presents you a practical, unique, subliminal, very simple, detailed method of how to Be Chic and Elegant. You will feel the effects immediately and the results will appear very quickly! So it was in my case. You will not achieve fulfillment and happiness until YOU become the architect of your own reality. Imagine that with a few moments each day, you could begin the powerful transformation toward complete control of your own life and well being through this unique, subliminal method combined with positive affirmations. The order of words is extremely important for every book written by Nicholas. These are arranged to be traversed in a certain way so as to eliminate certain blockages in the human being, blockages that are bringing disease or failure on various plans. You don't need a big chunk of your time or expensive programs. Everything is extremely simple! Health, money, prosperity, abundance, safety, stability, sociability, charisma, sexual vitality, erotic attraction, will, optimism, perseverance, self-confidence, tenacity, courage, love, loving relationships, self-control, self-esteem, enthusiasm , refinement, intuition, detachment, intelligence, mental calm, power of concentration, exceptional memory, aspiration, transcendence, wisdom, compassion. You have the ability to unlock your full inner-potential and achieve your ultimate goals. This is the age-old secret of the financial elite, world class scholars, and Olympic champions. For example, when you watch the Olympics, you'll find one consistency in all of the champions. Each one closes their eyes for a moment and clearly affirms & visualizes themselves completing the event flawlessly just before starting. Then they win gold medals and become champions. That's merely one example of how the real power of mind can elevate you above any of life's challenges. By reading this book, you will feel totally that life deserves to be lived and enjoyed every moment and that everything that you propose for yourself becomes easy for you to fulfill. Nicholas will guide you to touch your longed-for dream and will make you see life from a new perspective, full of freshness and success. This book helps you step by step, in a natural way, in just 3 minutes a day, to change your misguided way of thinking and to Be Chic and Elegant. (NOTE: For good, Nicholas keep the price of the book as lower as he can, even if is a hard work behind this project. A significant portion of the earnings from the sale of the book are used for these purposes: for charity, volunteer projects, nature restoration, and other inspired ideas to do good where it is needed. If you can not afford to buy the book please contact Nicholas and he will give you a free copy.) You, also have a bonus in the pages of the book that makes you live your success by doing a seemingly trivial thing. You will feel the difference. Yes. The Miracle is possible! Get Your Copy Now!
When trainer Frank Black Machine Whaley of View Point, Texas, dies of a heart attack in 1946, Elegant Raines, an eighteen-year-old black prizefighter, must find a new trainer. Raines calls on Leemore Pee-Pot Manners, a boxing trainer who lives in Longwood, West Virginia. Any honest man would say Pee-Pot knows more about boxing than anyone alivewhether that man is black or white. Rainess goal is to become the heavyweight champion of the world. Under Pee-Pots tutelage Raines wins not only the middleweight championship, but the light heavyweight championship, marking him as one of the greatest fighters of his time. During his quest for the title, Raines falls in love with Gem Loving, a pastors daughter whose father, Pastor Embry O. Loving, maintains a dim view of fighters. Gem must fight for Raines in ways her father will condemn. A Bigger Prize tells a fictional story of the boxing world in the 1940s and what the sport meant to both blacks and whites of the time. It considers the question of whether Elegant Rainess bigger prize is the worlds heavyweight championshipor something outside the ring more violent than boxing and its reward.
Hendrik Petrus Berlage, the Dutch architect and architectural philosopher, created a series of buildings and a body of writings from 1886 to 1909 that were among the first efforts to probe the problems and possibilities of modernism. Although his Amsterdam Stock Exchange, with its rational mastery of materials and space, has long been celebrated for its seminal influence on the architecture of the 20th century, Berlage's writings are highlighted here. Bringing together Berlage's most important texts, among them "Thoughts on Style in Architecture", "Architecture's Place in Modern Aesthetics", and "Art and Society", this volume presents a chapter in the history of European modernism. In his introduction, Iain Boyd Whyte demonstrates that the substantial contribution of Berlage's designs to modern architecture cannot be fully appreciated without an understanding of the aesthetic principles first laid out in his writings.
Combining both VB.Net and C# coverage in one book, this guide focuses on using ASP.NET 2.0 for solving business dynamic Web site challenges in a logical progression, from connecting to a database to displaying information to changing data Covers the fundamentals of connecting Web pages to databases, techniques for creating data objects and events, and ways to handle data errors Features tricks and traps for displaying data in grids, lists, and trees Goes beyond the usual basic techniques to discuss the best practices and pitfalls that can occur in real-world scenarios with SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, Access, and the new SQL Server Express Edition
This book explores poems, novels, legends, operas and other genres of writing from the Ming Dynasty. It is composed of two parts: the literary history; and comprehensive reference materials based on the compilation of several chronologies. By studying individual literary works, the book analyzes the basic laws of the development of literature during the Ming Dynasty, and explores the influences of people, time, and place on literature from a sociological perspective. In turn, it conducts a contrastive analysis of Chinese and Western literature, based on similar works from the same literary genre and their creative methods. The book also investigates the relationship between literary theory and literary creation practices, including those used at various poetry schools. In closing, it studies the unique aesthetic traits of related works. Sharing valuable insights and perspectives, the book can serve as a role model for future literary history studies. It offers a unique resource for literary researchers, reference guide for students and educators, and lively read for members of the general public.
