A delightful collection of stories – woven around a diverse collage of themes and characters. Inspired by contexts, oscillating from contemporary to the phantasmagorical – Moulee in his inimitable style and witty prose brings these anecdotes to life in an immersive experience to the readers. After the success of his earlier book (Half Life), a semi-fictional biographical account tastefully blended with his parents' real postal letters from a bygone era, he’s now adventured into another spectacular literary genre – that of short-stories, fluently taking us on one more entertaining rendition.
This book demonstrates that Nietzsche's autobiographical and much-maligned Ecce Homo is a sophisticated satire by which the thinker unifies his disparate corpus.
"I stood on the bridge just before midnight, the wind from the ocean arriving in violent blasts, as if saying under its breath, ‘Jump, motherf***er, jump.’ This was the last of a string of attempted departures, most orchestrated in my tired mind. Always a bitter reminder of all that had been lost and destroyed by my foolishness." When suicide feels like your best option, you know something has gone horribly wrong – and that’s just how Matt Thomson felt. He had lost everything: his wife, his children, his job, all his money, and his front door key. But everything changes when he meets Joey Murphy, ex-Merchant Marine, entrepreneur, teacher, and wild man, an enigmatic mixture of Forrest Gump, Merlin, and a long-lost best friend. Upon hearing Matt’s woes, Joey offers Matt a life-changing deal he can’t resist: "The life you know has been completely predetermined by automatic habits, both your triumphs and your failures. If you are really at the end of your rope, these habits will drop away, and you will be free . . . I give you ten days, starting today. I will show you all you need to see. It is up to you." And with the deal struck, Joey leads Matt on the roller-coaster ride of his life: a ten-day adventure filled with dodging cop cars, playing Blind Man’s baseball on the edge of a cliff, finding heaven in a Taco Bell, and learning how to open the hearts of total strangers. Joey introduces Matt to "the True Teacher," but also leads him to face his own deepest darkness and despair.
The Buddha's teachings center around two basic principles. One is the Four Noble Truths, in which the Buddha diagnoses the problem of suffering and indicates the treatment necessary to remedy this problem. The other is the Noble Eightfold Path, the practical discipline he prescribes to uproot and eliminate the deep underlying causes of suffering. The present book offers, in simple and clear language, a concise yet thorough explanation of the Eightfold Path. Basing himself solidly upon the Buddha's own words, the author examines each factor of the path to determine exactly what it implies in the way of practical training. Finally, in the concluding chapter, he shows how all eight factors of the path function in unison to bring about the realization of the Buddhist goal: enlightenment and liberation.
Snowboarding to Nirvana: A Novel by Frederick Lenz The continuation of the national phenomena Surfing the Himalayas takes the crack American snowboarder down the mountain again, this time around with the greater spiritual enlightenment he gains through experience (the greatest teacher of all). As our snowboarder continues his lessons of enlightenment with Master Fwap, he also encounters earthly love in the form of a beautiful and wise Danish woman. A paradox ensues and a mystery is set forth, the mystery of "the missing dimension." This mystery must be understood and solved before our snowboarder can comprehend the next levels of Buddhistic lessons. Along the way, a wise, mysterious oracle of Nepal introduces our hero to Tibetan tantric texts that become crucial in the solving of his riddle.
“Singing and dancing, all is the voice of truth. Wide is the heaven of boundless Samadhi, Radiant the full moon of the fourfold wisdom. What remains to be sought? Nirvana is clear before him, This very place the Lotus paradise, This very body the Buddha.” “Remember the word ‘this’. This very place the Lotus paradise… And once you have known your source, wherever you are, you are in the Lotus paradise. This very place the Lotus paradise, And this very body the Buddha. And whatsoever you do—whatsoever, without any conditions—is the expression of truth.” Osho
Wisdom, warmth, and humor from a renowned Zen Master. The compassion, humor, and practical intelligence of one of Korea's foremost Zen masters shines throughout this new collection of Dharma talks. On each page, Master Daehaeng reveals how everything in daily life, even the ugly and difficult parts, can become the fuel for our spiritual growth. Her illuminating insight will guide the reader toward an understanding of her ultimate teaching -- know yourself, trust yourself, and go forward, no matter what your current life situation might be. At turns laughing and scolding, always engaging, Zen Master Daehaeng exhorts, cajoles, and instructs readers in their practice. These Dharma talks -- gathered over several years -- are like having Master Daehaeng at your side, urging you on. The question-and-answer sessions with students are particularly enlightening; readers will find that the students' questions mirror their own and that Master Daehaeng’s responses guide them on.
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • PEN/FAULKER AWARD WINNER • The acclaimed author of The Swimmers and When the Emperor Was Divine tells the story of a group of young women brought from Japan to San Francisco as “picture brides” a century ago in this "understated masterpiece ... that unfolds with great emotional power" (San Francisco Chronicle). In eight unforgettable sections, The Buddha in the Attic traces the extraordinary lives of these women, from their arduous journeys by boat, to their arrival in San Francisco and their tremulous first nights as new wives; from their experiences raising children who would later reject their culture and language, to the deracinating arrival of war. Julie Otsuka has written a spellbinding novel about identity and loyalty, and what it means to be an American in uncertain times.
