Avatar: The Last Airbender and Philosophy
Avatar: The Last Airbender and Philosophy

Author: Helen De Cruz

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2022-12-01

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13: 1119809800

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Would our world be a better place if some of us were benders? Can Katara repair the world through care? Is Toph a disability pride icon? What does it mean for Zuko to be bad at being good? Can we tell whether uncle Iroh is a fool or a sage? The world is out of sorts. The four nations, Water, Earth, Fire, and Air, are imbalanced because of the unrelenting conquest of the Fire Nation. The only one who can restore balance to the world is the Avatar. On the face of it, Avatar: The Last Airbender is a story about a lone superhero. However, saving the world is a team effort, embodied in Team Avatar, aka the Gaang. Aang needs help from his friends and tutors, even from non-human animals. Through the teachings of Guru Pathik and Huu he comes to realize that though the world and its nations seem separate, we are all one people. We all have the same roots and we are all branches of the same tree. Avatar: The Last Airbender and Philosophy brings to the fore the Eastern, Western, and Indigenous philosophies that are implicit in the show. Following Uncle Iroh’s advice that it is important to draw wisdom from many traditions, this volume features contributions by experts on Buddhist, Daoist, Confucian, and Indigenous schools of thought, next to focusing on Western classical authors such as Plotinus, Kant, and Merleau-Ponty. The volume is also unique in drawing on less common traditions such as black abolitionism, anarchism, and the philosophy of martial arts. Intertwining experience and reflection, ATLA and Philosophy helps readers to deeply engage with today’s burning questions, such as how to deal with ecological destruction, the aftermath of colonialism and genocide, and wealth inequality, using the tools from a wide range of philosophical traditions.

The Masters Manual -- Chuan Fa Kenpo Close Combat
The Masters Manual -- Chuan Fa Kenpo Close Combat

Author: Edward Orem

Publisher: Lulu.com

Published: 2014-04-08

Total Pages: 204

ISBN-13: 131208359X

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For instructors of non-sport martial training, this Master's Manual details 340 duan chuan fa or "Short Fist" extremely aggressive and terminal close range fighting techniques, maneuvers and strategies against specific aggressions. As this is oriented toward seasoned instructors, no photos are included, nor are they necessary with the detailed written directions. This is not "self defense" material: that is not its genesis and it is patently inappropriate for those who do not train seriously.The techniques present combinations of throws, locks, breaks, holds, chops, kicks, punches and other strikes arranged in 11 levels of belt ranks up to 5th Black, as presently used in the Chuan Fa Kenpo system. Each technique will easily suggest 10 optional and equally effective maneuvers, i.e. these are "seeds" for dynamic, adaptive responses. There has been a deliberate attempt in the Manual's layout to allow room for you to leave tracks as you modify these seminal maneuvers.

Zen Training
Zen Training

Author: Katsuki Sekida

Publisher: Shambhala Publications

Published: 2005-09-13

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13: 083482583X

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This pioneering guide to zazen—Zen-style seated meditation—provides practical instructions on how to begin or elevate your practice and progress along the Zen path Zen Training is a comprehensive handbook for zazen, seated meditation practice, and an authoritative presentation of the Zen path. The book marked a turning point in Zen literature in its critical reevaluation of the enlightenment experience, which the author believes has often been emphasized at the expense of other important aspects of Zen training. In addition, Zen Training goes beyond the first flashes of enlightenment to explore how one lives as well as trains in Zen. The author also draws many significant parallels between Zen and Western philosophy and psychology, comparing traditional Zen concepts with the theories of being and cognition of such thinkers as Heidegger and Husserl.

A Complete Guide to Chi-Gung
A Complete Guide to Chi-Gung

Author: Daniel Reid

Publisher: Shambhala Publications

Published: 2000-03-07

Total Pages: 340

ISBN-13: 0834823748

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A guide to the history, theory and practice of chi-gung, the ancient Taoist system of health rooted in movement, breathing, meditation, and massage Chi-gung, which literally means “energy work”: is a system of cultivating health, vitality, and longevity that is based on the fundamental principles of Taoism and the laws of nature. Practiced by the Chinese for thousands of years, chi-gung works with the energy found in all living things to help rid the body of the imbalances that sap our strength and give rise to disease. The simple, meditative movements, breathing exercises, and massage techniques that are the basis of chi-gung can be practiced by anyone, regardless of age or physical fitness. Originally published under the title Harnessing the Power of the Universe, this book provides a detailed overview of chi-gung, describing the techniques of movement, breathing, and massage that are intrinsic to this ancient Taoist system of health.

The Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma
The Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma

Author: Bodhidharma

Publisher: North Point Press

Published: 2009-11-01

Total Pages: 148

ISBN-13: 1429952768

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A fifth-century Indian Buddhist monk, Bodhidharma is credited with bringing Zen to China. Although the tradition that traces its ancestry back to him did not flourish until nearly two hundred years after his death, today millions of Zen Buddhists and students of kung fu claim him as their spiritual father. While others viewed Zen practice as a purification of the mind or a stage on the way to perfect enlightenment, Bodhidharma equated Zen with buddhahood and believed that it had a place in everyday life. Instead of telling his disciples to purify their minds, he pointed them to rock walls, to the movements of tigers and cranes, to a hollow reed floating across the Yangtze. This bilingual edition, the only volume of the great teacher's work currently available in English, presents four teachings in their entirety. "Outline of Practice" describes the four all-inclusive habits that lead to enlightenment, the "Bloodstream Sermon" exhorts students to seek the Buddha by seeing their own nature, the "Wake-up Sermon" defends his premise that the most essential method for reaching enlightenment is beholding the mind. The original Chinese text, presented on facing pages, is taken from a Ch'ing dynasty woodblock edition.

The Bodhisattva Warriors
The Bodhisattva Warriors

Author: Terence Dukes

Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass Publishe

Published: 2000

Total Pages: 564

ISBN-13: 9788120817234

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This unique study of the genesis and development of the earliest form of Buddhist self-defense practiced by Chuan Fa monks and mystics shows both the philosophical and physical basis of the skills developed and passed on to subsequent generations. This book seeks to reunite these concepts. Its teaching draws equally on the practices of North Chinese Chaan Movement Meditation Traditions and on the South Chinese Esoteric (Mi Chiao) School--both secret traditions rarely revealed to the general public. The material is presented so readers can understand that what we think of as a competitive sport is really a meditation mandala in action. Extensive appendices list the main Chinese dynasties, a chronology of Buddhist Sutras, a chronological record of scriptures, teachers, events during 1000 years of Indian and Chinese Buddhism, and translations of Bodhidharma`s texts including The Six Gates, Entering the Buddha`s Path, and the treatise upon the Bloodline Teaching of True Dharma.

Lessons of the Masters
Lessons of the Masters

Author: George Steiner

Publisher: Open Road Media

Published: 2013-04-16

Total Pages: 153

ISBN-13: 1480411876

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DIVA thought-provoking examination of the complex teacher-student relationship, from one of the great minds of the modern literary world Based on George Steiner’s extensive experience as a teacher, Lessons of the Masters is a passionate examination of the “profession of the professor.” He writes about what empowers one person to teach another, and explores the complexities and nuances of this bond. From the charismatic master to the loving disciple, Steiner explores the religious, philosophical, economic, and scientific aspects of imparting knowledge, drawing upon history’s most famous teachers: Socrates, Jesus, Faust, Virgil, Dante, Heloise, and Abelard./div