Van Mong has many lakes, the architecture of Lien Hoa O was built based on the lakes. Lo is a low-lying area. Departing from this pier on Lien Hoa Lo, rowing down the river not long, there will be a large lotus lake, called Lien Hoa Lake, I'm afraid it takes dozens of miles. Wide green leaves, bright pink lotuses, shoulder to shoulder, head next to head. The wind blew across the lake, the flowers swayed their branches and leaves, as if they were nodding their heads restlessly. In the fresh and beautiful appearance, there is also some lovely innocence.
Have you ever asked, "If God created a perfect world, how could there be evil?" Get surprising yet Bible-based answers to questions like: 1) Has evil always existed? 2) Did god create the devil? 3) Is God responsible for sin?Finally, the
This volume provides an overview of the development of the Patriarchate of Constantinople as central ecclesiastical institution of the Byzantine Empire from Late Antiquity to the Early Ottoman period (4th to 15th century CE).
The Record of the Dharma-Jewel Through the Generations (Lidai fabao ji) is a little-known Chan/Zen Buddhist text of the eighth century, rediscovered in 1900 at the Silk Road oasis of Dunhuang. The only remaining artifact of the Bao Tang Chan school of Sichuan, the text provides a fascinating sectarian history of Chinese Buddhism intended to showcase the iconoclastic teachings of Bao Tang founder Chan Master Wuzhu (714–774). Wendi Adamek not only brings Master Wuzhu's experimental community to life but also situates his paradigm-shifting teachings within the history of Buddhist thought. Having published the first translation of the Lidai fabao ji in a Western language, she revises and presents it here for wide readership. Written by disciples of Master Wuzhu, the Lidai fabao ji is one of the earliest attempts to implement a "religion of no-religion," doing away with ritual and devotionalism in favor of "formless practice." Master Wuzhu also challenged the distinctions between lay and ordained worshippers and male and female practitioners. The Lidai fabao ji captures his radical teachings through his reinterpretation of the Chinese practices of merit, repentance, precepts, and Dharma transmission. These aspects of traditional Buddhism continue to be topics of debate in contemporary practice groups, making the Lidai fabao ji a vital document of the struggles, compromises, and insights of an earlier era. Adamek's volume opens with a vivid introduction animating Master Wuzhu's cultural environment and comparing his teachings to other Buddhist and historical sources.
Cloyce Box was larger than life. He left his career as a Pro Bowl wide receiver for the Detroit Lions to rise to corporate fame and extravagant wealth in construction and the oil and gas industries. His sprawling estate in Frisco, Texas, was used as the original Southfork Ranch in the television soap opera Dallas. Cloyce ran both his companies and his family with a firm hand and inextricably linked the two by raising his sons in the business. When he finally passed, he left a wake of collapsing relationships at home and in the boardroom. Texas Patriarch is the taut family saga of four brothers’ struggle to determine the fate of the empire built by their father. In his long shadow, they fought over money and power, nearly destroying both the business and the family. After quarrels and litigation, they finally managed to rediscover each other and the importance of family. Author Doug Box, son of the Texas Patriarch, has made a career from this experience, guiding families through turmoil to retain both their wealth and their connections with each other. Now, you can witness his journey to avoid similar turmoil.
DIV A powerful hero of the Bible, Jacob is also one of its most complex figures. Bible stories recounting his life often expose his deception, lies, and greed—then, puzzlingly, attempt to justify them. In this book, eminent biblical scholar Yair Zakovitch presents a complete view of the patriarch, first examining Jacob and his life story as presented in the Bible, then also reconstructing the stories that the Bible writers suppressed—tales that were well-known, perhaps, but incompatible with the image of Jacob they wanted to promote. Through a work of extraordinary “literary archaeology,” Zakovitch explores the recesses of literary history, reaching back even to the stage of oral storytelling, to identify sources of Jacob's story that preceded the work of the Genesis writers. The biblical writers were skilled mosaic-makers, Zakovitch shows, and their achievement was to reshape diverse pre-biblical representations of Jacob in support of their emerging new religion and identity. As the author follows Jacob in his wanderings and revelations, his successes, disgraces, and disappointments, he also considers the religious and political environment in which the Bible was written, offering a powerful explication of early Judaism. /div
In this book, Ondřej Schmidt offers a critical biography of John of Moravia, illegitimate son of the Moravian Margrave John Henry from the Luxembourg dynasty. Earlier research has confused John with another son of the Margrave, but here, the author argues that John actually became provost of Vyšehrad (1368–1380), bishop of Litomyšl (1380–1387), and eventually patriarch of Aquileia (1387–1394). The study provides a detailed account of John’s life and his assassination in the wider context of princely bastards’ careers, the Luxembourg dynasty, and Czech and Italian history. Schmidt also explores the development of the “second life” of John of Moravia in the historical memory of the following centuries. First published in Czech by Vyšehrad Publishers Ltd as Jan z Moravy. Zapomenutý Lucemburk na aquilejském stolci, Prague, 2016
A lion shifter. Vincent’s oldest enemy is his brother. And now he’s brought before the Council of Elders to determine his fate and Vincent is called as the solitary witness. A lioness shifter. Veronica’s first love is back. That was a lifetime ago, before he left his clan and her behind. She’s built a new life, and clearly so has he. Why can’t she convince herself of that? Sometimes the past refuses to stay in the past. Once upon a time, these two shifters were fated mates. Then circumstances parted them. Has it brought them back together just to keep them apart again?
