Buddhism offers a profound yet practical path to enlightenment. In this loving and generous book, the American-born and Tibetan-trained Lama Surya Das offers at once a definitive and nonsectarian guide to the wisdom found in ancient Tibetan teachings and a tried and true path of spiritual transformation. The radical and compelling message of Buddhism tells us that each of us has the wisdom, awareness, love, and power of the Buddha within; yet most of us are too often like sleeping Buddhas.

A profound transformation can occur just by training your attention in awareness - a practice sweeping the country with its capacity to decrease stress, cultivate inner calm, and expand wisdom and creativity. Clinical psychologist and meditation teacher Tara Brach has been at the forefront of mindfulness-based therapy since its inception, and here offers a traditional loving-kindness meditation with a neurologically-based relaxation technique known as "smiling yoga".

What would happen if you were to allow everything to be exactly as it is? If you gave up the need for control, and instead embraced the whole of your experience in each moment that arose? In the 14 years that he studied Zen, Adyashanti found that most seasoned meditators had used the practice as a means to a goal they never reached.

You don’t need to spend a lifetime purifying and perfecting yourself in order to touch the bliss of enlightenment. Your essential state of being is already one of pure awareness and incorruptible, innate wakefulness. The question is, how can you access this awakened state? How can you free your luminous true nature?

When we seek comfort and relief from stress, Tara Brach teaches, we often unconsciously turn to false refuges such as material wealth, approval from others, or a preoccupation with the past and future. Yet by cultivating true refuge in this moment, not only can we find shelter from the storms of life but we also open ourselves up to fully experiencing joy and fulfillment. Here, Tara Brach guides a meditation using the therapeutic R.A.I.N. process for releasing fear and healing through self-compassion.

Of all the Buddha's teachings, perhaps his greatest gift can be found in "the Bodhisattva ideal", a template for living in the world as an "Awakener", a servant of the highest good for all. With his previous best-sellers including Awakening the Buddha Within, American-born Tibetan Buddhist teacher Lama Surya Das has made the helpful, healing insights of the Buddha accessible to millions.

Lama Surya Das, author of the best-selling Awakening the Buddha Within, defines the Buddhist heart as our own inner goodness - our most tender, compassionate, and caring self, our innate Buddha-nature. The Buddhist heart, called Bodhicitta by Tibetans, beats within each and every one of us and is awakened through meaningful connections - connections to our families, romantic partners, our colleagues and work, our neighbors, society, and extending out to all living creatures, including ourselves. This book tells us how we can use relationships as a vehicle for a sacred life.

In a world overabundant with stimuli, body-based practices are a powerful way to maintain spiritual awareness and physical health. In this session, Reginald Ray teaches a Tibetan Buddhist meditation to directly connect with the earth, which is understood in the tradition to be a living, enlightened being with the ability to bestow equanimity, calm, and healing.

Yoga nidra is the state of the mind-body union, effortless union, and deep attunement at the heart of all yoga practice. In this guided exploration, Richard Miller takes you step-by-step thorugh the tradtional techniques of yoga nidra to help move you toward "unqualified presence". Suitable for both beginners and advanced practioners, these meditations serve as an essential complement to yoga postures for those seeking the deepest physical, emotional and spiritual rewards of the yogic path.

"We are egos, we are souls, and we are the One," says Ram Dass. On So You Think You're Somebody?, this brilliant teacher illuminates the nature of our true identity by describing three planes of being: the egoic plane of our physical, emotional, and mental reality; the soul plane; and the plane of pure awareness.

What would life be like if we lived wihtout anxiety about our imperfections? Is it really possible to accept ourselves so fully? Tara Brach answers an emphatic "yes" in The Wisdom of Self-Acceptance. Join this clinical psychologist and Buddhist meditation teacher as she shows you how to free yourself from the grip of insecurities about being good enough.

As anyone who has tried it knows, meditation looks simple but at times it can be difficult. The greatest support you can have on your contemplative path is a trusted teacher like Jack Kornfield, who stands out as one of the most helpful and encouraging Western instructors for newcomers to the art of meditation. With Guided Meditation, this renowned Buddhist teacher brings you six practices that will open the door to the serenity and joy of meditation, and serve as your foundation for years to come.

In 81 brief chapters, Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching, or Book of the Way, provides advice that imparts balance and perspective, as well as a serene and generous spirit. It teaches us how to work for the good with the effortless skill that comes from being in accord with the Tao: the basic principle of the universe.

Ken Cohen, one of the West's leading authorities on the Tao, leads you into the flow of zuowang, a meditation for releasing your thoughts into the universal flow of qi, entering its stream, and experiencing the unexpected fullness of "effortless emptiness".

In The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching, now revised with added material and new insights, Nhat Hanh introduces us to the core teachings of Buddhism and shows us that the Buddha’s teachings are accessible and applicable to our daily lives.