Living a Buddhist Life

Transforming Work

Padmasuri

How do you experience work? Is it a stressful rush? Or is it rich and rewarding? Here is a book that looks at these questions — and work — as part of one’s spiritual practice.

Transforming Work profiles windhorse:evolution. This multi-million pound Buddhist giftware business gives away most of its profits and encourages growth and creativity in its workforce by focusing on ‘Right Livelihood’, ethical trading and mindfulness.

In Transforming Work, we see Right Livelihood not only in its own right but very much as a part of the Noble Eightfold Path.

Through a mixture of thought-provoking interviews both with those who work at the ‘office’ and at retail as well as narrative, we see one way that work can be creative, alive and truly part of a vibrant spiritual practice.

ISBN 1 899579 52 4

Touching the Earth
A Buddhist Guide to Saving the Planet

Akuppa

With practical ideas, exercises and examples of how to appreciate and protect this rich natural world we all share, environmentalist and Buddhist teacher Akuppa urges us to see beyond our selfish concerns and wake up to the fragile beauty of the world. This capacity to look beyond ourselves is the seed of heroism. Cultivating this seed, we will find in a thousand ordinary ways that real change is possible after all.

ISBN 1 899579 48 6

Buddhism and Friendship

Subhuti

Spiritual friendship is the whole of the spiritual life.
The Buddha

In what way is spiritual friendship the whole of the spiritual life? How does it support our spiritual growth? Why do so many discussions of Buddhism overlook it?

In Buddhism and Friendship, Subhuti considers these questions by delving into teachings and stories from the Buddhist scriptures as well as by drawing on Western thinkers and personal experience of friendship on the Buddhist path.

The author invites us to develop a wide and deep understanding of spiritual friendship, encompassing relationships not only with teachers but also with our peers. Buddhism and Friendship offers practical ways for us to cultivate, deepen and extend our friendships, so that they can inspire and shape our spiritual lives.

Explore the riches of intimacy, respect, trust and mutual support that friendship at its best can bestow.

ISBN 1 899579 62 1

Thicker Than Blood

Maitreyabandhu

To see a friend act out of a genuine desire to become more than he is, to see him speak truthfully, with integrity and kindness, is a sight of such beauty that it is almost unparalleled.

This is a book about friendship — about the Buddhist ideals of spiritual friendship and the author’s personal experience. By turns moving, funny, and inspirational, Maitreyabandhu’s account is as compelling as a good novel.

ISBN 1 899579 39 7

Ordination

Moksananda

Ordination: a spiritual journey; a noble quest; a lived myth; a rite of passage

Finding something of true value that evokes our faith and commitment is rare indeed, especially in a time when positive myths are in danger of disappearing. Those in the West today seeking ordination as Buddhists are still convinced of the need to commit to the search for spiritual awakening.

Looking at themes such as altruism, purity, loyalty, and courage, and drawing on the example of the Western Buddhist Order, Ordination offers some of the mystery and challenge, confusion and joy the quest can entail. Moksananda’s conviction and longing — just as strong eighteen years after his own ordination — will echo in many people’s hearts as they search for life’s meaning.

ISBN 1 899579 60 5

Vegetarianism

Bodhipaksa

Explore vegetarianism through the Buddhist themes of interconnection, loving-kindness and personal responsibility.

Bodhipaksa, a trained vet and Buddhist teacher, gives the facts about the meat industry, compares different religious and philosophical views regarding the relationship between people and animals, and answers frequently asked questions about living a modern vegetarian life. Reading Vegetarianism may help you decide to join the 3.5 million people in the UK alone who have chosen the healthy and compassionate alternative to meat-eating.

ISBN 1 899579 15 X

Living Together

Sanghadevi

Where and how we live influences us every day. Home is where we most often look for our human needs to be met. Not only does it form the backdrop to all our activities, but it can provide opportunities for spiritual growth and human fulfilment.

Sanghadevi, a respected Buddhist teacher, suggests community living as a practical way to embody a vision of increasing generosity, kindness, and harmony. Drawing on her many years in Buddhist communities, she encourages us to engage with the frequent challenges we will encounter and speaks from her own experience of the joys of sharing. Living Together explores the essential ingredients of community living, including friendliness, cooperation, meaningful communication, and mutual vision.

Living with others who share our ideals can encourage us to practise ethics, awareness, and simplicity — all of which can lead us to true quality of life.

ISBN 1 899579 50 8

Detox your Heart

Vimalasara

Reclaim happiness and contentment

Have you ever felt angry, resentful or even revengeful? The author Valerie Mason-John draws on her own life, personal stories, and current work as an anger management trainer to explore why we can experience such emotions and how we can transform toxins like anger, hatred, and fear.

Our ability to love and be open is often blocked by toxins inside the heart — jealousy, hatred, anger, prejudice, fear, resentment. With short exercises that encourage pausing, connecting, feeling, and loving, Detox Your Heart helps us to renew and open our heart.

ISBN 1 899579 65 6