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   Sep 21

Philosophy

These are some of our favorite philosophy books. As Daniel Quinn states, there’s no one “right” way to live, but these are some of the influences on our lives.

You Are Here: Discovering the Magic of the Present Moment

You Are Here: Discovering the Magic of the Present Moment

In this book Thich Nhat Hanh, the renowned Zen monk, author, and meditation master, distills the essence of Buddhist thought and practice, emphasizing the power of mindfulness to transform our lives. "Mindfulness is not an evasion or an escape," he explains. "It means being here, present, and totally alive. It is true freedom–and without this freedom, there is no happiness." Based on a retreat that Thich Nhat Hanh led for Westerners, this book offers a range of simple, effective practices for cultivating mindfulness, including awareness of breathing and walking, deep listening, and skillful speech. "You Are Here" also offers guidance on healing emotional pain and manifesting real love and compassion in our relationships with others.

Walking Meditation [With CD and DVD]

Walking Meditation [With CD and DVD]

What if every step you took deepened your connection with all of life and imprinted peace, joy, and serenity on the earth? With Walking Meditation, listeners enjoy the first comprehensive instructional program in this serene spiritual practice to help them walk with presence and peace of mind whether in nature or on a busy city street. Presented in a unique format that combines a book with a DVD and audio CD, Walking Meditation features esteemed Buddhist master Thich Nhat Hanh along with one of his principle students, Anh-Huong Nguyen, as they together illuminate the central tenets of this powerful art, including: — How to recognize the miracle in simply walking, not as a means to an end, but as the opportunity to touch the fullness of life; — Reversing "habit energy" through the unification of body and mind; — Using walking meditation to work with difficult emotions such as anger and anxiety, and much more.

True Love: A Practice for Awakening the Heart

True Love: A Practice for Awakening the Heart

In this little treasure, Thich Nhat Hanh, the renowned Zen monk, offers timeless insight into the nature of real love. With simplicity, warmth, and directness, he explores the four key aspects of love as described in the Buddhist tradition: lovingkindness, compassion, joy, and freedom–explaining how to experience them in our day-to-day lives. He also emphasizes that in order to love in a real way, we must first learn how to be fully present in our lives, and he offers simple techniques from the Buddhist tradition that anyone can use to establish the conditions of love. Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, is an internationally known author, poet, scholar, and peace activist who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King Jr.

Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames

Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames

Anger. It can not only ruin our health and our spirits, but destroy lives as well. In this timely, compassionate, and important new book, the great spiritual teacher and author of "Living Buddha, Living Christ" provides real help for transforming the negative force of anger into a positive and useful energy, bringing harmony and healing to all aspects of our lives.

Being Peace

Being Peace

This classic continues to be well-received and widely circulated. "(Hanh) is a person whose very presence brings peace wherever he is. His writing is simple and clear. This book is for everyone". (Fellowship Magazine)

Beyond Civilization: Humanity's Next Great Adventure

Beyond Civilization: Humanity’s Next Great Adventure

In Beyond Civilization, Daniel Quinn thinks the unthinkable. We all know there’s no one right way to build a bicycle, no one right way to design an automobile, no one right way to make a pair of shoes, but we’re convinced that there must be only one right way to live — and the one we have is it, no matter what. Beyond Civilization makes practical sense of the vision of Daniel Quinn’s best-selling novel Ishmael. Examining ancient civilizations such as the Maya and the Olmec, as well as modern-day microcosms of alternative living like circus societies, Quinn guides us on a quest for a new model for society, one that is forward-thinking and encourages diversity instead of suppressing it. Beyond Civilization is not about a "New World Order" but a "New Personal World Order" that would allow people to assert control over their own destiny and grant them the freedom to create their own way of life right now — not in some distant utopian future.

Ishmael IshmaelThe narrator of this extraordinary tale is a man in search for truth. He answers an ad in a local newspaper from a teacher looking for serious pupils, only to find himself alone in an abandoned office with a full-grown gorilla who is nibbling delicately on a slender branch. ” You are the teacher?” he asks incredulously. ” I am the teacher, ” the gorilla replies. Ishmael is a creature of immense wisdom and he has a story to tell, one that no other human being has ever heard. It is a story that extends backward and forward over the lifespan of the earth from the birth of time to a future there is still time save. Like all great teachers, Ishmael refuses to make the lesson easy; he demands the final illumination to come from within ourselves. Is it man’s destiny to rule the world? Or is it a higher destiny possible for him– one more wonderful than he has ever imagined?

The Story of B The Story of B“The Story of B” combines Daniel Quinn’s provocative and visionary ideas with a masterfully plotted story of adventure and suspense in this stunning, resonant novel that is sure to stay with readers long after they have finished the last page. Father Jared Osborne–bound by a centuries-old mandate held by his order to know before all others that the Antichrist is among us–is sent to Europe on a mission to find a peripatetic preacher whose radical message is attracting a growing circle of followers. The target of Osborne’s investigation is an American known only as B. He isn’t teaching New Age platitudes or building a fanatical following; instead, he is quietly uncovering the hidden history of our planet, redefining the fall of man, and retracing a path of human spirituality that extends millions of years into the past. From the beginning, Fr. Osborne is stunned, outraged, and awed by the simplicity and profundity of B’s teachings. Is B merely a heretic–or is he the Antichrist sent to seduce humanity not with wickedness, but with ideas more alluring than those of traditional religion? With surprising twists and fascinating characters, “The Story of B” answers this question as it sends readers on an intellectual journey that will forever change the way they view spirituality, human history, and, indeed, the state of our present world.

My Ishmael My IshmaelWinner of the Turner Tomorrow Fellowship, Daniel Quinn’s Ishmael is a bestseller and a testament for a burgeoning spiritual movement. Now Quinn presents an extraordinary sequel, a companion novel so startlingly original that even Ishmael’s most faithful readers will not predict its outcome…. When Ishmael places an advertisement for pupils with ” an earnest desire to save the world, ” he does not expect a child to answer him. But twelve-year-old Julie Gerchak is undaunted by Ishmael’s reluctance to teach someone so young, and convinces him to take her on as his next student. Ishmael knows he can’t apply the same strategies with Julie that he used with his first pupil, Alan Lomax–nor can he hope for the same outcome. But young Julie proves that she is ready to forge her own spiritual path–and arrive at her own destination. And when the time comes to choose a pupil to carry out his greatest mission yet, Ishmael makes a daring decision–a choice that just might change the world.

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