At The Heart Of The Universe

At the heart of the Universe opens up God's great purpose for us and our world, focusing on the End towards which God has been working throughout history and is still working today. In doing so, Peter Jensen sheds light on the main aspects of Christian belief, showing how they fit together as one dynamic whole, and how they relate to us and our culture at the beginning of the twenty-first century.

Form is emptiness; emptiness is form. This is the bold and intriguing assertion of the Heart Sutra, a text of seminal importance to the Buddhist tradition made even more fascinating by its deep resonance with the cutting edges of quantum physics and cognitive science. In spare and approachable language, The Heart of the Universe deftly explores this gem of world religious literature from a variety of perspectives--historical, spiritual, linguistic, and scientific--each serving to interdependently illuminate the other.

The story of two mothers and a father in love with the same daughter, Samuel Shem's At the Heart of the Universe is an epic novel set deep in rural China against the backdrop of an ancient mountain monastery during the time of the one-child-per-family policy. Inspired by the author's experiences as parent of an adopted child, it describes the drama of adoption and the journey of loss and rebirth that can happen when a daughter brings together her adopted mother and father with her birth mother high on a mountaintop. Set in 1991 in Changsha, capital of Hunan province, as a Chinese woman abandons her one-month-old daughter in a pile of celery in a busy market, and then shifting to Changsha ten years later as the daughter returns with her adopted American parents, the story moves across southern China until, high atop Emei San, one of China's "sacred mountains" with a Buddhist temple, the four are brought together in the wilderness—a perilous and explosive time that unleashes their heartbreak and suffering and, remarkably, transcends it to shared compassion, and new beginnings.

The universe is a vast, beautiful place. It's also you—its minerals, waters, and stardust are the same as in your body. This transformational guide offers simple, effective ways to connect with the energy, mystery, and power of nature and the universe. Imbued with indigenous wisdom and shamanic insight, Weave the Heart of the Universe into Your Life teaches how to find fluidity in the face of complexity. Offering medicine for soul and spirit, author Meg Beeler will guide you in forming deeper connections with nature, filling with light, and drawing from the ancient Andean wisdom that so changes our lives and perspectives. Shamanic teaching tells us that we live in a cosmos in which all things are connected. When you're struggling to stay in balance—as we all are at times—simple daily practices keep you on track. Explore 84 experiential Energy AlchemyTM practices for: shifting your experience, letting go of patterns and stories that no longer serve, reconnecting with your essence and the amazing web of life, thriving and living in joyful celebration of life. A potent journey of re-enchantment with nature, expanded perception, and connection with the heart of the universe awaits you.

Though "The Heart Sutra" is an ancient Buddhist scripture, scholars are now discovering how it offers insight into the nature of an ultimate reality perceived through intuitive wisdom. Fascinatingly, quantum physicists are increasingly discovering interesting parallels between science and the basic insights of "The Heart Sutra." In this important offering, Mu Soeng shows how the intellectual and the intuitive can begin to meet. In offering a commentary on this important piece of the world's great religious literature, "The Heart of the Universe" establishes a broad context to encounter "The Heart Sutra" on many levels -- historical, spiritual, and empirical -- each serving to interdependently illuminate the other.

This is the bold and intriguing assertion of the Heart Sutra, a text of seminal importance to the Buddhist tradition made even more fascinating by its deep resonance with the cutting edges of quantum physics and cognitive science. In spare and approachable language, The Heart of the Universe deftly explores this gem of world religious literature from a variety of perspectives - historical, spiritual, linguistic, and scientific - each serving to interdependently illuminate the other.

One of The Barnes and Noble Review Editors' Picks: Best Nonfiction of 2012 Selected by The Christian Science Monitor as one of "21 smart nonfiction titles we think you'll enjoy this summer" Selected by The New Scientist as one of 10 books to look out for in 2012 We've long understood black holes to be the points at which the universe as we know it comes to an end. Often billions of times more massive than the Sun, they lurk in the inner sanctum of almost every galaxy of stars in the universe. They're mysterious chasms so destructive and unforgiving that not even light can escape their deadly wrath. Recent research, however, has led to a cascade of new discoveries that have revealed an entirely different side to black holes. As the astrophysicist Caleb Scharf reveals in Gravity's Engines, these chasms in space-time don't just vacuum up everything that comes near them; they also spit out huge beams and clouds of matter. Black holes blow bubbles. With clarity and keen intellect, Scharf masterfully explains how these bubbles profoundly rearrange the cosmos around them. Engaging with our deepest questions about the universe, he takes us on an intimate journey through the endlessly colorful place we call our galaxy and reminds us that the Milky Way sits in a special place in the cosmic zoo—a "sweet spot" of properties. Is it coincidental that we find ourselves here at this place and time? Could there be a deeper connection between the nature of black holes and their role in the universe and the phenomenon of life? We are, after all, made of the stuff of stars.

From the author of We Are the Ants comes “another winner” (Booklist, starred review) about a boy who believes the universe is slowly shrinking as the things he remembers are being erased from others’ memories. Tommy and Ozzie have been best friends since the second grade, and boyfriends since eighth. They spent countless days dreaming of escaping their small town—and then Tommy vanished. More accurately, he ceased to exist, erased from the minds and memories of everyone who knew him. Everyone except Ozzie. Ozzie doesn’t know how to navigate life without Tommy, and soon he suspects that something else is going on: that the universe is shrinking. When Ozzie is paired up with the reclusive and secretive Calvin for a physics project, it’s hard for him to deny the feelings developing between them, even if he still loves Tommy. But Ozzie knows there isn’t much time left to find Tommy—that once the door closes, it can’t be opened again. And he’s determined to keep it open as long as possible.