Lotus Lake Dragon Pool

Collected by the author over many years, these stories from the Yoga and Zen traditions are the flint and steel that strike a spark that lights up the mind with insights that one should ponder daily to bring to light ever deeper meaning. They may be similar in intent to Zen Koans – but they are rather different in content. TIn many Zen Koans someone says or does something extraordinarily inappropriate, which catches your attention just because it's extraordinary –but afterwards the light from them has to be applied to daily life. In contrast, the stories here are often ordinary incidents from ordinary lives (not that there aren't some extraordinary ones too!) that nevertheless open the mind's eye to the vast potential for realization and inspiration to be found in daily life.

The Spirit of Budo by Trevor Leggett is a comprehensive guide to the philosophy and practice of the martial arts. Drawing on his extensive experience as a practitioner and teacher of various martial arts, Leggett explores the deeper meaning and purpose behind these disciplines, and how they can be applied to everyday life. The book covers a wide range of topics, from the history and development of martial arts in Japan to the principles of Zen Buddhism and Taoism that underpin their philosophy. Leggett also delves into the practical aspects of training, including techniques for developing physical strength, flexibility, and mental focus. What sets The Spirit of Budo apart from other martial arts books is its emphasis on the spiritual and philosophical aspects of these disciplines. Leggett argues that the true purpose of martial arts is not simply to win fights or competitions, but to cultivate a deeper understanding of ourselves and our place in the world. Throughout the book, Leggett draws on examples from his own life and experiences, as well as stories and teachings from some of the greatest martial artists and spiritual leaders of all time. The result is a rich and inspiring exploration of the spirit of budo, and a valuable resource for anyone interested in martial arts, spirituality, or personal growth.

This book provides a series of thematically arranged articles written by contemporary scholars of Buddhism throughout North America.

'The text translated here is an historical find: an unknown commentary on the Yoga Sutra-s of Patanjali by Sankara, the most eminent philosopher of ancient India. Present Indications are that it is likely to be authentic, which would date it about AD700. The many references to meditation in his accepted works have sometimes been regarded as concessions to accepted ideas of the time , and not really his own views. If he has chosen to write a commentary on Yoga meditation, it must have been a central part of his own standpoint, although he was opposed to some of the philosophical doctrines of the official Yoga school. One would expect a tendency to modify these unacceptable doctrines if this text is really by Sankara. This turns out to be the case'. T.P.Leggett - Introduction for the general reader - 1990 '.....Leggett's translation of the Vivarana did not receive the attention it deserved when it first came out. Some of the points that he raised are well worth consideration in the context of the authorship problem, and his contribution to the debate should be recognised..... Dr Kengo Harimoto in his Foreword to the e-book edition - 2017 'When enthusiasm flags, read sutras 11.15 - 17; look around you and see how anxiety, pain and death are rushing towards us like an express train. Yoga is a way to escape them'. T.P.Leggett - How to use this book for Yoga Practice - 1990 Excerpts from 'The Complete Commentary by Sankara on the Yoga Sutra-s' by Trevor Leggett

A practical training method, and not merely a text of revelation and worship – such is the true status of the ancient Sanskrit text Bhagavad Gītā. The special contribution of the Gītā is yoga, practical methods for expanding individual consciousness to realise the Supreme Self. This book presents the Gītā yoga in the light of explanations by Śan ̇kara, the great seventh-century Indian philosopher and yogin, and Hari Prasad Shastri, who taught in Britain from 1929 till his death in 1956. The Gītā is directed in the first instance at the vigorously active, with responsibilities in the world. The actual practices of yoga are given for meeting the shock of the world-energies in the form of illusions, fear, greed, and anger. The whole basis of Gītā yoga is confirmation through experiment, not mere exhortation. This highly significant book presents the Gītā as a training manual for spiritual practice. Trevor Leggett studied Vedānta and the traditional Yoga of the Self for over sixty years and for eighteen years he was a pupil of Hari Prasad Shastri. Trevor Leggett published translations and transcriptions from both Sanskrit and Japanese including 'The Complete Commentary by Śaṅkara on the Yoga Sūtras' and 'Zen and the Ways'. In 1987 the All-Japan Buddhist Association gave him a Literary Award for his translations and in 1990 he was invited to speak on his Śaṅkara translations to the three day International Seminar on Śaṅkara held at New Delhi. Trevor Leggett studied Judo and Zen in Japan. He achieved sixth dan in Judo from the Kodokan and he was one of Great Britain's leading teachers of Judo. For twenty years he was head of the BBC's Japanese Service until his retirement in 1970. He died on 2nd August 2000. Trevor Leggett's other books on Yoga and Zen include 'Encounters in Yoga and Zen', 'Lotus Lake, Dragon Pool', 'The Chapter of the Self ', 'Jewels from the Indra Net', 'A First Zen Reader,' 'A Second Zen Reader (The Tiger's Cave)', 'The Spirit of Budo', 'The Dragon Mask', 'Samurai Zen (The Warrior Koans)', and 'Three Ages of Zen'. He is also the author of 'Japanese Chess, the game of Shogi'. Realisation of the Supreme Self THE BHAGAVAD GĪTĀ YOGA-S Realisation of the Supreme Self THE BHAGAVAD GĪTĀ YOGA-S As the Sun, shining alone, illumines the whole world, So the Field-owner illumines the whole Field. Gītā XIII.33 Trevor Leggett Trevor Leggett

In November 1963, the president of South Vietnam and his brother were brutally executed in a coup that was sanctioned and supported by the American government. President Kennedy later explained to his close friend Paul "Red" Fay that the reason the United States made the fateful decision to get rid of the Ngos was in no small part because of South Vietnam's first lady, Madame Nhu. "That goddamn bitch," Fay remembers President Kennedy saying, "She's responsible ... that bitch stuck her nose in and boiled up the whole situation down there." The coup marked the collapse of the Diem government and became the US entry point for a decade-long conflict in Vietnam. Kennedy's death and the atrocities of the ensuing war eclipsed the memory of Madame Nhu -- with her daunting mixture of fierceness and beauty. But at the time, to David Halberstam, she was "the beautiful but diabolic sex dictatress," and Malcolm Browne called her "the most dangerous enemy a man can have." By 1987, the once-glamorous celebrity had retreated into exile and seclusion, and remained there until young American Monique Demery tracked her down in Paris thirty years later. Finding the Dragon Lady is Demery's story of her improbable relationship with Madame Nhu, and -- having ultimately been entrusted with Madame Nhu's unpublished memoirs and her diary from the years leading up to the coup -- the first full history of the Dragon Lady herself, a woman who was feared and fantasized over in her time, and who singlehandedly frustrated the government of one of the world's superpowers.

The Divine Lands' calamity, the chaotic world, and so many tyrants and tyrants. An ordinary youth who wanted to play this game had unexpectedly obtained a unique book, cultivated peerless martial arts, defeated all sorts of masters, and even wrote a legend in his life. Then, was it a rain of smoke that covered his entire life, or was he trying to draw out a sword and save the lives of all under the heavens? Oh, trouble! It was painful! How should he choose?