Meditation In Action

This classic teaching by a Tibetan master continues to inspire both beginners and long-time practitioners of Buddhist meditation. In Meditation in Action, Chögyam Trungpa teaches that meditation is based on trying to see what is, rather than trying to achieve a higher mental or physical state. Trungpa describes the life of the Buddha, emphasizing that, like the Buddha, we must find the truth for ourselves, rather than following someone else's example. Meditation in action might also be called "working meditation," for it is not a retreat from the world. Rather, it builds the foundation for tremendous compassion, awareness, and creativity in all aspects of a person's mind or behavior. Trungpa shows that meditation extends beyond the formal practice of sitting to build the foundation for compassion, awareness, and creativity in all aspects of life. He explores the six activities associated with meditation in action—generosity, discipline, patience, energy, clarity, and wisdom –revealing that through simple direct experience, one can attain real wisdom—the ability to see clearly into situations and to deal with them skillfully, without the self-consciousness connected with ego.

The rewards of mindfulness practice are well proven: reduced stress, improved concentration, and an overall sense of well-being. But those benefits are just the beginning. Mindfulness in action—mindfulness applied throughout life—can help us work more effectively with life’s challenges, expanding our appreciation and potential for creative engagement. This guide to mindful awareness through meditation provides all the basics to get you started but also goes deeper to address the questions that naturally arise as your practice matures and further insight arises. A distillation of teachings on the subject by one of the great meditation masters of our time, this book serves as an introduction to the practice as well as a guide to the ongoing mindful journey.

This groundbreaking primer illuminates contemplative methods that can improve mental and physical health. Contemplative practices, from meditation to Zen, are growing in popularity as methods to inspire physical and mental health. Contemplative Practices in Action: Spirituality, Meditation, and Health offers readers an introduction to these practices and the ways they can be used in the service of well being, wisdom, healing, and stress reduction. Bringing together various traditions from the East and West, this thought-provoking work summarizes the history of each practice, highlights classic and emerging research proving its power, and details how each practice is performed. Expert authors offer step-by-step approaches to practice methods including the 8-Point Program of Passage Meditation, Centering Prayer, mindful stress management, mantram meditation, energizing meditation, yoga, and Zen. Beneficial practices from Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, Hindu, and Islamic religions are also featured. Vignettes illustrate each of the practices, while the contributors explain how and why they are effective in facing challenges as varied as the loss of a partner or child, job loss, chronic pain or disease, or psychological disorders.

Featuring accounts by practitioners living everyday lives, this introduction to Vipassana meditation provides a way for readers to learn more about its benefits. Explained is what takes place before, during, and after a ten-day silent meditation retreat. Each participant follows the same discipline: silence, a basic moral code known as the five precepts, a prescribed timetable, a vegetarian diet, and a commitment to practicing only what is taught at the retreat. This first-person account of the retreat reveals the challenges and benefits of facing reality head-on through direct observation and of learning to observe instead of reacting to thoughts, emotions, and sensations. In addition, the ways in which Vipassana meditation techniques are applied to individuals, institutions, children, prisoners, work places, and fields of science and social action are examined. Although based on the teachings of the Buddha, the practice of Vipassana as illustrated in this book has broad appeal to other religious and nonsectarian audiences.

A Guide to Meditation and Mindfulness for the Modern Day In our never-ending search for happiness we often find ourselves looking to external things for fulfillment, thinking that happiness can be unlocked by buying a bigger house, getting the next promotion, or building a perfect family. In this profound and inspiring book, Gelong Thubten shares a practical and sustainable approach to happiness. Thubten, a Buddhist monk and meditation expert who has worked with everyone from school kids to Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and Benedict Cumberbatch, explains how meditation and mindfulness can create a direct path to happiness. A Monk’s Guide to Happiness explores the nature of happiness and helps bust the myth that our lives and minds are too busy for meditation. The book can show you how to: - Learn practical methods to help you choose happiness - Develop greater compassion for yourself and others - Learn to meditate in micro-moments during a busy day - Discover that you are naturally ‘hard-wired’ for happiness Reading A Monk’s Guide to Happiness could revolutionize your relationship with your thoughts and emotions, and help you create a life of true happiness and contentment.

In this book a renowned meditation master teaches that meditation is not a retreat from the world. Rather, it extends beyond the practice of sitting meditation and builds the foundation for compassion, awareness, and creativity in all aspects of life. Chögyam Trungpa, one of the foremost contemporary teachers of Buddhism, founded the Naropa Institute and Shambhala Training.

Action is the surest path not only to reaching goals, but to finding the kind of meaning and purpose we desire. It is a kind of back door to the promises of so many philosophies and religions. When we are action-oriented, we forget to notice the missing pieces of our modern world: anomie fades away, change doesn't seem so wildly fast, the news becomes white noise.This book provides insights on how to take action more.

"In this beautiful treatise, Jennie Lee gives practical ways to embody love itself; a true path to connection with our inherent divinity."—Tosha Silver, author of Outrageous Openness and Change Me Prayers Make Love Your Spiritual Practice Discover how to embody love, breathe it as your daily spiritual practice, and recognize it as the core of who you are. Love is more than an emotional wave that passes through us, and meditation is what we need to clear our inner vision and overcome the impulses and habits that take us away from pure love. This remarkable book explores what love is and what it takes to live it each day, even in a world full of turmoil. Jennie Lee shares many personal stories as she guides you into more active, conscious loving by overcoming anger and fear, building trust, learning to forgive, and dealing with loss. Using daily meditation practices—both on and off the cushion—and mindful action, Breathing Love shows you how to open your heart to your true nature as love itself. Praise: Winner of the 2018 American Book Fest Best Book Award (Self Help/Motivational Category) Finalist for the 2018 Independent Author's Network Book of the Year Award (Spirituality/Inspirational Category) Named One of the Top 10 Inspiring Books of January 2018 by Aspire Magazine "Jennie Lee's Breathing Love is extraordinarily important, because our country and our world are afflicted by a tsunami of separation directed toward "the other." This pandemic of separation and hostility now threatens our future. In elaborating on love, Lee provides a path not just for personal psychospiritual growth, but also for the survival of our species."—Larry Dossey, MD, author of One Mind "Breathing Love is brimming with inspiration for those building or expanding a practice of meditation, not just as a self-care practice, but as a means to heal our hurts and fill our hearts with calm trust and LOVE."—Agapi Stassinopoulos, author of Wake Up to the Joy of You "Brilliant, elegant, and easily practical for those just getting into meditation, and for the seasoned veteran. This is a book to cherish, filled with good stories from Jennie's remarkable life of devotion."—Stephen G. Post, author of Why Good Things Happen to Good People and president of the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love "This book will set you on the path to healing and to seeing relationships in a whole new light. Through her personal stories, Lee illustrates the way we can evolve consciousness from fear to love—an essential skill for everyone's inner peace."—Gerald G. Jampolsky, MD, co-author of Aging with Attitude