Paths To The Heart

First of its kind publication promotes a spiritual dialogue between Christian and Muslims.

“This important guidebook shows in detail and with great humor and insight the way to practice the Buddha’s universal teachings here in the West. Jack Kornfield is a wonderful storyteller and a great teacher.”—Thich Nhat Hanh “Jack is helping to pave the path for American Buddhism, bringing essential basics into our crazy modern lives. And the language he uses is as simple and as lovely as our breath.”—Natalie Goldberg Perhaps the most important book yet written on meditation, the process of inner transformation, and the integration of spiritual practice into our American way of life, A Path with Heart brings alive one by one the challenges of spiritual living in the modern world. Written by a teacher, psychologist, and meditation master of international renown, this warm, inspiring, and expert book touches on a wide range of essential issues including many rarely addressed in spiritual books. From compassion, addiction, and psychological and emotional healing, to dealing with problems involving relationships and sexuality, to the creation of a Zen-like simplicity and balance in all facets of life, it speaks to the concerns of many modern spiritual seekers, both those beginning on the path and those with years of experience. A Path with Heart is filled with practical techniques, guided meditations, stories, koans, and other gems of wisdom that can help ease your journey through the world. The author’s own profound—and sometimes humorous—experiences and gentle assistance will skillfully guide you through the obstacles and trials of spiritual and contemporary life to bring a clarity of perception and a sense of the sacred into your everyday experience. Reading this book will touch your heart and remind you of the promises inherent in meditation and in a life of the spirit: the blossoming of inner peace, wholeness, and understanding, and the achievement of a happiness that is not dependent on external conditions. Sure to be a classic, A Path with Heart shows us how we can bring our spirituality to flower every day of our lives. It is a wise and gentle guidebook for an odyssey into the soul that enables us to achieve a deeper, more satisfying life in the world.

In this lovely book, Sr. Joan looks at 50 "aspects," all of which in some way can fill our hearts and our lives. She talks about a prayerful heart, a peaceful heart, a risking heart, a wise heart, a cosmic heart, a compassionate heart. Each brief chapter offers abundant food for reflection and prayer, and each offers an opportunity to become persons who "produce Good from the treasure of the heart" (Luke 6:45).

The Essence of Jung's Psychology and Tibetan Buddhism cuts to the heart of two very different yet remarkably similar traditions. The author touches on many of their major ideas: the collective unconscious and karma, archetypes and deities, the analyst and the spiritual friend, and mandalas. Within Tibetan Buddhism she focuses on tantra and relates its emphasis on spiritual transformation, also a major concern of Jung. This expanded edition includes new material on the integration of the two traditions, and the importance of these paths of the heart in today's unsteady world.

A melding of two kinds of stories into one extraordinary adventure, Paths of Heart--Writing Stories Told at Life's End is an uplifting memoir of intensely experiencing people who are nearing their ends. For more than ten years Richard Haverlack has been writing for hospice patients, making their stories into memoirs, written legacies, they leave to their loved ones. Six of these sometimes poignant sometimes astonishing encounters are chronicled in this book. They run the gamut from Epiphany to Pain and each transforms the author as it very well may the reader. Then, too, there is an overarching story of how Richard came to be doing this work of capturing people's life stories in the first place. From his failed attempts to evangelize hospice as a public speaker, through originating a way to write another's story, to coming to capture hospice patient tales as a volunteer. Richard's journey demonstrates that others, too can learn to listen to, "storyize," then write the accounts we all hear and say, "Somebody should write that down!" Richard's experience illustrates that that "somebody" could easily be you.----------Proceeds from the sale of this book are being donated to the Good Samaritan Hospice.----------"Rage," Dylan Thomas famously wrote about death, "against the dying of the light." No, Richard Haverlack's hospice patients don't rage in his extraordinary Paths of Heart--Writing Stories Told at Life's End. Instead, they offer a spectrum of unique and touching perspectives into life's most bittersweet time. In shaping these singular narratives, Haverlack does far more than merely bear witness. Instead, he illuminates the strength, insight, and dignity these brave people have about life's difficult passage. For anyone facing this challenge, or caring for a loved one, Paths of Heart is absolutely required reading.-- Abby Mendelson, Ph.D., author, professor, instructor in the University of Pittsburgh Osher Lifelong Learning Institute----------Good Samaritan Hospice, as well as dozens of the patients, have been blessed to have Richard Haverlack as an active member of the hospice volunteer team since 2007. His story with Good Samaritan started with a very personal experience, and as a result, he began to offer his gift to others. His primary focus as a volunteer is listening and writing life stories for the patients and their loved ones. The opportunity to share one's life story is a gift that gives from generation to generation, provides a deep sense of dignity for the patient and provides wonderful insight into the care of the patient and family. Patients are honored that Richard offers to share their stories with the hospice team. The stories are so 'real' we can 'see' the patient in that time of their life, share in the adventures and grow closer to them as we meet their ever-changing needs. This unique gift takes time, respect and dedication to finding the true essence of human life. What a magical and wonderful way to serve others in our care. We are forever grateful.-- Judy Connelly, RN, MSN, Executive Director, Good Samaritan Hospice of Pittsburgh

For centuries, readers have turned to the Bhagavad Gita for inspiration and guidance as they chart their own spiritual paths. As profound and powerful as this classic text has been for generations of seekers, integrating its lessons into the ordinary patterns of our lives can ultimately seem beyond our reach. Now, in a fascinating series of reflections, anecdotes, stories, and exercises, Ram Dass gives us a unique and accessible road map for experiencing divinity in everyday life. In the engaging, conversational style that has made his teachings so popular for decades, Ram Dass traces our journey of consciousness as it is reflected in one of Hinduism’s most sacred texts. The Gita teaches a system of yogas, or “paths for coming to union with God.” In Paths to God, Ram Dass brings the heart of that system to light for a Western audience and translates the Gita’s principles into the manual for living the yoga of contemporary life. While being a guide to the wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita, Paths to God is also a template for expanding our definition of ourselves and allowing us to appreciate a new level of meaning in our lives.

Like the light and the darkness of life, we all walk on both sides many times, taking our steps carefully and sometimes foolishly, where things may happen, either good, bad or both. I have walked in light and in darkness, and with those people who sometimes corrupted or enriched me. Nevertheless, they made me into the human being I am today. My Elder friends and teachers of times past have shared with me their great knowledge and wisdom. Sometimes I get hit with a thought, a revelation, into what they taught me while they were still in my life. I sometimes cry tears of happiness knowing in my heart that they taught me well, and have helped me to become a teacher like they once were to me. Life is a great mystery, but it evolves around you. You choose where to go, and sometimes find what you seek. Other times, it is not at all what you were expecting. The stories within this book are exciting, sad, mysterious, maddening, and may touch you right to the core of your heart and soul. Live with me for a little while and let's journey into the life of the ancestors and those who may have accompanied them....

Ram Dass’s long-awaited Be Love Now is the transformational teaching of a forty year journey to the heart. The author of the two-million-copy classic Remember, Be Here Now and its influential sequel Still Here, Dass is joined once more by Rameshwar Das—a collaborator from the Love Serve Remember audio recordings—to offer this intimate and inspiring exploration of the human soul. Like Deepak Chopra’s Book of Secrets, the Dalai Lama’s Art of Happiness, and Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Coming to Our Senses, Ram Dass’s Be Love Now will serve as a lodestar for anyone seeking to enhance their spiritual awareness and improve their capacity to serve—and love—the world around them.