Reaching Beyond

In Reaching Beyond, Buddhist thinker and activist Daisaku Ikeda explores the origins, development,and international influence of jazz with legendary artists Herbie Hancockand Wayne Shorter.Reflecting on their lives and careers, Mr. Hancock and Mr. Shorter sharethe lessons they have learned from their musical mentors, including MilesDavis and Art Blakey, and how the Buddhist philosophy they’ve learnedfrom President Ikeda over the past forty years deeply resonates with theemancipatory spirit of jazz.These wide-ranging conversations include such thought-provoking topics as:• Music’s mission for peace in a time of discord• The importance of the artist’s spiritual growth• The Buddhist concept of changing poison into medicine• Ways to make the “ideal America” a reality for everyoneReaching Beyond offers positive new ideasfor musicians and nonmusicians alike.

If white Americans could reveal what they really think about race, without the risk of appearing racist, what would they say? In this elegantly written and innovative book, Paul Sniderman and Edward Carmines illuminate aspects of white Americans' thinking about the politics of race previously hidden from sight. And in a thoughtful follow-up analysis, they point the way toward public policies that could gain wide support and reduce the gap between black and white Americans. Their discoveries will surprise pollsters and policymakers alike. The authors show that prejudice, although by no means gone, has lost its power to dominate the political thinking of white Americans. Concentrating on the new race-conscious agenda, they introduce a method of hidden measurement which reveals that liberals are just as angry over affirmative action as conservatives and that racial prejudice, while more common among conservatives, is more powerful in shaping the political thinking of liberals. They also find that the good will many whites express for blacks is not feigned but represents a genuine regard for blacks, which they will stand by even when given a perfectly acceptable excuse to respond negatively to blacks. More crucially, Sniderman and Carmines show that the current impasse over race can be overcome if we remember what we once knew. The strongest arguments in behalf of equality for black Americans reach beyond race to the moral principles that give the issue of race itself a moral claim on us.

A conspiracy of the greatest proportions, threatening to destroy mankind... Murder on an international space vessel... Plundering the riches of an African nation... The first Court of Outer Space... Has the treachery so common on Earth found a new home in space? These seemingly unrelated events weave themselves into a mystery that encompasses every continent of Earth and the far reaches of outer space. The United States stands on the brink of its greatest conquest yet, the arrival of a crew on Mars and the exploration of the Red Planet. But powerful forces are at work to stop the West from reaching beyond. The extent to which these forces will go to stop the conquest of Mars is unimaginable and unforeseeable, that is, to everyone but a small tribe of Gypsies in Europe. RebeccasReads highly recommends REACHING BEYOND as a wonderous galectic story filled with suspense, deception & murder on an international space station & scale! REACHING BEYOND is a trendsetter in the contemporary legal thriller genre. Rebecca Brown

Throughout recorded history mankind has attempted to define perfection. This always has been a most perplexing task, almost as difficult as attaining perfection once the term has been defined. One of the most vexing problems facing the perfectionist has been how to elevate themselves above matter, especially the body, in order to emulate their god-model. Reaching Beyond: Chapters in the History of Perfectionism highlights the concept of perfection in primitive man, in both Old and New Testaments, and in a variety of perfectionist individuals and movements throughout Christian history, including the Montanists, the Medieval Apocalyptist, Joachim of Fiore; the rationalist, Thomas Aquinas; a leading Eastern Orthodox mystic, St. Symeon the New Theologian; Calvin and his followers; early modern Puritans and later primitivists; and the Pentecostals, who strive for both purity and preparation. In short, this book is a study of the human perfectionist impulse and its motivations. In certain cases, perfectionism is a reaction against limitation, inadequacy, incompleteness and evil-a rejection of comfortable, popular religion. In other instances, perfectionism is a more positive effort, a striving after holiness or knowledge, a preparation for the parousia or a quest for a return to primitive religious roots.

Set in an uncertain future where Earths environmental problems and dwindling natural resources are producing ongoing catastrophic disasters, space, and what lies out there, is a compelling option for the future survival of mankind. The promise of a better life amongst the stars is the lure that could not only lead to salvation, but will take humans to the brink of establishing an impressive galactic empire. However, on beginning the initial stages of colonisation of Tau Ceti, the possibility of first contact with an intelligent, yet dangerously hostile species presents itself. As humans and the new species plunge headlong towards an interstellar war, a new menace is emerging from within. It is a peril that not only threatens technological and exploratory progress, but could push mankind to the point of extinction. Mat Kemel, a techno-scientist, seems to be the only one to understand what lies ahead, but could he provide the answers to the mounting problems that may destroy millions and ultimately, engulf life itself?

It's amazing that the way you think about yourself changes the way you think about the and fired because of their attitude. Successful executives credit their attitude for what they have achieved. You can change the world around you just by changing your attitude about life, your family and your career. Discoveries like these and many others led Jim Mathis to speak to thousands of people on how to improve relationships on the job and at home. Sharing what he knows about people, performance and productivity has opened new doors of increased revenues for business organizations. You, too, will benefit from your exposure to these ideas and want to pass them along to your friends and associates. You have the opportunity! You will find many ideas and resources that will empower, enlighten and energize you. Reaching Beyond Excellence is your passport to excellence and success. You will discover high-impact ideas that will elevate your career beginning today! Jim's unique hands-on approach to life and work is written from his fify years of life experiences. Every year, Jim invests hundreds of hours in changing lives and motivating people to outdo themselves in performance and productivity.

For the last decade, decorated Navy SEAL, accomplished athlete, and bestselling author Don Mann has been traveling across the country giving motivational talks and in the process inspiring hundreds with the secrets behind his awe-inspiring achievements. In Reaching beyond Boundaries, Mann brings his much sought-after wisdom to the page. As an elite Navy SEAL, Mann performed seemingly impossible tasks on a regular basis. Here he details the lessons he learned from his training and shows how the rest of us can apply those teachings to our daily lives in terms of learning to push beyond our internal boundaries and achieve the goals we’ve set for ourselves, both professionally and personally. Reaching Beyond Boundaries teaches how to set and conquer both micro- and macro-goals through removing excuses, having the right mindset, and learning from successes and failures. Making your dreams a reality is possible. With Reaching Beyond Boundaries you can begin to realize your fullest potential today.

Reaching beyond Faith: A Modern Mind Reads the Koran takes the reader beyond the realm of pure faith to explore the Koran from an essentially non-pietistic point of view and in social, historical, geographic, and above all, human contexts. Its 14 chapters, using some 800 verses from the Koran, take a critical look at a wide range of issues: from the audience the message of the Koran was meant for to the role of humans in the compilation of the Koran itself, from the nature of God’s speech to the human side of the life of the Prophet of Islam, from jihad to crime and punishment, from the Koran’s call to piety to the place of women in society, from the magnificence of God’s creation to the insignificance of man. The rationale of such an exploration should be rather obvious. Although the state of the human mind that read the Koran some 1400 years ago may still be evidenced in many parts of the Muslim world, most modern Muslims today will be mortally offended if someone were to tell him or her that their minds harked back to those ancient times. To them, it is impossible to ignore the epochal strides made in human knowledge and circumstance since Mu?ammad was first inspired to say: Read!