Subtle Sound

Maurine Stuart (1922–1990) was one of a select group of students on the leading edge of Buddhism in America: a woman who became a Zen master. In this book, she draws on down-to-earth Zen stories, her friendships with Japanese Zen teachers, and her experiences as a concert pianist to apply the inner meanings of Buddhism to practicing the basic ethics of daily living—nowness, unselfishness, compassion, and good will toward every living being. She emphasizes that inner growth comes through our own efforts and intuition, especially as we cultivate them through meditation practice. We can then take what we have learned in meditation and use it to respond to our daily lives in a straightforward and creative way, guided not by concepts or dogma, but by direct insight into the reality of the present moment.

Escape the humdrum of daily life and reawaken your true essential Self with Stephen Sturgess’ sensational Yoga and meditation techniques. Learn about fascinating subtle bodies, chakras, nadis, and kundalini with the in-depth section on Yoga philosophy, then follow Stephen’s variety of practices and techniques for removing any obstacles that may be standing in the way of you uniting with your true nature. The book includes a wealth of Hatha Yoga techniques using asanas, mudras, bandhas, pranayama, and kriya purification, as well as Raja and kriya Yoga techniques – mantras, concentration and meditation.

This overview of the essentials of Yoga is meant to both broaden and deepen the understanding of beginning students. It covers all the basic elements of this ancient discipline and philosophy of India—including Yoga poses, diet, breath control, meditation, mantras, Kundalini energy, and more. It also includes newly translated excerpts from the scriptures and pays special attention to branches of Yoga, such as Tantra, that are of great interest to Western students but are frequently misunderstood.

Sound Art offers the first comprehensive introduction to sound art written for undergraduate students. Bridging and blending aspects of the visual and sonic arts, modern sound art first emerged in the early 20th century and has grown into a thriving and varied field. In 13 thematic chapters, this book enables students to clearly grasp both the concepts behind this unique area of art, and its history and practice. Each chapter begins with an exploration of key ideas and theories, followed by an in-depth discussion of selected relevant works, both classic and current. Drawing on a broad, diverse range of examples, and firmly interdisciplinary, this book will be essential reading for anyone studying or teaching the theory, history, appreciation, or practice of sound art.

KABIR is a name that has resounded powerfully in the Indic imagination for over 500 years. But who is Kabir? And what is it about his vision and his poetry that make him such a vital force, an irresistible voice? Drunk on Love argues that Kabir is not just one person but an idea that belongs to the people of India, who have preserved and nurtured it as a living tradition over an incredible span of time. In a flowing, conversational style, the book captures his life as told through popular legends, his poetry which has been quoted and translated extensively, and his vision, which it explores in depth through key concepts such as 'Jheeni', 'Raam', 'Guru', 'Sahaj', 'Shoonya', and others. An essential introduction to the phenomenon that is 'Kabir', Drunk on Love presents the poet, as he is described, quoted and loved in popular imagination.

After the death of two dear military friends, I decided that their stories and mine needed to be told, as these stories disappear when we depart the earth. All these stories have one thing in common, the story tellers made it through their experiences and lived to tell their tales These stories are from members of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force & Coast Guard and some foreign sources. Many are first hand accounts, some by family members and some from gatherings of veterans. These stories are told by veterans from the American Civil War to current conflicts. Some are lighthearted, some are told after many tears over many years and others are almost unbelievable. All stories are told to share real life experiences and to give the reader an up-close and personal view of how it really was.

This book examines sonic signals as something both heard internally and externally, through imagination, memory and direct response. In doing so it explores how the mind 'makes' sound through experience, as it interprets codes on the written page, and creates an internal leitmotif that then interacts with new sounds made through an aural partnership with the external world, chosen and involuntary exposure to music and sound messages, both friendly and antagonistic to the identity of the self. It creates an argument for sound as an underlying force that links us to the world we inhabit, an essential part of being in the same primal sense as the calls of birds and other inhabitants of a shared earth. Street argues that sound as a poetic force is part of who we are, linked to our visualisation and sense of the world, as idea and presence within us. This incredibly interdisciplinary book will be of great interest to scholars of radio, sound, media and literature as well as philosophy and psychology.

The theme of this anthology is words, especially words in the context of the Dharma. Words have such power and magic, and yet they also present so many limitations and pitfalls. There are questions of how to use them skilfully and accurately, and the dangers of taking things too literally or misunderstanding metaphors. Indeed, there's the difference between understanding words and really knowing anything at all. There's the relationship between words and the truth, and the role poetry plays in connecting them.