The Path Of Beauty

Now available in paperback, this book provides an historical overview of Chinese art from antiquity to modern times, and examines the evolution of the sociological, psychological, philosophical, and spiritual underpinnings of Chinese culture in relation to art. Li Zehou draws on examples ofsculpture, painting, calligraphy, and poetry, among other sources, to build a cogent and engaging argument about the nature of Chinese artistic values. Since it was first published in Chinese in 1981, The Path of Beauty has been read widely and translated into several languages, becoming a classic in the study of Chinese aesthetics.

An invitation to embrace a spirituality of beauty. Grounded in the foundational writings of Hans Urs von Balthasar, it explores the ability of beauty to introduce components of prayer, joy, and spirituality into our lives today.

“This humble book is nothing but my own story and the experiences I have had in my short life. The process of writing this book has been sort of a ritual to me, a rite of passage if you will. It is a symbol of claiming myself and of unapologetically owning the sides of me that I had not yet owned. This book is my story and some of the lessons I now clearly have gathered from my experiences. Here, I share aspects of my life which my guides and angels keep wanting me to bring forth to the light because being truthful and authentic, first and foremost to ourselves, is no longer a choice but a responsibility.”

From sweeping vistas to intimate details of life along the Colorado River, master printer and photographer Christopher Brown takes readers on a beautiful, powerful journey through a previously undiscovered Grand Canyon. Christopher Brown has seen the Grand Canyon, inside and out, like no other, and his photography reveals a landscape of surprising and visually stunning delights. A lifelong explorer, Brown first hiked across the Canyon when he was fifteen. After high school, an Outward Bound course inspired him to move there and spend the next forty years guiding mountaineering and river trips from Alaska to Ecuador. He was a boatman in the Grand Canyon for about twenty of those years, and has rowed thirty-five two-week trips through the Canyon on the Colorado River. Brown carried cameras on all of these adventures and taught himself photography. Slowly his interest shifted from the adrenaline of the rapids to the aesthetics of the Canyon, and the quiet tranquility of remote grottoes. He evolved as a photographer, becoming entranced by the visual experience, the beauty of being in the Canyon. He never knows what to expect when he returns to the Canyon, just that it will be different-and that is what keeps him coming back for more! Complimenting the seventy-four full-color photographs in the book are a series of essays that begin by exploring the geological processes that made the Canyon the natural wonder that it is today, as well as the adventure and excitement that accompany life on the river as a boatman. Mirroring the extremes of life, the text shifts from adventure, to beauty, discussing the physical and emotional components of visual perception. An explorer of both exterior and interior landscapes, Brown strives to reveal layers of meaning and beauty in life that are often obscured by our preconceptions and habitual ways of perceiving the world, our relationships and ourselves. Through stunning photography and an engaging text, Path of Beauty brings together an imaginative perspective on adventure, beauty and reflection in the wilderness. It is an evocative visual reminder of the importance of wild landscapes, where people can go to explore, discover, and grow wise. It will resonate with anyone who has ever wanted to leave the clamor of the modern world behind and immerse himself in the fresh, restorative splendor of the wilderness.

We live in a world where the drive for economic growth is crowding out everything that can’t be given a monetary value. We’re stuck on a treadmill where only the material things in life gain traction and it’s getting harder to find space for the things that really matter but money can’t buy, including our future. Fiona Reynolds proposes a solution that is at once radical and simple – to inspire us through the beauty of the world around us. Delving into our past, examining landscapes, nature, farming and urbanisation, she shows how ideas about beauty have arisen and evolved, been shaped by public policy, been knocked back and inched forward until they arrived lost in the economically-driven spirit of today. A passionate, polemical call to arms, The Fight for Beauty presents an alternative path forward: one that, if adopted, could take us all to a better future.

In Truth of Beauty: The Path To Uncovering the Beautiful You, beauty expert and life- coach Curtis Quinntin Phelps takes you on a life-changing journey of empowerment and personal transformation. Based on a lifetime of personal experience and professional expertise, Phelps created this unique program as an essential guide for discovering your beauty and revealing the beautiful person you know yourself to be. Through the use of clear, practical advice and intimate coaching sessions with the author, Truth of Beauty will teach you how to transform the early conditioning that keeps you from experiencing your beauty; that just because you're being seen every day, doesn't mean you are "appearing"; and how the discovery of your "three words" will lead you to your purpose and ultimate fulfillment. Using Phelps' path of eight steps as a foundational tool, Truth of Beauty: The Path To Uncovering the Beautiful You will lead you to a deeper awareness of self and ultimately to the truth and acceptance that will manifest your beauty in the world.

Is it rational for scientifically trained individuals to believe in God, and accept controversial theological claims such as the existence of miracles? Are science and theology essentially incompatible, or can their positions be reconciled on some level? Truth, Beauty, and the Limits of Knowledge: A Path from Science to Religion addresses such questions by recasting certain key religious teachings in a language that is familiar to scientists, engineers, and mathematicians. It does so with the help of various science-based metaphors and analogies, whose primary purpose is to interpret theological claims in a way that is attuned to the spirit of our age. A crucial step in developing such "analogical bridges" between science and religion involves challenging the traditional Newtonian paradigm, which maintains that physical processes are generally deterministic and predictable (i.e., "well behaved"). A closer examination of recent scientific developments will show that this assumption is incorrect, and that certain aspects of nature will remain unknowable to us regardless of future technological advances. This realization opens the door to a meaningful conversation between science and theology, since both disciplines implicitly accept the premise that the true nature of "reality" can never be fully grasped by the human mind.