Ways Of Heaven

A brilliant history of ancient China's masters of philosophy -- and how they help us understand China todayIn Ways of Heaven, leading China scholar Roel Sterckx offers an engrossing introduction to classical China's world of ideas. Drawing on evocative examples from philosophical texts, literature, and everyday life over centuries of Chinese history, Sterckx introduces major thinkers and traditions, illuminates key concepts like the dao, qi, yin, and yang, and examines questions of leadership, social order, death, nature, and more. He also reveals how these ideas shape contemporary China, from table manners at a traditional banquet, to the Chinese obsession with education and family, to the rhetoric of political leaders and the nation's grand strategy.Essential reading for students, travelers, businesspeople, and anyone curious about this rising global power, Ways of Heaven shows that to comprehend China today we must learn to think Chinese.

For fifty years, in best-selling books and memorable articles, Elizabeth Sherrill has written the stories of people such as Corrie ten Boom, Brother Andrew, and David Wilkerson. Now, for the first time, she shares her personal pilgrimage. With honesty, humor, and insight, Elizabeth traces her journey from an agnostic upbringing, through clinical depression, to a stunning encounter with God. Written with a rare literary finesse, this spiritual journey will touch believers as no other book has and will give them an inspiring vision of their eternal future in heaven.

How did the ancient Chinese think about the world? Why are human rights as a concept so controversial in China? What does environmental consciousness stand for in the Chinese tradition? Where does China's obsession with education come from? What gets lost in translation in the Chinese language? We are often told that the twenty-first century is bound to become China's century. Never before has Chinese culture been so physically, digitally, economically or aesthetically present in everyday life in the Western world. In this enlightening book, Roel Sterckx takes us through centuries of Chinese history, with evocative examples from philosophy, politics and everyday life. A deeply knowledgeable expert who has been studying the country's culture and language for years, Sterckx is the perfect guide who can show us how the ancient Chinese have shaped the thinking of a civilization that is now influencing our own.

Children ask A LOT of questions when it comes to heaven, particularly when they’ve experienced the loss of a loved one. In this uplifting, imaginative picture book, How High Is Heaven? inspires hope and comfort in readers young and old, that heaven can be experienced here and now and is open for us all. New York Times bestselling author and ABC News anchor Linsey Davis invites children to explore age-appropriate questions about heaven. Kids and their parents can celebrate that heaven is a place we can look forward to, by God’s grace and goodness, while finding moments of heaven here on earth. How High Is Heaven? is the perfect book for parents and grandparents to read aloud and provides an uplifting message for kids ages 4-8, featuring: Read-aloud, lyrical rhymes Whimsical, engaging illustrations by Lucy Fleming Answers to children’s questions about heaven… and a safe place to ask them Comfort to those who have lost a loved one? Look for additional inspirational children’s picture books and audio products from award-winning author Linsey Davis: The World Is Awake, A Celebration of Everyday Blessings One Big Heart, A Celebration of Being More Alike Than Different Stay This Way Forever The Linsey Davis Children’s Audio Collection The Smallest Spot of a Dot

Every one of us has a life-affirming story to tell... The inspiring true stories of the interesting people who inhabit the pages of Sudha Murty’s books leave an indelible impression on us. But the books are able to chronicle the stories only of the men and women Mrs Murty has come across personally in the course of her social work. There must be so many more wonderful stories that scores of others have to share. Something Happened on the Way to Heaven is a collection of twenty such memorable true-life stories. Handpicked by Sudha Murty from entries submitted in an open competition run by Penguin, they capture the hope, faith, kindness and joy that life is full of even as we make our way through the daily grind. Moving and uplifting, this is an anthology that will engross and delight every reader who believes in the goodness of the human heart.

The historical achievements of religious belief have been large and well chronicled. But what about the accomplishments of those who have challenged religion? Traveling from classical Greece to twenty-first century America, Imagine There's No Heaven explores the role of disbelief in shaping Western civilization. At each juncture common themes emerge: by questioning the role of gods in the heavens or the role of a God in creating man on earth, nonbelievers help move science forward. By challenging the divine right of monarchs and the strictures of holy books, nonbelievers, including Jean- Jacques Rousseau and Denis Diderot, help expand human liberties, and influence the early founding of the United States. Revolutions in science, in politics, in philosophy, in art, and in psychology have been led, on multiple occasions, by those who are free of the constraints of religious life. Mitchell Stephens tells the often-courageous tales of history's most important atheists— like Denis Diderot and Salman Rushdie. Stephens makes a strong and original case for their importance not only to today's New Atheist movement but to the way many of us—believers and nonbelievers—now think and live.

A Near-Death Survivor's Guide to Living a Joyful Reality in the Here and Now After living through three very different near-death experiences, Robert Kopecky discovered a remarkable fact about life and death: You don't have to die to go to Heaven. This book shows how to engage with a paradise that is always present in your life. It's about learning how to make choices that lead you to a place of happiness and fulfillment—finding the pathways (and a few shortcuts) that will bring you the spiritual awareness and joy that is your birthright. By cultivating perspective, presence, and purpose, you'll discover that going to Heaven is not about moving into a realm of eternal sleep, but about being right where you are—wherever that may be—and waking up. Praise: "Many people have had near-death experiences and have returned with strong messages for the rest of us. Robert Kopecky's reflections are unusually intelligent and presented in a lively mix of humor and seriousness. I had fun reading this book and appreciated Robert's fresh way of offering traditional wisdom."—Thomas Moore, author of Care of the Soul and Ageless Soul "Helping us to engage with life, these truths will lead us on a transformational journey in finding a life filled with joy while creating Heaven on Earth."—Anita Moorjani, New York Times bestselling author of What If This Is Heaven "Possibly the most insightful book on how to obtain the enlightenment experienced by those who have gone through a NDE, How to Get to Heaven (Without Really Dying) offers hope and encouragement to experience lasting change."—Marianne Pestana, host of Moments with Marianne "Robert's compassion and selfless service of insight and reflections are a true gift to every reader of this guide to higher consciousness."—Brother Edward Salisbury, DDiv, FD, hospice minister and multiple NDE survivor "Robert Kopecky clearly identifies techniques to help stop our de-evolution of society by remembering our true purpose—to be of service to others."—Linda P. Truax, Board Secretary of the International Association for Near-Death Studies "I appreciate and endorse Robert's key themes, which are presented with engaging and heartfelt first person examples: we if seek peace of mind in this life, we'll find it through acts of kindness, humility, honesty, forgiveness, compassion, and service. These practices are universal, but often expressed in a dogmatic fashion, rather than in the friendly manner found in this book. Perhaps his clarity boils down to the adage, 'Religion is for people who're afraid of going to hell. Spirituality is for those who've already been there.'"—Josh Korda, author and guiding teacher of DharmaPunx NYC "A landscape of love is all around us, and yet mysteriously hidden. Based on his own near-death experiences, Robert Kopecky gives us keys to this landscape. Practicing the simple qualities of kindness, compassion, humility, and service open us to the love, light, and magic of life. Heaven is not 'somewhere else' but a state in which we are reconnected to the Divine Consciousness that is within and all around us. This beautiful book helps us to live in this miraculous realm, awake in its wonder."—Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, PhD, author of Sufism: The Transformation of the Heart