Between Monks and Monkeys


Book Description

The town of Dharamshala in the foothills of the Indian Himalayas is home to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and thousands of Tibetans in exile. When Kiwi Gill Winter arrived there to teach English, she was immediately drawn into the fascinating environment of 'Little Lhasa.' The personal stories of her Tibetan students, the mysteries of Buddhism and the finer points of making momos were all part of this intriguing new world. In a community full of surprises, a work gang of nuns took their turn on a building site, student monks sang reggae, and the foam on the morning cappuccino read 'FREE TIBET!'




Journey to the West (2018 Edition - PDF)


Book Description

The bestselling Journey to the West comic book by artist Chang Boon Kiat is now back in a brand new fully coloured edition. Journey to the West is one of the greatest classics in Chinese literature. It tells the epic tale of the monk Xuanzang who journeys to the West in search of the Buddhist sutras with his disciples, Sun Wukong, Sandy and Pigsy. Along the way, Xuanzang's life was threatened by the diabolical White Bone Spirit, the menacing Red Child and his fearsome parents and, a host of evil spirits who sought to devour Xuanzang's flesh to attain immortality. Bear witness to the formidable Sun Wukong's (Monkey God) prowess as he takes them on, using his Fiery Eyes, Golden Cudgel, Somersault Cloud, and quick wits! Be prepared for a galloping read that will leave you breathless!




Mungo Monkey Goes on a Train


Book Description

Jump aboard the train with Mungo Monkey in his third lift-the-flap adventure!




Think Like a Monk


Book Description

Jay Shetty, social media superstar and host of the #1 podcast On Purpose, distills the timeless wisdom he learned as a monk into practical steps anyone can take every day to live a less anxious, more meaningful life. When you think like a monk, you’ll understand: -How to overcome negativity -How to stop overthinking -Why comparison kills love -How to use your fear -Why you can’t find happiness by looking for it -How to learn from everyone you meet -Why you are not your thoughts -How to find your purpose -Why kindness is crucial to success -And much more... Shetty grew up in a family where you could become one of three things—a doctor, a lawyer, or a failure. His family was convinced he had chosen option three: instead of attending his college graduation ceremony, he headed to India to become a monk, to meditate every day for four to eight hours, and devote his life to helping others. After three years, one of his teachers told him that he would have more impact on the world if he left the monk’s path to share his experience and wisdom with others. Heavily in debt, and with no recognizable skills on his résumé, he moved back home in north London with his parents. Shetty reconnected with old school friends—many working for some of the world’s largest corporations—who were experiencing tremendous stress, pressure, and unhappiness, and they invited Shetty to coach them on well-being, purpose, and mindfulness. Since then, Shetty has become one of the world’s most popular influencers. In 2017, he was named in the Forbes magazine 30-under-30 for being a game-changer in the world of media. In 2018, he had the #1 video on Facebook with over 360 million views. His social media following totals over 38 million, he has produced over 400 viral videos which have amassed more than 8 billion views, and his podcast, On Purpose, is consistently ranked the world’s #1 Health and Wellness podcast. In this inspiring, empowering book, Shetty draws on his time as a monk to show us how we can clear the roadblocks to our potential and power. Combining ancient wisdom and his own rich experiences in the ashram, Think Like a Monk reveals how to overcome negative thoughts and habits, and access the calm and purpose that lie within all of us. He transforms abstract lessons into advice and exercises we can all apply to reduce stress, improve relationships, and give the gifts we find in ourselves to the world. Shetty proves that everyone can—and should—think like a monk.




Monks are from Meditating Monkeys


Book Description

"This extraordinary book unveils the scientific source of true spirituality. A vision of reality emerges when the brain is in the grip of “near-death” frenzy. The dominant ego declines and consciousness shifts to the right side of the brain. True mystics like Ramana Maharshi meditated up on the dazzling vision and reached “nirvana”, the culmination of spiritual quest. The god men, who sell yoga, meditation, and salvation, are self-centered mimics with inflated ego and greed. The facts now revealed by brain scans might debunk the divine comedy of fake monks misleading the masses? Drug-induced euphoria of “Meditating Monkeys” cannot take humans to lasting bliss and calmness. The only authentic route to sustainable spiritual transformation is shifting consciousness through egoless meditation. Universal compassion is the prominent expression of true enlightenment. The transition of mystics from the ordinary to the sublime can motivate the modern youth to achieve similar awakening. This book shows the reality but faiths may deny it with divine deceptions."




A Monk's Guide to Happiness


Book Description

“Thubten is able to explain meditation using clear language and an approach which really speaks to our modern tech-infused lives.” —Rami Jawhar, Program Manager at Google Arts & Culture In our never-ending search for happiness we often find ourselves looking to external things for fulfillment, thinking that happiness can be unlocked by buying a bigger house, getting the next promotion, or building a perfect family. In this profound and inspiring book, Gelong Thubten shares a practical and sustainable approach to happiness. Thubten, a Buddhist monk and meditation expert who has worked with everyone from school kids to Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and Benedict Cumberbatch, explains how meditation and mindfulness can create a direct path to happiness. A Monk’s Guide to Happiness explores the nature of happiness and helps bust the myth that our lives and minds are too busy for meditation. The book can show you how to: Learn practical methods to help you choose happiness Develop greater compassion for yourself and others Learn to meditate in micro-moments during a busy day Discover that you are naturally ‘hard-wired’ for happiness Reading A Monk’s Guide to Happiness could revolutionize your relationship with your thoughts and emotions, and help you create a life of true happiness and contentment. “His writing is full of inspiration but also the pragmatism needed to form a sustainable practice. His book clearly illustrates why we all need meditation and mindfulness in our lives.” —Benedict Cumberbatch “[A] powerful debut . . . a highly accessible and jargon-free introduction to meditation.” —Publishers Weekly




Monks, Monkeys and Mannequins


Book Description

The newspaper headlines read ‘Young girl shot by her lover in Vapi railway yard’. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Raghuraj Rai deputes Assistant Police Inspector (API) Reeva Deshpande to investigate the case. When Reeva Deshpande sets out to probe the murder, she finds herself entangled in the chain of mannequins, monkeys and monks of the trade. The trade here is the greed and desires of few men under scrutiny to the basic rights of others who merely exist and survive. Reeva realises that when a whole society lives under the clouds of crime, her own roof cannot be safe. Like mannequins, they enter the city; like monkeys, they jump from branches to branches to fulfil their greed; and like monks, they manipulate people for their own convenience. This book is about Devakinandan Singh and Lanus Polo, who believe that power flows through the barrel of a gun. What they forget is that by force they can control the world but not their own fate.




The Monkey and the Monk


Book Description

Anthony C. Yu’s celebrated translation of The Journey to the West reinvigorated one of Chinese literature’s most beloved classics for English-speaking audiences when it first appeared thirty years ago. Yu’s abridgment of his four-volume translation, The Monkey and the Monk, finally distills the epic novel’s most exciting and meaningful episodes without taking anything away from their true spirit. These fantastic episodes recount the adventures of Xuanzang, a seventh-century monk who became one of China’s most illustrious religious heroes after traveling for sixteen years in search of Buddhist scriptures. Powerfully combining religious allegory with humor, fantasy, and satire, accounts of Xuanzang’s journey were passed down for a millennium before culminating in the sixteenth century with The Journey to the West. Now, readers of The Monkey and the Monk can experience the full force of his lengthy quest as he travels to India with four animal disciples, most significant among them a guardian-monkey known as “the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven.” Moreover, in its newly streamlined form, this acclaimed translation of a seminal work of world literature is sure to attract an entirely new following of students and fans. “A new translation of a major literary text which totally supersedes the best existing version. . . . It establishes beyond contention the position of The Journey to the West in world literature, while at the same time throwing open wide the doors to interpretive study on the part of the English audience.”—Modern Language Notes, on the unabridged translation







MANIPULATIVE MONKEYS


Book Description

This book takes us into a Costa Rican forest teeming with simian drama, where since 1990 primatologists Perry and Manson have followed four generations of capuchins. The authors describe behavior as entertaining--and occasionally as alarming--as it is recognizable: competition and cooperation, jockeying for position and status, peaceful years under an alpha male devolving into bloody chaos, and complex traditions passed from one generation to the next. Interspersed with their observations are the authors' colorful tales of the challenges of tropical fieldwork.