Entering Stillness


Book Description

A poetic and practical introduction to tradition-based Daoist practice-realization from an applied, committed, and lived perspective




Keeping Silence


Book Description

Introduces the techniques and strategies of practicing silence as a spiritual discipline. Covers a wide range of methods including sitting meditations such as psalm repetition and breath counting; visual meditations; mental prayer; and kinetic meditations such as cloister walking and the stations of the cross.




The Great Stillness


Book Description

This is the second volume of a two-book series that peels away the metaphors and explains the living traditions of Lao Tse's water method of Taoist meditation. The main focus of the book is to explain 'inner dissolving, ' its major mediation technique that helps people overcome deeply bound negative emotions, deepen their spiritual and psychic development, and develop balance and compassion. "The Great Stillness" is one of the few books that discusses the Taoist traditions of sexual chi gung and meditation. It is the only book that includes detailed instructions and illustrations for the moving meditation practice called Circle Walking that was developed in Taoist monasteries over 4000 years ago. This volume advances the breathing lessons taught in volume one: "Relaxing Into Your Being,"




Cairn-Space


Book Description

Cairns have decorated the landscapes of cultures throughout time. Piles of stone-one stone placed on top of another-are set in place all over the earth to recall battles, identify burial sites, mark trails, and spur hearts and minds to remember sacred, noble, and critical events. They are landmarks. They are sacramental presences in space and time. Our lives are littered with markers of meaning. They all reveal who we are, where we have been, and offer us a jumping off point for the future. In the true mystic tradition, everything straddles meaning and is potentially available to reveal the inner life, God Himself, and all that Is. My hope is that we will begin to look at the markers of meaning in our lives and notice how we store that meaning in our heart. My hope is that we will reconstruct our prayer life and the shape of our interior world, that we will recognize the impact things have on us and discriminate toward health. Our journey in this book will be more like an amble or a wandering. We will hop from pillar to post looking for meaning and attempting to infuse things with meaning. We will look at our practices and the practices of those from our shared human past. We will begin to notice that there is a hidden depth to how we live-one that reveals we live in layers or dimensions, not simple and flat lines.




The New Black Woman


Book Description

Healthy Habits to Become the Strong Black Women “This book is gonna save some sisters’ lives. Hallelujah!” ―Patrice Gaines, author of Laughing in the Dark #1 New Release in Codependency Marita Golden, a prominent interviewee of Oprah Winfrey, wrote this mental and physical health guide for women to learn who they are, to set healthy boundaries, and to jump into health related fitness practices to balance out their daily lives. Know Yourself. Jump start your relationship with yourself. Renowned author Marita Golden goes in-depth on how using meditation, silence, prayer, affirmations, and reflections allows for internal trust and confidence to blossom in your daily life. Set Boundaries. Setting boundaries can be difficult but they are necessary to living life as a strong woman in today’s world. Everyone else’s burdens are not yours to carry and no, you don’t have to fix everyone you come across! Learn how to set emotional boundaries, physical boundaries, and other boundaries to live freely. Inside, you’ll find: Healthy habits to reconnect with your inner self, your body, and those around you An empowering book for women to learn how to take back their lives one day at a time A mental health guide for women, black women affirmations, and reflection points to develop holistic wellness If you're looking for mental health books for young adults and/or the strong black women in your life, this book is for you! If you enjoyed Set Boundaries, Find Peace, How we Heal, This Is How You Heal, or You Are Your Best Thing, you’ll love The New Black Woman.




What Matters Most


Book Description

If you feel that you are hurtling through life, pouring energy, money and time into things that may not matter in the end - and you want to STOP - then this book is for you. It will help you find the space to discover WHAT REALLY MATTERS to you - and how to integrate it more fully into your daily routine, so you can LIVE LIFE to the fullest extent possible. This might involve challenging the beliefs that hold you back, or letting go of shattered dreams. Draper encourages you to embark on a 'stop doing' list, to go more slowly, become aware of what you can hear and see, smell, and touch - and to pay attention to those spiritual essentials that will nourish your soul, bring a smile to your face, and joy to your heart.




The Way of Complete Perfection


Book Description

Originating about 1163 CE, Quanzhen (Complete Perfection) Daoism is one of the most important Daoist movements in Chinese history. It remains the dominant form of monastic Daoism in the modern world, especially in its Longmen (Dragon Gate) lineage. This landmark anthology provides complete or partial translations of twenty-one Quanzhen texts. Most have never been translated or even discussed in scholarly literature. Louis Komjathy gives particular attention to work completed by the Quanzhen movement's founder, Wang Chongyang (1113–1170 CE), and his first generation disciples. Translations include representative works from every major genre of Quanzhen literature, from poetry and discourse records to didactic texts, commentaries, and hagiographies. Three monastic manuals from the late medieval and late imperial periods of Quanzhen history are also included. An introduction to Quanzhen Daoism begins the work, and each chapter provides discussions of the history and topics relevant to each translation.




Cultivating Stillness


Book Description

A principal part of the Taoist canon for many centuries, this Lao-Tzu classic is an essential overview of the Taoist practice of internal alchemy, or qigong Equanimity, good health, peace of mind, and long life are the goals of the ancient Taoist tradition known as “internal alchemy,” of which Cultivating Stillness is a key text. Written between the second and fifth centuries, the book is attributed to T’ai Shang Lao-chun—the legendary figure more widely known as Lao-Tzu, author of the Tao-te Ching. The accompanying commentary, written in the nineteenth century by Shui-ch’ing Tzu, explains the alchemical symbolism of the text and the methods for cultivating internal stillness of body and mind. A key text in the Taoist canon, Cultivating Stillness is still the first book studied by Taoist initiates today.




Soul Mission, Life Vision


Book Description

In the Introduction of his groundbreaking new work, Alan Seale writes, "This book is the owner's manual you never received when you entered this world, offering both the theory and the practice that can lead you to getting the most out of your life -- physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually." What follows is an intensely detailed program of exercises, meditations, and activities that ultimately allows you to achieve what you were put on this earth to accomplish -- your soul mission. Settle in your favorite chair with Alan's book, a pen, and plenty of paper, and begin this four-fold process -- discovery, declaration of mission and vision, utilizing the mind and thought for creation, and living your mission by manifesting your vision. Discover a "big-picture view" of life beyond the constraints of any situation. Develop the power to make choices out of desire and clarity rather than circumstantial necessity. Examine your previous life choices and plan your next great steps, this time informed by what your soul deeply longs for. Alan creates the term full-spectrum living, -- embracing all that life has to offer as well as all that you have to offer life -- to define the ultimate goal of this book. His sage advice and proven program ensures that you get there. Book jacket.




Finding a Life of Harmony and Balance


Book Description

"…an amazing tale, told in a fast-paced and entertaining style." --Publishers Weekly This authorized biography of contemporary Taoist master Wang Liping (1949-), an 18th generation transmitter of Dragon Gate Taoism, tells the true story of his apprenticeship in Taoist wizardry, as well as the specialized body of knowledge, mystical wisdom and ritualized practice accumulated and refined over eleven centuries. The book opens with a seemingly chance encounter with three Taoist elders that changed Wang's life forever when he was a young boy. What follows is a philosophical quest in a coming-of-age tale like no other, playing out in mountainside temples and remote reaches of China. Wang's story parallels that of the Dalai Lama, as--like Tibetan Buddhists--Dragon Gate Taoists identify, raise and train specially chosen youngsters to become the holders, guardians and transmitters of their ancient, esoteric spiritual wisdom. While few of us will become spiritual gurus like Wang, his story speaks clearly and concisely to modern readers who are on their own "chosen paths," seeking their own forms of self-cultivation, enlightenment, wisdom and a life of greater harmony and truth.