Meditations of the Heart


Book Description

“As poet, prophet, and priest, Thurman builds upon a powerful legacy of ancestral hope: belief in a liberating God who can always be found ‘in and among the struggling.’” —Yolanda Pierce A universal beacon of hope and endurance for people of all faiths seeking to meet the challenges, uncertainties, and joys of life Howard Thurman’s Meditations of the Heart is a beautiful collection of over 150 prayers, poems, and meditations on prayer, community, and the joys and rituals of life by one of our greatest spiritual leaders. Thurman, a spiritualist and mystic, was renowned for the quiet beauty of his reflections on humanity and our relationship with God. In a new foreword, Yolanda Pierce, dean of Howard University’s School of Divinity, calls attention to the justice-centered theological framework of Thurman’s words. Pierce notes how Thurman brings to light an image of God who can always be found “in and among the struggling,” both in times of weariness and in strength. First written for and shared with his congregation of the Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples in San Francisco, California, these meditations sustain, elevate, and inspire. They are a universal beacon of hope and endurance for people of all faiths seeking to meet the challenges, uncertainties, and joys of everyday life with a renewed and liberating faith.




Smile to Your Heart Meditations


Book Description

A Simon & Schuster eBook. Simon & Schuster has a great book for every reader.




The Heart of Meditation


Book Description

The Dalai Lama reveals how training the mind in compassion for other beings is directly related to—and a prerequisite for—the very pinnacle of Buddhist meditation The heart of meditation—the thing that brings it alive—is compassion. This is not an ordinary compassion but one that is developed and expanded in parallel with wisdom that arises through meditation. Without that essential foundation, other practices are pointless. Fortunately, the mind can be trained in compassion, and the mind thus trained is fertile ground for the practice of the Great Completeness (Dzogchen), which is considered the pinnacle of spiritual practice by many in Tibetan Buddhism. In this book, His Holiness the Dalai Lama teaches the Great Completeness simply but thoroughly, using as his reference a visionary poem by the nineteenth-century master Patrul Rinpoche to show that insight can never be separated from compassion. Through practice of the Great Completeness, we can access our innermost awareness and live our lives in a way that acknowledges it and manifests it. The wisdom and compassion that arise from such insight are critical, His Holiness teaches, not only to individual progress in meditation but to our collective progress toward peace in the world.




Journey to the Heart


Book Description

Journey to the Heart by New York Times bestselling author of Codependent No More, Beyond Codependency, and Lessons of Love, contains 365 insightful daily meditations that inspire readers to unlock their personal creativity and discover their divine purposes in life. “Melody Beattie gives you the tools to discover the magnificence and splendor of your being.” –Deepak Chopra, author of Jesus and Buddha




Seeking the Heart of Wisdom


Book Description

Two popular American Buddhist teachers provide an overview of insight meditation, offering a “skillful blend of pragmatic instruction, psychological insight, and perennial wisdom” (Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence) In Seeking the Heart of Wisdom, Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield present the central teachings and practices of insight meditation in a clear and personal language. The path of insight meditation is a journey of understanding our bodies, our minds, and our lives, of seeing clearly the true nature of experience. The authors guide the reader in developing the openness and compassion that are at the heart of this spiritual practice. For those already treading the path, as well as those just starting out, this book will be a welcome companion along the way. Among the topics covered are: • The hindrances to meditation—ranging from doubt and fear to painful knees—and skillful means of overcoming them • How compassion can arise in response to the suffering we see in our own lives and in the world • How to integrate a life of responsible action and service with a meditative life based on non-attachment Useful exercises are presented alongside the teachings to help readers deepen their understanding of the subjects.




Meditation for the Love of It


Book Description

Meditation is like a love affair with your innermost self. At times it can be ecstatic and entrancing, other times simple and still—and sometimes you might not even feel its profound effects until later. Now with Meditation for the Love of It, Sally Kempton shares practical secrets to help us turn meditation into an unconditional embrace of the fullness of our experience—on and off the meditation cushion. With the gentle wisdom and compassion of one who understands the nuances of practice, she opens us to the joy of exploring the deep and mysterious inner landscape of the heart, mind, and body. Drawing on her 40 years as a teacher and a fellow meditator, Sally teaches us how we can connect to our inner longings and creative shakti energy to allow the transformative gifts and blessings of meditation to unfold. With playfulness and devotion—two key attitudes in sustaining a daily practice—she shares indispensable guidance for this voyage of self-discovery, including: How to tune in to your own “meditation channel,” a bandwidth of tranquillity, energy, and joy Why you don’t need a quiet mind to meditate How the force known as Kundalini can fuel your practice Connecting to your ever-present Inner Beloved to let go of conditioned ideas about yourself and make space for the True Self to come forth Ripening your practice beyond technique into the “sweet mysterious expanse of spontaneous meditation” More than 20 practices for bringing the peace and insight of meditation into your daily life “Remember: what you seek in meditation is your own Beloved, your own inner intelligence, your own Awareness, and your own Truth,” teaches Sally. Meditation for the Love of It points us back to our own intimate heart of hearts, our own deepest experience, and the bliss of existence itself.




The Heart of Buddhist Meditation


Book Description

In print for more than fifty years and translated into some ten languages, Nyanaponika Thera’s The Heart of Buddhist Meditation has attained the stature of a modern spiritual classic. Combining deep personal insight with the power of clear exposition, the author guides the reader into the essential principles making up the Buddha’s Way of Mindfulness. Besides offering a lucid account of the basic practices of insight meditation, the book contains a complete translation of the Great Discourse on the Foundations of Mindfulness, the Satipatthana Sutta, the Buddha’s own instructions on the practice. “A work of unique importance ... written with great depth, extraordinary knowledge, deep humanity... I do not know of any book which could be compared to this work as a guide to meditation.” Erich Fromm




Prayer of Heart and Body


Book Description

A practical "how-to" guide for persons who want to learn how to meditate or practice yoga in a way that is consistent with their Christian faith.




Learning to Dance Inside


Book Description

In this refreshingly simple but wise little book, former Trappist monk George Fowler writes eloquently and persuasively about the many benefits to be gained from meditation: peace, lightheartedness, self-respect, fulfillment, a deep feeling of wholeness, freedom from guilt, and release from anxiety. He focuses on the why, rather than the how, and explains that meditation happens best when it begins with a clear focus on spiritual understanding.




A Woman's Book of Meditation


Book Description

Internationally renowned meditation teacher Hari Kaur Khalsa knows well the whirlwind stresses and strains placed on women today. Through the secrets of ancient Kundalini chanting and meditation techniques, women will find peace amid all the chaos, develop their creativity, and hone their inner wisdom. To introduce the newcomer to meditation, Hari Kaur helps the reader, step by step, to create a space in which to meditate, to become familiar and comfortable with different postures, to breathe deeply and effectively, and to clear the mind. Plainly organized into sections uniquely tailored to a woman's changing physical and emotional needs, Hari Kaur teaches how to: - alleviate frustration, ward off moodiness, and become calm - ease life transitions, accept change, and encourage personal creativity - fully realize the potentials of pregnancy and motherhood; and much more In addition, Hari Kaur discusses seven steps to achieve happiness and how to use meditation to build a spiritual identity. Her meditations are presented in the original Sikh as well as in English translation. And the easy-to-reference format will keep the reader returning again and again as she grows through meditation and in her daily life.