Eastern category: 10105 books

Buddhism is a vast and complex religious and philosophical tradition with a history that stretches over 2,500 years, and which is now followed by around 115 million people. In this introduction to the foundations of Buddhism, Rupert Gethin concentrates on the ideas and practices which constitute the...

Renowned scholar of Shin Buddhism, Alfred Bloom, presents the life and spiritual legacy of Shinran Shonin, the influential religious reformer and founder of Pure Land Buddhism, the most popular school of Buddhism in Japan today. Bloom presents a wide selection of Shinran’s essential writings on...

Though it has been in the West for over one hundred years, Pure Land and Shin Buddhism has been little known or understood among Western peoples. This book brings together a sampling of the resources available for the study of Shin Pure Land Buddhism through a variety of essays from important and...

Timeless in Time is a richly illustrated book on the life and message of an Indian saint of recent times. Sri Ramana Maharsi (1879-1950) was a unique spiritual teacher in India. He was the living embodiment of the Indian tradition of Advaita Vedanta, which focuses on the oneness of God with the human...

The Partitions of Poland were a key event in the power politics of the late ancien regime, and had major long term consequences for the balance of power in northern and eastern Europe. Over a period of twenty five years Catherine II (Russia), Frederick II (Prussia) and Maria Theresa and Joseph II...

            THE level plains and steppes of South Russia were known to the ancients as the broad channel followed by the ebb and flow of every fresh wave of conquest or migration passing between Europe and Asia. The legions of Rome and Byzance found this territory as impossible to occupy...

Although the earliest authentic records of Romania or, more correctly speaking, of Dacia, the Roman province which embraced Romania, Transylvania, and some adjoining territories of to-day, do not reach further back than about the century immediately preceding the Christian era, a good deal of information...

"Bob Warden’s 'The Tao of Tennis' is an authentic application of the Tao Te Ching in his effort to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary -- that is, in his attempt to elevate the game of tennis to become an elegant and compelling way of life. His reading of the text from a uniquely...

You’re stuck in the airport security line, late for a flight. The line isn’t moving. You’re angry at the security personnel for taking so long, you’re irritated at the other passengers for having so much stuff, you’re mad at your boss for sending you on this trip in the first place. By the...

John Laurence—minister, modern mystic, and direct disciple of the great spiritual master and world teacher, Paramhansa Yogananda (author of the bestselling classic, Autobiography of a Yogi)—presents, in this volume of talks, an outline of the inner path with practical spiritual teachings. Laurence’s...

First among the ancient classics, the I Ching or Book of Changes is one of the world's most influential books, comparable to the Bible, the Koran, and the Upanishads. The I Ching's purpose is universal: to provide good counsel to its users in making decisions during times of change. Since its...

The dynamic relationship between the individual and society has been a central concern of Taoism from its ancient beginnings—which is perhaps why certain Taoist classics, like Sun Tzu’s Art of War, are so often consulted these days for leadership advice. This anthology presents a wide range of...

Written between 500 BCE and 700 CE, these seven texts have inspired generals for millennia, both in China and the wider world. Featuring Sun Tzu's The Art of War, this new translation brings to light the military masterpieces of ancient China. These seven texts display an understanding of strategy...

Xunzi asserted that the original nature of man is evil, differing on this point from Mencius, his famous predecessor in the Confucian school. In the most complete, well-ordered philosophical system of his day, Xunzi advocated the counteraction of man's evil through self-improvement, the pursuit of...