Sacred Teachings

This treasury of essential Buddhist writings draws from the most popular Indian, Tibetan, Chinese, and Japanese sources. Among the selections are some of the earliest recorded sayings of the Buddha on the practice of freedom, passages from later Indian scriptures on the perfection of wisdom, verses from Tibetan masters on the enlightened mind, and songs in praise of meditation by Zen teachers.

For more than 2,000 years, the Heart Sutra has been part of the daily life of millions of Buddhists. This concise text, so rich and laden with meaning, concentrates the very heart of Buddhism into a powerful and evocative teaching on the interdependence of all reality. In Essence of the Heart Sutra, the Dalai Lama masterfully unpacks the Heart Sutra so that any listener can benefit from its teachings - teachings meant to help us release ourselves from suffering and live with true compassion.

Through teaching merkaba and advanced flower of life workshops to thousands of students around the world since 1995, Maureen J. St. Germain has developed and channeled specific methods to enhance your meditation practice. In this step-by-step guide, she shares tools, techniques, and knowledge to strengthen your heart connection, develop a relationship with your higher self, and elevate and program your merkaba field to manifest success, health, happiness, and higher consciousness.

Originally drawn to Yaqui Indian spiritual leader don Juan Matus for his knowledge of mind-altering plants, best-selling author Carlos Castaneda soon immersed himself in the sorcerer's magical world entirely. Ten years after his first encounter with the shaman, Castaneda examines his field notes and comes to understand what don Juan knew all along - that these plants are merely a means to understanding the alternative realities that one cannot fully embrace on one's own.

Practicing the Power of Now is a carefully arranged series of excerpts from the The Power of Now that directly gives us those exercises and keys. Return to those words, reflect on the words, reflect even on the space between the words and - maybe over time, maybe immediately - you'll discover something of life-changing significance.

The Treasury of Precious Instructions by Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Taye, one of Tibet's greatest Buddhist masters, is a shining jewel of Tibetan literature, presenting essential teachings from the entire spectrum of practice lineages that existed in Tibet. In its 18 volumes, Kongtrul brings together some of the most important texts on key topics of Buddhist thought and practice as well as authoring significant new sections of his own.

From the dawn of history, a universal wisdom tradition has existed that explains humanity’s purpose in the cosmos and our relationship to the Master Source Consciousness. This mystical philosophy was harnessed by the ancient seers known as Gnostics, who were in direct contact with Source Consciousness. As Peter Canova reveals, not only do the ancient teachings of Gnosticism contain important spiritual truths, but they profoundly align with the modern sciences of quantum physics and psychology.

The Shōbōgenzō is the recognized spiritual masterpiece by the 13th- century Japanese Sōtō Zen Master Eihei Dōgen. It is comprised of discourses that he gave to his disciples, in person or in writing, at various times between 1231 and his death 22 years later at age 53. These discourses cover a wide range of topics pertinent to those in monastic life, though often also relevant to those training in lay life.

In presenting The Life and Teaching of the Masters of the Far East, I wish to state that I was one of a research party of 11 persons that visited the Far East in 1894. During our stay - three and a half years - we contacted the Great Masters of the Himalayas, who aided us in the translation of the records, which was of great assistance in our research work. They permitted us to enter into their lives intimately and we were thus able to see the actual working of the great Law as demonstrated by them.

Baird Spalding played a ground-breaking role when he introduced the Western world to the wonders of a Far East expedition in 1894. The knowledge of "Masters" assisting and guiding humanity in the classic book LIFE AND TEACHING OF THE MASTERS OF THE FAR EAST became legend in metaphysical circles during the first half of the 20th century and continues today as a source of spiritual enlightenment. Spalding and the others were practical in nature and the thought of spiritual masters performing miracles seemed impossible.

The Womb is the seat of our primal power and intuition—our “wild knowing.” Spirit weavers are those who have heard this wild voice from within and have followed that call—embarking on a grail quest to follow the feminine path of magic, awaken to the depths of their soul, and embody their true feminine essence. Inviting you onto the spiral path of the spirit weaver, Seren Bertrand shares wisdom teachings and rituals from the feminine path of magic and her own ancestral lineage of old European witches and faerie folk, spirit keepers and story weavers.

Would you like to improve your thoughts and feelings about the world around you? If so, then you will find Zoroastrianism and the Teachings of Zarathustra: The Zoroastrian Creed and Selected Sacred Hymns of Zoroaster with Prayers and Liturgies of the Faith in Modern-Day English richly rewarding. Referred to as Mazdayasna by its followers, Zoroastrianism is widely regarded as the world’s first monotheistic religion, meaning that it worships a single divine god.

A comprehensive guide to the foundations of Toltec wisdom, Beyond Fear is essential reading for fans of Don Miguel Ruiz’s New York Times best-selling book, The Four Agreements, which has sold over 8 million copies and has been translated into 46 languages worldwide. Providing instruction in the basic elements of the Toltec spiritual practice, this collection of ceremonies, wisdom, and prophecies empowers readers to shed their fears, judgments, and guilt - an essential step before practicing the Four Agreements.

Way of the Ancient Healer provides an overview of the rich tradition of Filipino healing practices, discussing their origins, world influences, and role in daily life. The book combines years of historical research with detailed descriptions of the spiritual belief system that forms the foundation of these practices. Giving listeners a rare look at modern-day Filipino healing rituals, the book also includes personal examples from author Virgil Mayor Apostol's own experiences with shamanic healing and dream interpretation.

The Dīghanikāya or Long Discourses of the Buddha is one of the four major collections of teachings from the early period of Buddhism. Its 34 suttas (in Sanskrit, sutras) demonstrate remarkable breadth in both content and style, forming a comprehensive collection. The Art of Listening gives an introduction to the Dīghanikāya and demonstrates the historical, cultural, and spiritual insights that emerge when we view the Buddhist suttas as oral literature.

Shamanism teaches us that the intelligence of nature is all around us, waiting for us to reach out with open hearts and listen to its guidance. When we turn our attention to the incredible community of animal life and the teachings they have to share, we open ourselves to a vibrant, interconnected world full of spiritual truths and transformational insights. In Shamanic Power Animals: Embracing the Teachings of Our Non-Human Friends, Toltec shaman Don José Ruiz takes a deep dive into this rich and vital store of animal wisdom.

One of the earliest of all Buddhist texts, the Atthakavagga, or Book of Eights, is a remarkable document, not only because it comes from the earliest strain of the literature - before the Buddha, as the title suggests, came to be thought of as a "Buddhist" - but also because its approach to awakening is so simple and free of adherence to any kind of ideology. Instead the Atthakavagga points to a direct and simple approach for attaining peace without requiring the adherence to doctrine.

The Flowering War is a companion, a guide, and a roadmap for those individuals, those that have carried too much and been seen too little, those that have an incredible gift that, when untended, can become a devastating burden. It is for those that I’ve come to know as “Griefbearers,” the potential healers of generations of untended wounds and accumulated trauma. It is for those that have lost their way in bearing this burden but somehow, miraculously, keep going. It is for those would-be healers, consumed by self-criticism and self-doubt.

In The Sophia Teachings, scientist and scholar Robert Powell uncovers a secret stream of wisdom flowing through the heart of Christianity: the feminine principle known in Greek as "Sophia", or Holy Wisdom herself. This sacred embodiment - named in the Old Testament as the first living being made by God - has comforted and guided seekers of truth in every age and culture, including our own. Who is this spirit of the divine feminine, and what does she mean to us today?

Recognized as a master yachak, don Alberto Taxo was a celebrated spiritual elder, shaman, and healer of the pre-Inca Atik (Kichwa) people from the Andes Mountains of Ecuador. He shared ancient Andean shamanic wisdom and practices in the United States for more than 20 years—his personal quest to fulfill the Andean prophecy that the Eagle and the Condor will fly together in the same sky in harmony.