Buddhism: An Introduction to the Buddha's Life, Teachings, and Practices is an indispensable guide to a 2,600-year-old wisdom tradition that has transformed the lives of millions across centuries and around the world. Readers will learn how Siddhartha Gautama became the Buddha, one of the most influential spiritual leaders of all time, and discover how they too can follow his revolutionary methods to attain happiness and inner freedom.

"Abiding in Emptiness presents a practice-related exploration of emptiness in daily life and formal meditation, based on instructions found in the Buddha's Greater and the Smaller Discourses on Emptiness. This presentation provides translations of the relevant textual portions followed by explanations, a summary of the main points covered in each chapter, and practice instructions. The presentation in what follows is firmly grounded in early Buddhist...

"Zen koans, beginning some 1500 years ago, refer to stories or questions arising in encounters between monks and old Chinese and Japanese masters, and include commentaries designed to help the Zen practitioner awaken. Koans like Hakuin's What is the sound of one hand clapping? are well-known, and the word koan has even gone mainstream. Thousands of classic koans emerged from the lives of monks living inside a Chinese or Japanese culture, and the commentaries...