Spiritual Masters – East & West Series
This series presents the writings of great spiritual masters of the past from both East and West. Carefully selected essential writings of these sages are combined with biographical information, glossaries of technical terms, historical maps, and pictorial and photographic art in order to communicate a sense of their respective spiritual climates.
The following slides are some of the titles included in this series: The Essential Swami Ramdas, Honen The Buddhist Saint: Essential Writings and Official Biography, and The Sufi Doctrine of Rumi.
Messenger of the Heart fills its pages with mystical Zen and Christian poems by Angelus Silesius. His poems are widely considered one of the greatest achievements in the spiritual literature the world. The pages come alive with pen and ink sketches by Frederick Franck.
When mystics like Angelus Silesius speak of God, they do so from a vibrant intensity of awareness, and in a tone of voice one trusts at once. The timeless wisdom embedded in Messenger of the Heart’s humble rhymes is beautifully echoed by the observations of the ancient Zen masters which punctuate the text, and in the haiku-like drawings by Frederick Franck.
“The artful intertwining of the mystic visions of Zen Buddhism and Angelus Silesius’ poetry will inspire all readers, East and West, in their quest of the Oneness underlying our reality. Though we may not all be mystics, the poems and quotations gathered by Frederick Franck are redolent with spiritual insight from which each of us may benefit as we contemplate our human and natural diversities.”
—Al Bloom, editor of Living in Amida’s Universal Vow: Essays on Shin Buddhism
“This volume is another example of Frederick Franck’s pioneering work in interspirituality. He has drawn the rich resources of Eastern and Western wisdom together in an uplifting and edifying whole. With Franck’s line drawings illustrating the poetry, this is a beautiful edition.”
—Spirituality & Health magazine
Swami Ramdas was not only an extraordinary spiritual teacher but also a master of the English language. His books are among the leading classics of sacred literature because of their great inspirational value. Profound philosophical insights blend in well with moving devotional passages. Like a beautiful multicolored garland of fragrant flowers, this book is a collection of extracts from the writings of Ramdas that are arranged under 101 chapter headings.
“Now in a commemorative edition including an 8-page section of rare sepia photographs, a new foreword by Professor Rebecca Manring, samples of Swami Ramdas’ handwritings, an introduction to the life of Swami Ramdas by Susunaga Weeraperuma, and more, The Essential Swami Ramdas is an anthology of wisdom from revered Hindu saint Swami Ramdas (1884-1963). His message of deliverance through faithful remembrance of God permeates his writing, from his assessment that ‘work is worship when it is done selflessly’ to ‘immortality is the birth-right of mankind’. Each brief passage, skillfully selected and compiled into this digest by Susunaga Weeraperuma, contributes its own insight into a collective understanding of the power of the Divine and the inner wealth of pure love. A deeply spiritual treatise filled with spiritual life lessons that will prove valuable to readers of all faiths.”
—Midwest Book Review
The Laughing Buddha of Tofukuji is an intimate account of the life and teachings of the contemporary Zen Master Keido Fukushima. It features the Zen insights of a living Zen master, who is in the tradition of the great Zen scholar, Professor D.T. Suzuki and the late Zen Master Shibayama Roshi, in bringing authentic Zen to the West.
Readers interested in Buddhism and Zen will consider it a rare treat to find a new book that:
—Offers an intimate look into the life, mind, art, and spirit of a great living Zen master;
—Reveals the concepts and practices that guide followers of what D.T. Suzuki has called the “true Zen,” which is not the Westernized and adapted Zen of popular fads;
—Approaches Zen, often thought to be a complex and inscrutable system of ideas, through easily understandable stories, dialogues, and narratives; and
—Involves us in a compelling story of one man’s spiritual development, in which we can share in his abundant love, laughter, and boundless respect for life’s deepest meanings.
There are now countless books of Rumi’s poetry available in English translation, and he has become one of America’s favorite poets. There are, however, almost no authoritative books readily available for the general reader that provide in clear and accessible language an introduction to the underlying spiritual perspective illuminating Rumi’s magical poetry. In this beautifully illustrated work, William C. Chittick, a leading scholar of Sufism and Rumi, opens doors that give us access to the inner sanctum of Rumi’s esoteric, and Sufi, thought.
“The immense popularity of Rumi’s poetry in 21st century America shows that his message is one which transcends both time and space. William Chittick addresses with admirable succinctness the fundamental themes of this message, both in its own terms, and with continuous reference to the school of sophia perennis. The result is a deeply satisfying discourse on Rumi’s poetry from a point of view that is faithful to the universality of its essential content.”
—Reza Shah-Kazemi, scholar and author on Islam and Sufism
This book gives a fascinating survey of the early years of Chinese Zen (Chan) Buddhism, staying focused on the movement of Buddhism to the land where Taoism and Confucianism flourished. Wu’s survey, combined with interesting translations from these earliest Zen masters, reveals a time of spiritual vibrancy and powerful personalities that help explain the later developments of Zen with which western readers are more familiar.
“Here is a book that will do much to clarify the still very confused western idea of Zen Buddhism. It is not an apologia, not a criticism, not a purely academic history, not a romantic exercise of imaginative concordism. It looks at the great Chinese Zen Masters of the 7th to the 10th centuries A.D., and portrays them in their “Five Houses”. It enables us to situate their teaching and to enjoy it in its context.…Though few Westerners will ever actually come to a real understanding of Zen, it is still worth their while to be exposed to its brisk and heady atmosphere. This book will be a good place to make the acquaintance of what can be called the very quintessence of Buddhist wisdom, in the Golden Age of Chinese Zen.”
—Thomas Merton (excerpt from the Introduction)
“A rich harvest of the sayings and training methods of the great Chinese Zen masters. Highly recommended.”
——Roshi Philip Kapleau, author of The Three Pillars of Zen
Priest, saint, and founder of the independent school of Pure Land (Jodo) Buddhism in 12th century Japan, Honen Shonin’s importance has been largely unrecognized in the West, even though his legacy includes over twenty million living practitioners of in Japan. Honen the Buddhist Saint: His Life and Teachings is the first and only English translation of a biography of this remarkable man. Edited by Joseph A. Fitzgerald, this edition combines illustrations from Japanese religious sites as well as Hônen’s own words which allow him to speak “from across the ages,” to any human being, Buddhist or non-Buddhist, who desires to have faith and gain knowledge.
“Japanese Pure Land Buddhism owes a huge debt to Honen Shonin. What is especially exciting about this volume is the presentation of Honen’s life and teaching as seen through the eyes of medieval Japanese Pure Land Buddhists but brought to life in modern English by the original translators. The editors have done a remarkable feat of reducing the original multi-volume and scholarly production of 1925 to a single tome that is a joy to the eye and a pleasure to read. This will undoubtedly raise the level of appreciation of Japanese Pure Land Buddhism in the West as well as fill a major historical gap in the modern understanding of this great spiritual path.”
—Richard St.Clair, M.I.T.
“A handsome and welcome contribution…. Amply illustrated, and with a new Introduction by Alfred Bloom, this publication of Honen the Buddhist Saint provides for a new generation both a readable abridgement of the classic text first translated by Coates and Ishizuka, and a current update on this important Japanese Buddhist figure.”
—Paul Swanson Director, Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture
This first-ever series of in-depth dialogues with Samdhong Rinpoche, the current Prime Minister of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, presents his refreshing views on a wide range of pressing topics including the problems of the present political world order, the philosophy of “non-violence” (Ahimsa) and “truth-insistence” (Satyagraha), and the plight of Tibet in the face of the communist Chinese invasion. Informed throughout by his deep belief in the principles of Tibetan Buddhism, Samdhong Rinpoche holds to an uncompromising vision of the Truth¯the way the world could be if it renounced its destructive path of unprincipled pragmatism and worldly compromise.
“Samdhong Rinpoche is someone I hold in high regard. He belongs to the last generation of Tibetans that reached adulthood and accomplished a part of his monastic training before leaving Tibet. . . . Despite his genuine qualities and accomplishments, I have always found Samdhong Rinpoche to be an abstemious, reserved man. Consequently, his firm views on many issues may not be widely known outside the Tibetan community. Considering the important position he now occupies, I believe the editor of this book has done a public service in preparing this selection of Rinpoche’s observations and opinions.”
—H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama
