Buddhism Audiobooks | Religion & Spirituality

With traditional hymns from Plum Village and many of Thich Nhat Hanh's well-know poems set to music, along with original compositions by songwriter Joseph Emet, A Basket of Plums Songbook is a perfect way to learn about mindfulness. These songs are for walking, sitting, breathing, eating, gratitude, and enjoying the present moment. Whether you chose to listen, sing along, or play the music yourself these songs offer an opportunity to experience mindfulness wherever you are.

Joseph Emet (Author), The Monks and Nuns of Plum Village (Narrator)

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A Bigger Sky: Awakening a Fierce Feminine Buddhism

Reimagining Buddhism through a feminine lens: A powerful memoir of healing, strength, and spiritual awakening. Like all true spiritual teachings, Buddhism offers a radical shift: from me to we, fracture to unity, and fear to love. But like most institutionalized religions, Buddhism developed under systems of hierarchy, patriarchy, and power that have become interwoven into its structure. Written by the first layperson to receive full Dharma Transmission in the Suzuki Roshi Soto Zen lineage, A Bigger Sky explores what it means to fill the gaps of a Buddhism created by and for men, to navigate the seemingly contradictory domains of secular and spiritual life, and to walk a path through the heart of the world. Reorienting Buddhist practice through a wider, more inclusive feminine lens, Pamela Weiss's personal and spiritual journey speaks to the bits of brokenness in us all, shining a light on the different pathways we can walk to become whole. Blending memoir, Buddhist practice, and cultural observation, Weiss explores the illness that led her to seek healing and brought her to Buddhism; life at Tassajara Zen Mountain monastery; feelings of helplessness amidst the legacy of intergenerational trauma; her husband's near-fatal accident; her work translating mindfulness and Buddhist principles to a broad lay audience; and stories of Buddhist women, past and present. Through beautifully crafted prose, Weiss shares what it means to be an ordinary Bodhisattva--describing how the Buddha's profound vision of freedom can be lived outside of institutions and rule-bound practice, and supporting us in deepening our connection--with ourselves, each other and the planet. A Bigger Sky illuminates how integrating a more feminine approach to Buddhist teachings can be applied in spiritual practice, in community, in relationships, and in day-to-day life.

Pamela Weiss (Author), Diana Gardiner (Narrator)

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A Childhood in Tibet: A Biography

Tendöl Namling turned 60 in March 2019. She was born at the time when the Dalai Lama fled from Lhasa and the uprising of his people by the Chinese People's Army was brutally suppressed. She has lived for 22 years under Chinese rule. As the daughter of a high government official, she underwent the ordeal of 're-education' with full force. All she has kept from these years are painful memories and some crumpled photographs. They show her with her friends and cousins in Lhasa, smiling as if nothing had happened. When Tendöl turned 10 her brother was arrested and her mother sentenced to ten years in prison. Tendöl was sent to work in road construction for several years. At the age of 20 she was allowed to start an apprenticeship as motor mechanic. Thanks to the efforts of her family in exile, Tendöl was able to leave Tibet in 1982. After twenty years of hardship she landed in prosperous Switzerland. It felt as if she had to start her life all over again. She struggled but she never gave up. She founded a family and a business and reconciled herself with the painful past. In Tendöl's words, 'this little book is dedicated to all the Tibetans who continue to rebel against the Chinese occupation'.

Thérèse Obrecht Hodler (Author), Tenzin Kalsang (Narrator)

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A Collection of Eastern Stories and Legends: for narration or later reading in schools

In offering this volume to teachers, my chief aim is to provide material for narration which shall deal, not with things temporal but with the “ Eternal Verities.” These, if presented to our boys and girls in dramatic form, at the most impressionable period of their lives, will sink deeply into their minds. When presented in more direct and didactic fashion, the same truths often fail to impress. These stories of the Buddha are not for one age or one country, but for all time and for the world. I have suggested their meaning in the index to enable teachers to -see the contents at a glance. I strongly urge that little or no explanation should be offered to the children themselves. They will be sufficiently interested in the dramatic setting to absorb (unconsciously) the meaning of the story. The book is not intended primarily for children to read but for teachers to use in telling these tales, but' when they have received the dramatic impression through the telling, they will have an added interest in reading the book for themselves. I have purposely avoided using illustrations to these stories. I want the children to make the mental picture suggested to them by the spoken word, and if they read the story afterwards, I do not wish to force them to abandon their own conception and adopt a general one, because this would mean eliminating one of the most potent educational factors in the telling of the story.

Marie. L. Shedlock (Author), Russell Stamets (Narrator)

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A Concise History of Buddhism: From 500 BCE-1900 CE

An ideal introduction to the history of Buddhism. Andrew Skilton - Senior Research Fellow in Buddhist Studies, Kings College, London - explains the development of the basic concepts of Buddhism and its spread across the continents during its 2,500 years of history. He begins with a close look at Buddhism in India, where it flourished until the 12th/13th century CE, charting the growth of different schools and practices. By the time it disappeared from its homeland midway through the millennium, it had become established in Central Asia and the Far East in a variety of forms. Skilton looks at Buddhism in Sri Lanka, Burma and Southeast Asia, China, Korea, Japan, Tibet and Mongolia and in countries where there are now only archeological remains, such as Iran. This is a fascinating and useful insight into the historical progress of one of the world's great religions.

Andrew Skilton (Author), Jinananda Jinananda (Narrator)

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A Death on Diamond Mountain

An investigative reporter explores an infamous case where an obsessive and unorthodox search for enlightenment went terribly wrong. When thirty-eight-year-old Ian Thorson died from dehydration and dysentery on a remote Arizona mountaintop in 2012, the New York Times reported the story under the headline: 'Mysterious Buddhist Retreat in the Desert Ends in a Grisly Death.' Scott Carney, a journalist and anthropologist who lived in India for six years, was struck by how Thorson’s death echoed other incidents that reflected the little-talked-about connection between intensive meditation and mental instability. Using these tragedies as a springboard, Carney explores how those who go to extremes to achieve divine revelations—and undertake it in illusory ways—can tangle with madness. He also delves into the unorthodox interpretation of Tibetan Buddhism that attracted Thorson and the bizarre teachings of its chief evangelists: Thorson’s wife, Lama Christie McNally, and her previous husband, Geshe Michael Roach, the supreme spiritual leader of Diamond Mountain University, where Thorson died. Carney unravels how the cultlike practices of McNally and Roach and the questionable circumstances surrounding Thorson’s death illuminate a uniquely American tendency to mix and match eastern religious traditions like LEGO pieces in a quest to reach an enlightened, perfected state, no matter the cost. Aided by Thorson’s private papers, along with cutting-edge neurological research that reveals the profound impact of intensive meditation on the brain and stories of miracles and black magic, sexualized rituals, and tantric rites from former Diamond Mountain acolytes, A Death on Diamond Mountain is a gripping work of investigative journalism that reveals how the path to enlightenment can be riddled with danger.

Scott Carney (Author), Fred Stella (Narrator)

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A Force for Good: The Dalai Lama's Vision for Our World

Drawing on his friendship with the Dalai Lama since the 1980s, Daniel Goleman relays conversations they’ve had about His Holiness’s core values and the scientific data reinforcing these concepts. Goleman presents examples of companies whose work illustrates the Dalai Lama’s teachings, by developing businesses that benefit people and the environment. He also offers practical advice for applying these tenets to your everyday life.

Daniel Goleman (Author), Daniel Goleman (Narrator)

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A Garland of Views: A Guide to View, Meditation, and Result in the Nine Vehicles

A core text of the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, presented in English for the first time, with commentary by Jamgön Mipham, one of the Nyingma tradition's most lucid and brilliant minds. A concise commentary by the eighth-century Indian Buddhist master Padmasambhava on a chapter from the Guhyagarbha Tantra, which gives an overview of the different Buddhist and non-Buddhist philosophical views, including the Great Perfection (Dzogchen), with an explicative commentary by the nineteenth-century scholar Jamgön Mipham (1846-1912). Padmasambhava's text is a core text of the Nyingma tradition because it provides the basis for the system of nine vehicles (three sutra vehicles and six tantra vehicles) that subsequently became the accepted way of classifying the different Buddhist paths in the Nyingma tradition. Mipham's commentary is the one most commonly used to explain Padmasambhava's teaching. Mipham is well known for his prolific, lucid, and original writings on many subjects, including science, medicine, and philosophy, in addition to Tibetan Buddhist practice and theory.

Jamgon Mipham, Padmasambhava (Author), Simon Callow (Narrator)

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A Guide to Good Life Bundle, 2 in 1 Bundle

A Guide to Good Life Bundle, 2 in 1 Bundle: The Pillars of Zen and Ikigai Journey Do you know how to stay calm when everything in your life is falling apart? When even the very little patience that is left in you is pushed to the limits? In every struggle of an individual, there is always a certain path that will take that person to the right decision and destination. The practice of Zen can help you. Zen is a branch of Buddhism that focuses on mindfulness practice and teaches everyone how to incorporate peace and tranquility into their regular activities. Also another thing, finding your ikigai—the thing that makes you jump out of bed in the morning—is one of the most important things you can do for yourself. The concept of ikigai is closely linked to the idea of finding one's passion in life. If you want to live a life of meaning and passion, you’ll have to start by facing your deepest fears and desiring a life worth living. In this bundle, you will learn about Zen and Zen practices as well as how to find your own Ikigai. This is a bundle perfect for beginners who want to achieve inner peace and want to live a more fulfilling life. This 2 in 1 bundle includes the following audiobooks: 1. The Pillars of Zen: A Guide on the Zen Mind, Zen Practices, Meditation and Other Mindful Practices That will Help You Live a More Tranquil Life 2. Ikigai Journey: A Guide on this Japanese Philosophy and Way of Living that Will Help You Live a More Fulfilling Life If you want to learn more, download your copy of A Guide to Good Life Bundle today!

Rye Shiro, Sasha Lamont (Author), John Hays, Steven Myles (Narrator)

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A Life That Has Meaning Now And Forever

Why is it sometimes so difficult to be generous? Is human consciousness the one thing in the universe that can be transformed from 'something' into 'nothing'? One of the most respected teachers of our time, Robert Thurman, takes ancient Buddhist wisdom and translates it into answers that make sense here and now.

Robert Thurman, Phd (Author), Michael Toms (Narrator)

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A Miraculous Healing With An Arapaho Elder

Lisa Jones met a quadriplegic Arapaho elder who was a master horse trainer. He did this from a wheel chair. She had no idea when she was assigned to write an article about him that it would lead to a life-changing event. She ended up writing a book about the years she spent with this powerful teacher.

Lisa Jones (Author), Justine Willis Toms (Narrator)

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A Queer Dharma: Yoga and Meditations for Liberation

Queer critique, queer practice: embodied teachings for healing from trauma and social injustice. Jacoby Ballard provides an empowering and affirming guide to embodied healing through yoga and the dharma, grounded in the brilliance, resilience, and lived experiences of queer folks. Part I deconstructs the ways mainstream yoga perpetuates queer- and transphobia and other systemic oppressions, exploring the intersections of yoga, capitalism, cultural appropriation, and sexual violence. Ballard also addresses the trauma--complex, vicarious, historical, and collective--perpetuated against queer communities. In response, he offers tools for self-compassion, tonglen, lovingkindness, and grounding, and helps readers explore questions like: • What is trauma? How is it a product of injustice--and how can healing it create justice? • The world won't stop being homo- and transphobic, so how do I encounter that in a way that does the least harm? • How do we love what is uniquely trans about us? • What are affinity groups, and why do we need them? In part II, Ballard offers a queer-centered, fully embodied, and equity-rooted practice with meditations, practices, and sequences for processing and healing from trauma individually and in community. He explains concepts like lovingkindness, letting go, compassion, joy, forgiveness, and equanimity through a queer lens, and pairs each with corresponding meditations, practices, and beautiful line drawings of queer bodies. Enhanced with stories from Ballard's personal practice and professional experience teaching yoga in schools, prisons, conferences, and his weekly Queer and Trans Yoga class, A Queer Dharma is a guidebook, reclamation, and unapologetically queer heart offering for true healing and transformation.

Jacoby Ballard (Author), Jacoby Ballard, Phil Corin (Narrator)

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Buddhism Audiobooks in Religion & Spirituality