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The Power of the New Spirituality: How to Live a Life of Compassion and Personal Fulfillment by William Bloom has received a wonderful review by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat of Spirituality & Practice.
The review, which can be read in full here, reads:
The author has narrowed this expansive list down to the three golden key behaviors found in all traditions and approaches to spirituality:
1. “Connection: your heart is touched and you connect with the wonder and energy of life.
“2. Reflection: you pause and reflect on your life and actions, and ponder how to change and improve.
“3. Service: you have a clear sense of what is right and what is wrong, and you act so as to do good for others.”
There is an ethical undertow to these three spiritual practices which encompass traditional values, green values (protect and care for the natural world), psychological and emotional values (love, respect, and affection), and presence (radiate benevolence).
Bloom acknowledges that those questing for a new spirituality want to integrate it into their daily life at home, at work, and in community. To help facilitate that process, he presents exercises on determining the best gateways, discovering your distinctive spiritual style, and deepening your spiritual connection.
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The Power of the New Spirituality is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound and other local and national retailers.
Visit www.williambloom.com to learn more about the author.
Questions from the City, Answers from the Forest: Simple Lessons You Can Use from a Western Buddhist Monk by Ajahn Sumano Bhikkhu is featured today on DailyOM.com as a ‘From the Library’ pick of the day.
Click here to read the excerpt, taken from Chapter One: Turning to Spiritual Life.
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Also check out Ajahn Sumano Bhikku’s latest Quest Books title: The Brightened Mind: A Simple Guide to Buddhist Meditation.
Tonight at 7:30 p.m. EDT, Practical Centering: Exercises to Energize Your Chakras for Relaxation, Vitality, and Health author Larkin Barnett will join pulmonary oncology specialist Dr. Gregory Loewen on BlogTalk radio’s Online with Andrea with host Andrea R. Garrison for an in-depth interview.
Click here to listen live. It will also be archived in full, so be sure to check back if you miss it live!
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Practical Centering is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and IndieBound.
Learn more about the book on the author’s website and Facebook.
This April, Retailing Insight magazine (formerly New Age Retailer) gave a glowing review to Practical Centering: Exercises to Energize Your Chakras for Relaxation, Vitality, and Health by Larkin Barnett in their Online Book Reviews feature.
The review can be read online or via Scribd below.
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Practical Centering is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and IndieBound.
Learn more about the book on the author’s website and Facebook.
Retailing Insight magazine is on Facebook.
The popular website DailyOM has posted an excerpt of 
our April release, Practical Centering: Exercises to Energize Your Chakras for Relaxation, Vitality, and Health by Larkin Barnett, as a ‘From the Library’ featured pick of the day!
Click here to read the review and excerpt taken from Chapter 4: Practice the Rocking Motion for the Seven Rocking Massage Exercises.
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Practical Centering is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and IndieBound.
Learn more about the book on the author’s website and Facebook.
The Magical Buffet has published a lively review of Larkin Barnett’s new book Practical Centering: Exercises to Energize Your Chakras for Relaxation, Vitality, and Health.
The review reads, “’Practical Centering’ is broken up into easy to digest sections, and the book itself is a fantastic size to carry in your purse, leave in your nightstand, or put pretty much where ever. If you’re like me, you’ll soon find yourself at least taking the time to do a few really good full cleansing breaths when taking a break from your desk at work. Larkin Barnett’s ‘Practical Centering’ is truth in advertising. I can’t recall reading a more practical, accessible book on this sort of subject matter.”
Click here to read the full review.
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Practical Centering is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and IndieBound.
Learn more about the book on the author’s website and Facebook.
Dennis Lewis, author of Breathe into Being: Awakening to Who You Really Are, is teaching a workshop this April 22-27 at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, Calif.
During the ‘Free Your Breath, Free Your Life’ workshop, Dennis will take participants on a journey of presence into the physiology, psychology, and spirituality of natural, boundless breathing. They will learn and practice the seven basic self-directed ways of working with the breath: conscious; controlled; focused; movement-supported; position-supported; touch supported; and sound-supported breathing.
Through safe, powerful exercises—as well as through special movements, postures, sounds, meditations, qigong practices (Humming Breath Qigong, which Dennis created), dialogue, and work with presence—participants will be shown how to integrate conscious, whole-body breathing into their lives to support their overall health and quest for self-realization.
Click here for more information and to reserve your spot.
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For more information about Dennis Lewis, visit his website and blog, or connect with him on Facebook and Twitter.
Red Shambhala: Magic, Prophecy, and Geopolitics in the Heart of Asia author Andrei Znamenski recently spoke in an in-depth interview conducted by Andrea R. Garrison, host of ‘Online with Andrea’.
During this two-hour interview, Znamenski details much of the information in his new book, including the secret plot of Nicholas Roerich that involved traveling to Tibet on a U.S.-funded botany excursion and then posing as the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama with an ultimate goal of unleashing holy war in Tibet.
To hear the full interview, click here.
For more information about Red Shambhala, visit Facebook or buy it on Amazon.
Andrea R. Garrison is on Facebook and Twitter.
This interview was broadcast live on September 13, 2011.
The new July/August issue of Theosophy Forward endorses The Quotable Krishnamurti, edited by Robert Epstein, as a Notable Book!
The review reads:
Krishnamurti’s writings, like his life, are a puzzling labyrinth. People tend to respond to both the man and the literature in diverse ways. For Krishnamurti fans, this collection of brief quotations is a useful way of seeing what he had to say on a variety of subjects. For those unfamiliar with the Krishnamurti writings (which are mainly transcriptions of talks he gave), this little volume is an excellent introduction.
The book consists of several hundred topics with one or more sentences or short paragraphs setting forth Krishnamurti’s comments on those topics, which range from “acceptance” to “you are the world.” The book also has an informative introduction by Epstein on Krishnamurti, the man and his teachings.
Click here to read the full review online, or to download the full July/August issue of Theosophy Forward, visit www.theosophyforward.net.
The Quotable Krishnamurti is on Amazon!
O’Mahony’s Booksellers has written two rave reviews of recent Quest Books titles! The reviews read:
The Brightened Mind: A Simple Guide to Buddhist Meditation
Ajahn Sumano Bhikkhu
“The brightened mind is one that is able to make better choices,” says Sumano Bhikkhu. Having left the hectic world of Chicago real estate decades ago to become a Thai Buddhist monk, he knows what he’s talking about. This simple, short introduction to meditation, particularly well suited to young people, can help anyone rattled with the stresses of living in today’s society rife with financial uncertainty, war, crime, and the psychological assaults of bosses, teachers, and the media. His methods increase awareness, strengthen positive mental states, and develop insight. Eventually, the feeling of being overwhelmed becomes replaced with a sense of innate brilliance and trust in one’s natural abilities. Moreover, the meditation Sumano teaches opens access to the infinite wisdom of the Universal Mind. An appendix on lovingkindness is an added benefit, providing the tools needed to face all challenges with a poised, cool, and compassionate heart.
The Quotable Krishnamurti
Edited by Robert Epstein
Truth is a pathless land; you cannot approach it by any religion. . . . My only concern is to set men absolutely free. So said Jiddu Krishnamurti, one of the most influential spiritual leaders of the twentieth century. Born in India in 1905, as a teenager he was groomed by Theosophists C. W. Leadbeater and Annie Besant to become the next World Teacher. Yet later he broke from his mentors, refusing to play the messiah. For decades he traveled the globe, urging his followers to pursue their own, individual freedom without dependence on any doctrine. Hence this book’s guiding purpose. Author Robert Epstein culls key quotations from Krishnamurti’s Commentaries on Living and other works. Conveniently organized from A to Z, topics range from acceptance and anger to consciousness, fear, fulfillment, God, hope, joy, love, nonviolence, reincarnation, relationship, self-understanding, sex, suffering, vegetarianism, war, and wisdom. “You are the world, and the world is you,” said Krishnamurti. “If there is a radical transformation in the structure of an individual’s psyche, it will affect the whole consciousness of man.” This small jewel of a book contains enormous power to inspire readers to just such a change.
Read these reviews online here: The Quotable Krishnamurti The Brightened Mind
The Quotable Krishnamurti and The Brightened Mind are on Amazon.
O’Mahony’s is on Facebook.
Booklist has given a stellar review of Ajahn Sumano Bhikkhu’s new book, The Brightened Mind: A Simple Guide to Buddhist Meditation!
The review, written by Taina Lagodzinski, reads:
In recent years, meditation has earned a special place in the current pantheon of spiritual and self-help treatments as a universal remedy for many of our current personal ills. Hence, guides and introductions to meditation abound, written by a plethora of authors from varied fields and backgrounds, throwing out buzzwords like mindfulness for good measure. In this environment, Bhikkhu’s primer on Buddhist meditation really shines. At just over 100 pages, this small volume begins with a short discussion on the uses for meditation and quickly launches into a succession of short, pithy chapters on the nature of mind, the need for spiritual education, and step-by-step instructions on preparing for and engaging in a meditation session. Bhikkhu, an ordained monk and follower of famed Thai Buddhist master Ajahn Chah, provides the reader with a clear, basic understanding of samatha, or calm-abiding, meditation without an overwhelming amount of terminology or dogma. Readers looking for a more thorough study of Buddhist meditation techniques should search elsewhere, but for those just beginning to practice meditation, this is just the ticket.
This review was published in the May 15, 2011 issue of Booklist. Click here to see the review on the Booklist website.
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The Brightened Mind
is on Amazon!
Thai Buddhist monk and author of The Brightened Mind: A Simple Guide to Buddhist Meditation, Ajahn Sumano Bhikkhu, recently spoke in an in-depth interview conducted by Andrea R. Garrison, host of ‘Online with Andrea’.
During the two-hour interview, the two discuss everything from Ajahn Sumano’s history and background that led him to abandon a life in Chicago to live in a cave in Thailand, to the traditions of the Thai Buddhist faith, to meditation topics such as the two levels of consciousness and mind training techniques.
To hear the full interview, click here.
The Brightened Mind is on Amazon!
Andrea R. Garrison is on Facebook and Twitter.
This interview was broadcast live on June 7, 2011.
The Brightened Mind: A Simple Guide to Biddhist Meditation, by Ajahn Sumano Bhikkhu, has been reviewed in the May issue of Library Journal in the Spiritual Living column!
The verdict reads, “Not for beginners in Buddhism, Ajahn Sumano’s cheerful and direct text will be a true eye-opener for practicing Buddhists.”
Read the full review here.
The Brightened Mind is available on Amazon!
This review was originally published on May 1, 2011.
The popular website DailyOm.com has posted an excerpt of Ajahn Sumano Bhikku’s newest book, The Brightened Mind: A Simple Guide to Buddhist Meditation, as a ‘From the Library’ featured pick!
Click here to read the excerpt, taken from the first chapter: The Two Levels of Consciousness.
Buy your copy of The Brightened Mind on Amazon today!
Tricycle magazine has blogged a wonderful review of Ajahn Sumano Bhikkhu’s The Brightened Mind: A Simple Guide to Buddhist Meditation!
“The meditation exercises in the second half of the back are very clear and firmly grounded in Buddhist forms readers will recognize: breathing exercises, lovingkindness, and so on. I think this slim volume can serve as a very nice intorduction to Buddhist meditation, without a lot of jargon. The concept of Universal Mind may make some readers hesitate, because this Mind seems something we can access without a huge amount of effort and once accessed, we don’t need anything more to lead full lives, and this of course was one strong and recurring criticism of Big Mind. But if it gets people started on the path,on the cushion, and more importantly, as Ajahan Sumanao Bhikkhu says, thinking and learning and creatively engaging with our lives, it will be worthwhile.”
Click here to read the full review.
Get The Brightened Mind on Amazon today!
Tricycle is on Facebook and Twitter!
This review was originally published on April 20, 2011.
GalleyCat contributor Maryann Yin has written a review of The Brightened Mind: A Simple Guide to Buddhist Meditation, by Ajahn Sumano Bhikkhu, in GalleyCat Reviews!
The Brightened Mind: A Simple Guide to Buddhist Meditation by Ajahn Sumano Bhikkhu: “This simple, short introduction to meditation, particularly well suited to young people, can help anyone rattled with the stresses of living in today’s society rife with financial uncertainty, war, crime, and the psychological assaults of bosses, teachers, and the media.” (May 2011)
The Brightened Mind comes out in June. Pre-order it on Amazon today!
Find GalleyCat on Facebook and Twitter.
–This review was originally published on May 6, 2011.–
We are pleased to announce that Processmind: A User’s Guide to Connecting with the Mind of God, by Arnold Mindell, Ph.D., has made it as a finalist in the ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year competition!
Each year, ForeWord Reviews takes a look back at the best books of the previous year and awards them accordingly. Processmind is one of 10 finalists in the Body, Mind, Spirit category. The winners will be determined by a panel of librarians and booksellers, and will be announced at a special program at the American Library Association’s Annual Conference & Exhibition in New Orleans, June 23-28.
Buy Processmind on Amazon.
Learn more about Arnie Mindell on his website and on Facebook.
Follow ForeWord Reviews on Facebook and Twitter.
The 2010 Book of the Year Award finalists were officially announced March 14, 2011.
Buddhist practitioner, writer, and teacher Bodhipaksa recently posted a great review of The Brightened Mind: A Simple Guide to Buddhist Meditation, by Ajahn Sumano Bhikku, on the Wildmind blog!
An excerpt from the review reads, “The second half of The Brightened Mind is solid gold. Sumano’s strength is in emphasizing the “naturalness” of meditation. The second meditation exercise begins with the suggestion, “Allow your eyelids to close gently and begin to think ‘soft.’ That means relaxing the mind and smiling within.” This is beautifully put, and a valuable reminder that meditation can be something we let happen rather than make happen.”
The Brightened Mind will be released June 2011. Pre-order it now on Amazon.
Find Ajahn Sumano Bhikku on Facebook.
Find Bodhipaksa on Facebook and Twitter.
This review was originally posted on March 11, 2011.
Book reviewer Jim Agnew has posted The Portal: An Initiate’s Journey into the Secret of Rennes-le-Chateau, by Patrice Chaplin, and Processmind: A User’s Guide to Connecting with the Mind of God, by Arnold Mindell, Ph.D., as two of his “Daily Picks” today!
Buy The Portal and Processmind on Amazon.
Find Patrice Chaplin on Facebook.
Find out more about Arnold Mindell on his website, www.Aamindell.net, and on Facebook.
These daily picks were originally posted to www.jimagnew.net on March 16, 2011.
From his forest cave in Thailand, Ajahn Sumano Bhikkhu, author of The Brightened Mind explains how the mind keeps us from experiencing reality and how meditation can help you see things ”the way that they are” in this newly posted video!
Ajahn Sumano Bhikkhu was part of the original group of monks and yogis to visit England in the mid-70′s. During the seven years he lived and trained in England, he worked to restore the old Victorian estate that has become the Dharma lotus of Theravada Buddhism. From this auspicious beginning, more than ten centers in Europe have been established and are flourishing.
As a lay individual, Ajahn Sumano Bhikkhu was one of the original benefactors in the purchase and development of Cittavivekn, a cave in northeast Thailand. Since 1998 he has traveled throughout the world leading retreats and spreading his dream of establishing a Spiritual Park outside of Bangkok which would bring together all the world’s religions in the spirit of Unity and Peace.
In his upcoming book The Brightened Mind, Sumano speaks to the modern seeker from his unique perspective as a former Chicago realtor and delivers easy-to-follow guided meditations that teach us how to think productively, thereby tapping into the ultimate source of wealth, our own divine consciousness.
The Brightened Mind will be available this May, and you can pre-order it now on amazon.com. You can also find Ajahn Sumano Bhikkhu on Facebook!
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