Religion

An imaginative approach to spiritual practice in difficult times, through the Buddhist teaching of the six paramitas or "perfections"--qualities that lead to kindness, wisdom, and an awakened life.In frightening times, we wish the world could be otherwise. With a touch of imagination, it can be. Imagination helps us see what’s hidden, and it shape-shifts reality’s roiling twisting waves. In this inspiring reframe of a classic Buddhist teaching, Zen teacher Norman Fischer writes that the paramitas, or “six perfections”—generosity, ethical conduct, patience, joyful effort, meditation, and understanding—can help us reconfigure the world we live in. Ranging from our everyday concerns about relationships, ethics, and consumption to our artistic inspirations and broadest human yearnings, Fischer depicts imaginative spiritual practice as a necessary resource for our troubled times.

The ESV Study Bible, Personal Size compresses nearly all the features of the award-winning ESV Study Bible into a smaller size for easier carrying.

The 'NKJV, Gift and Award Bible, Leather-Look, Black, Red Letter, Comfort Print' is an exceptional piece of literature crafted by the renowned author, Thomas Nelson. This book, published in the year 2018, is a perfect blend of profound wisdom and captivating storytelling. Its genre is unique and it is bound to keep the readers engaged from the very beginning. The book offers a leather-like appearance and a comfortable print, making it an ideal gift for bibliophiles. The red lettering adds a touch of elegance and sophistication to the book. Published by Thomas Nelson Publishers, this book is a testament to their commitment to delivering high-quality literature to readers worldwide. The book is available in English, catering to a wide audience. A perfect addition to any book collection, this book is sure to leave a lasting impression.

The NKJV, Holy Bible, Larger Print, Paperback, is a remarkable book by the renowned author, Thomas Nelson. Published in 2016 by Thomas Nelson Publishers, this book falls under the genre of religious texts, specifically Christianity. The New King James Version (NKJV) of the Holy Bible offers a larger print for easy readability, making it a perfect choice for those who prefer a more comfortable reading experience. The paperback format adds to its portability, allowing you to carry the word of God wherever you go. Thomas Nelson's interpretation provides a fresh perspective on the holy scriptures, making it a must-have for both the devout and those interested in religious study. Experience the profound wisdom and spiritual guidance of the Holy Bible in a new light with this edition.

A new Pew Bible using the ESV translation, in British English, with a large typeface and lightweight design, with black cover

How do you cope when facing life-threatening illness, family conflict, faltering relationships, old trauma, obsessive thinking, overwhelming emotion or inevitable loss? This book offers a practical guide to finding our inner sanctuary of peace and wisdom in the midst of difficulty.

The National Geographic Treasury of Greek Mythology offers timeless stories of Greek myths. Brought to life with lyrical text by award-winning author Donna Jo Napoli and stunning artwork by award-winning illustrator Christina Balit, the tales of gods, goddesses, heroes and monsters will fascinate and engage children's imaginations.

Simone Weil, the French philosopher, political activist, and religious mystic, was little known when she died in 1943. The aphorisms in this book reflect the religious philosophy of Weil's last years. This book shows why critics have called Weil "a great soul who might have become a saint" and "the outsider as saint, in an age of alienation".

Beautifully written, accessible and provocative, THE END OF FAITH is an impassioned plea for reason in a world divided by faith.

For nearly two generations, this bestselling translation of the Tao Te Ching has been the standard for those seeking access to the wisdom of Taoist thought. Now Jane English and her long-time editor, Toinette Lippe, have refreshed and revised the translation, so that it more faithfully reflects the Classical Chinese in which it was first written, while taking into account changes in our own language and eliminating any lingering infelicities. This beautiful oversized edition features over a hundred new photographs by Jane English that help express the vast spirit of the Tao. Also included is an introduction by the well-known writer and scholar of philosophy and comparative religion, Jacob Needleman. Lao Tsu's philosophy is simple: Accept what is in front of you without wanting the situation to be other than it is. Study the natural order of things and work with it rather than against it, for to try to change what is only sets up resistance. Nature provides everything without requiring payment or thanks. It does so without discrimination. So let us present the same face to everyone and treat them all as equals, however they may behave. If we watch carefully, we will see that work proceeds more quickly and easily if we stop "trying," if we stop putting in so much extra effort, if we stop looking for results. In the clarity of a still and open mind, truth will be reflected. Te-which may be translated as "virtue" or "strength"-lies always in Tao meaning "the way" or "natural law." In other words: Simply be.

This book reveals how to learn the techniques for reading signs and omens in nature so one can be opened to higher perceptions, even prophecy. Includes a dictionary of animal, bird, insect, and reptile symbolism.

Covers "I Ching" - a book of oracles containing the whole of human experience.

A retelling of Greek myths is combined here with a comprehensive account of the world in which the myths developed - their themes, their relevance to Greek religion and society, and their relationship to the landscape.

For generations, the Book of Genesis has been treated by scholars as a collection of documents by various hands expressing different factional interests, with borrowings from other ancient literatures that mark the text as derivative. In other words, academic interpretation of Genesis has centred on the question of its basic coherency, just as fundamentalist interpretation has centred on the question of the appropriateness of reading it as literally true.Both of these approaches preclude an appreciation of its greatness as literature, its rich articulation and exploration of themes that resonate through the whole of Scripture. Marilynne Robinson's new book is a powerful consideration of the profound meanings and promise of God's enduring covenant with man. Her magisterial book radiates gratitude for the constancy and benevolence of God's abiding faith in Creation.

One of the most important Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha works of the Second Temple Period is Enoch.According to the biblical narrative (Genesis 5:21-24), Enoch lived only 365 years (far less than the other patriarchs in the period before the Flood).Enoch "walked with GOD."Enoch is a figure who receives direct personal revelation from God. He sees the magnificence of God and begins to preach to those around him against sin. He warns that the sinners will be winnowed and that God himself will appear on Mount Sinai to judge the humans as well as the fallen angels on Earth. Among the more controversial material within this text is the detailed account it gives of fallen angels on earth and their cursed offspring, the Nephilim. Azazel features heavily as the instigator of metal weapon production, the use of cosmetics and advocate of widespread promiscuity and fornication. In this book, the figure of Enoch is charged with the knowledge of God's chosen and brutal punishment for the Nephilim, their human mothers and their Angel fathers.The Book of Enoch is a pseudoepigraphal work (a work that claims to be by a biblical character). The Book of Enoch was not included in either the Hebrew or most Christian biblical canons, but could have been considered a sacred text by the sectarians. The original Aramaic version was lost until the Dead Sea fragments were discovered. This is a compilation of several separate works, most of which are apocalyptic. Its oldest portion is the "Apocalypse of Weeks," written shortly before the Maccabean uprising of 167 BC against the Seleucids. The Ethiopic Book of Enoch is called a "pseudepigraphical work," meaning one that is not included in any canon of scripture, outside of even the Apocrypha. The only complete extant version is an Ethiopic translation of a previous Greek translation made in Palestine from the original Hebrew or Aramaic. The Book of the Watcher, tells the story of fallen angels from Gen 6:1-4 that took wives, created the Nephilim, and taught advanced technology to mankind, ultimately leading to the great flood and their destruction. The Parables of Similitude, is an apocalyptic book about the Son of Man and the Ancient of Days. These ancient prophecies of Jesus are directly in line with what we find in the Bible, and are remarkably similar to The Book of Revelation. The Book of the Courses of the Heavenly Luminaries is a detailed account of the stars and their functions. The Dream Visions is the prophecy of all human history, from the creation of mankind all the way to the end times and the final judgement. The past, present, and future are foretold in grand detail. The prophecy of weeks is similar to the prophecy structure in the book of Daniel. The Noah Fragments is the untold story of Noah from the Bible. We learn more about his mission to save all humanity and the struggles of his father Lamech and his grandfather Methuselah. Finally, included herein are all known fragments of The Book of Giants. Each work is independent, but all the works are bound by a common theme: the punishment of the wicked and the blessedness of the righteous.

Put yourself back in control of your mind and your life with these meditation practices proven by neuroscientific research.In this modern digital age, many of us feel overwhelmed, panicked and short on time. The practice of meditation is an ancient and scientifically proven antidote to that frenzied feeling. Combining scientific expertise and spiritual wisdom, this is a practical guide on how it can help you feel calm and in control.With chapters on Breathing, Compassion and Worry, it is full of empirically proven and easy-to-follow exercises that will help you tackle mental obstacles, including issues such as self-doubt and negative thought patterns. This is a fresh perspective on meditation that will uplift and soothe your mind, whether you're new to it or not.PRE-ORDER THE LATEST BOOK FROM BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE, DANIEL GOLEMAN

The New King James Compact Bible includes end-of-page cross references, full-color maps and a concordance, yet still fits easily into your backpack or purse.

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER As seen on The Joe Rogan Experience!A groundbreaking dive into the role psychedelics have played in the origins of Western civilization, and a real-life quest for the Holy Grail.The most influential religious historian of the twentieth century, Huston Smith, once referred to it as the "best-kept secret" in history. Did the Ancient Greeks use drugs to find God? And did the earliest Christians inherit the same, secret tradition? A profound knowledge of visionary plants, herbs and fungi passed from one generation to the next, ever since the Stone Age?There is zero archaeological evidence for the original Eucharist - the sacred wine said to guarantee life after death for those who drink the blood of Jesus. The Holy Grail and its miraculous contents have never been found. In the absence of any hard data, whatever happened at the Last Supper remains an article of faith for today's 2.5 billion Christians. In an unprecedented search for real answers, The Immortality Key examines the archaic roots of the ritual that is performed every Sunday for nearly one third of the planet. Religion and science converge to paint a radical picture of Christianity's founding event...and, after centuries of debate, to solve history's greatest puzzle once and for all.Before the birth of Jesus, the Ancient Greeks found salvation in their own sacraments. Sacred beverages were routinely consumed as part of the so-called Ancient Mysteries - elaborate rites that led initiates to the brink of death. The best and brightest from Athens and Rome flocked to the spiritual capital of Eleusis, where a holy beer unleashed heavenly visions for two thousand years. Others drank the holy wine of Dionysus to become one with the god. In the 1970s, renegade scholars claimed this beer and wine - the original sacraments of Western civilization - were spiked with mind-altering drugs. In recent years, vindication for the disgraced theory has been quietly mounting in the laboratory. The constantly advancing fields of archaeobotany and archaeochemistry have hinted at the enduring use of hallucinogenic drinks in antiquity. And with a single dose of psilocybin, the psychopharmacologists at Johns Hopkins and NYU are now turning self-proclaimed atheists into instant believers. But the smoking gun remains elusive.If these sacraments survived for thousands of years in our remote prehistory, from the Stone Age to the Ancient Greeks, did they also survive into the age of Jesus? Was the Eucharist of the earliest Christians, in fact, a psychedelic Eucharist?With an unquenchable thirst for evidence, Brian C. Muraresku takes the reader on his twelve-year global hunt for proof. He tours the ruins of Greece with its government archaeologists. He gains access to the hidden collections of the Louvre Museum to show the continuity from pagan to Christian wine. He unravels the Ancient Greek of the New Testament with a Catholic priest. He spelunks into the catacombs under the streets of Rome to decipher the lost symbols of Christianity's oldest monuments. He breaches the secret archives of the Vatican to unearth manuscripts never before translated into English. And with leads from the archaeological chemists at the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he unveils the first scientific data for the ritual use of psychedelic drugs in classical antiquity.The Immortality Key reconstructs the suppressed history of women consecrating a forbidden, drugged Eucharist that was later banned by the Church Fathers. Women who were then targeted as witches during the Inquisition, when Europe's sacred pharmacology largely disappeared. Have the scientists of today resurrected this lost technology? Is Christianity capable of returning to its roots?Featuring a Foreword by Graham Hancock, the New York Times bestselling author of America Before: The Key to Earth's Lost Civilization.

Timothy Keller focuses on Jesus' best-known parable - the prodigal son - as a paradigm for the central messages of Christianity: grace, hope and salvation