Memoir / Biography
A life well lived—or interestingly lived—is a perennial source of interest. And such a life well described makes one of the most satisfying reading experiences there is. Lose yourself in one of the intriguing lives described in these books.
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The Natural Laws of Good Luck
A Memoir of an Unlikely Marriage
Ellen is forty-six, divorced, and having no luck with personal ads when her Chinese girlfriend comes up with a plan: she has a brother in China, Zhong-hua, who’s lonely too. Maybe they’d like each other? Taking a leap of faith that most of us wouldn’t dare, Ellen travels to China to meet him. Though they speak only a few words of each other’s language, there’s an unspoken connection between them… Read More
Hardcover$22.95+ Add to Bag -
Nine-Headed Dragon River
Zen Journals 1969-1982
In August 1968, naturalist-explorer Peter Matthiessen returned from Africa to his home in Sagaponack, Long Island, to find three Zen masters in his driveway—guests of his wife, a new student of Zen. Thirteen years later, Matthiessen was ordained a Buddhist monk. Written in the same format as his best-selling The Snow Leopard, Nine-Headed Dragon River reveals Matthiessen's most daring adventure of all: the quest for his spiritual… Read More
Paperback$29.95+ Add to Bag -
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Princess in the Land of Snows
The Life of Jamyang Sakya in Tibet
This is the story of a determined woman who overcame great obstacles in order to achieve religious freedom. Born in eastern Tibet, Jamyang Sakya married into the powerful Sakya family, spiritual advisers of Kublai Khan and for years rulers of much of Central Asia. Her engaging personal story evokes a rich vision of Tibet's traditional culture, customs, and religious practices. Jamyang Sakya tells of being the only girls in… Read More
Paperback$27.95+ Add to Bag -
Rumi's World
The Life and Work of the Great Sufi Poet
This book (previously published as I Am Wind, You Are Fire ) celebrates the extraordinary career of Persia's great mystical poet, Rumi (1207–1273), through the story of his life, along with an enlightening examination of his ecstatic verse. Rumi lived the quiet life of a religious teacher in Anatolia until the age of thirty-seven, when he came under the influence of a whirling dervish, Shams Tabriz, and was moved… Read More
Paperback$24.95+ Add to Bag -
Saffron Days in L.A.
Tales of a Buddhist Monk in America
In this delightful memoir, Bhante Walpola Piyananda, a Buddhist monk from Sri Lanka, shares his often amusing, often poignant experiences of life in America. Whether he's reasoning with a group of confrontational punks on Venice Beach, bridging the gap between a rebellious teenager and her traditional parents, explaining to an errant Buddhist that the concept of "non-attachment" does not justify irresponsibility, or dealing with a nude sunbather at a meditation… Read More
Paperback$19.95+ Add to Bag -
Sailing Alone around the World
Full of astounding adventures, Sailing Alone around the World is the true story of the first man ever to circle the globe alone entirely by sea. In a little over three years, Captain Joshua Slocum completed the feat many experts believed couldn't be done—and he has the stories to prove it. During his historic voyage, Slocum was chased by pirates in Gibraltar, soaked by a "rain of blood"… Read More
Hardcover$18.95+ Add to Bag -
Still Clueless in Tokyo
Another Sketchbook of Weird and Wonderful Things in Japan
Following up on Clueless in Tokyo, this colorful sequel continues the author's adventures in the seemingly strange and wonderful culture of Japan. Amusing cartoons and succinct descriptions clarify and explain even the most bizarre of cultural oddities. From the restaurant to the bathroom, from the street to the temple, this artist brings Japan home for any bewildered Westerner. This sketchbook, like its precursor, is a user-friendly primer for… Read More
Paperback$16.95+ Add to Bag -
Thank You and OK!
An American Zen Failure in Japan
David Chadwick, a Texas-raised wanderer, college dropout, bumbling social activist, and hobbyhorse musician, began his study under Shunryu Suzuki Roshi in 1966. In 1988 Chadwick flew to Japan to begin a four-year period of voluntary exile and remedial Zen education. In Thank You and OK! he recounts his experiences both inside and beyond the monastery walls and offers insightful portraits of the characters he knew in that world—the bickering monks,… Read More
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The Autobiography of Jamgon Kongtrul
A Gem of Many Colors
- edited by
- Richard Barron (Chokyi Nyima)
Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Taye (1813–1899) was one of the most influential figures and prolific writers in the Tibetan Buddhist world. He was a founder and the single most important proponent of the nonsectarian movement that flourished in eastern Tibet and remains popular today. Two additional texts discuss his previous lives and recount Kongtrul's final days. The Autobiography of Jamgön Kongtrul is part of The Tsadra Foundation Series published by… Read More
Hardcover$34.95+ Add to Bag
