BACK COVER:
Lama Surya Das, author of the bestselling "Awakening the Buddha Within," is the most highly trained American lama in the Tibetan tradition. In this elegant, inspiring book, he integrates essential Buddhist practices with a variety of other spiritual philosophies and wisdom traditions, to show you how to create a personal spiritual practice based on your own individual beliefs, aspirations, and needs. Through reflections on his own life quest, thoughtful essays, and entertaining stories, Surya Das examines the common themes at the heart of any spirtual path , including faith, doubt, love, compassion, creativity, self-inquiry, and transformation. He then explores prayer, yoga, chanting, guided meditations, breathing exercises, and myriad other rituals, providing practical examples of each that we can use day-to-day to nuture our inner spirit.

~ ~ ~
You do not need to be a Buddhist to read this book. It is a light-hearted, yet thought-provoking guide on how to create and maintain your own spiritual practice. I highly recommend this book for anyone - those who follow a particular faith, those who follow a blend of faiths, or those who follow no particular faith.

This book will be offered as an USA/Canada Book Ring.

Participants:

kz4ufo
zizzr
symphonicca
Ri
nezumikozo
Cait017 <-- HERE
Sonia23
kz4ufo


The last person on the Ray must ship the book back to me - my address should be in the back of the book - if it is not, please contact me at [email protected]

This book was shipped via Media Mail to zizzr on April 24, 2004.

EDIT: APRIL 6, 2005 = I have contacted Cait017 via PMs with no response. I am assuming this book is LOST - unfortunately this was my Personal Copy.

Received this book in the mail today!! Just finished and passed one to another book crosser, so this is very timely! Thanks, I will start it tonight! Then pass it along, as soon as finished. Must check the link ror the next in line for this ring....
;-)

Released on Friday, May 07, 2004 at in the mail in Bookring, A Bookring Controlled Releases.

WoW!! GREAT BOOK....finished this morning, will mail today to symphonicca-I hope it will be enjoyed as much as I did!!
;-)

I just got this book in the mail--- yipee! Just finishing up Alias Grace, and then this one will be on my nightstand. Thanks for starting this bookray, kz4ufo! Looks great!

Starting this today! Will journal more soon!

I have really appeciated reading this book. I've read a fair amount of books about spiritual development and the like, and this, in my opinion, is one of the best I have read so far. Lots of great theory and principles, and then, intermixed among them, are ways to put the ideas into practice. Very good balance between ideas and actions.

However it didn't get full marks from me, as it felt like this guy, as knowledgeable as he is, was trying to dumb down and 'americanize' some of the things he was trying to say, which, for me, cheapened some of his messages. I don't care if things are palatable to westerners or not---- tell me what works, regardless of whether they like it or not! :)

I didn't quite get a chance to get all the way through it, but I am leaving on a trip and want to make sure I get it on to the next person and keep this great book moving! I have Ri's address, and will be mailing it to her today.

Thanks so much kz4ufo for starting this bookring. It was a great resource!

Namaste

"Renunciation means to let go of holding back."

Released on Tuesday, June 08, 2004 at A fellow bookcrosser in Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada.

Sending this off today to the next person on the list--- enjoy Ri!

I got home tonight from my vacation and found that this book was waiting for me at home! How wonderful! My husband (nezumikozo) is the next one on the list so we will be tag team reading this one.

I started the book. I have been looking at his books for years and have been thinking about which on to read, but never did. I guess this is the one.

I've pm'ed Cait017 for her address and I'll be sending the book on as soon as it arrives. Thanks for everyone's patience!

Update 8/16: I got Cait017's address so I'll be sending the book along. We didn't get to finish it, but had been really enjoying it so I ordered our own copy through bookcloseouts.com (clicked through from bookcrossing of course!). Thanks for introducing us to this book, kz4ufo!

Sorry for the delay...I received this earlier this week. Thanks, I'll get to it soon!