An indispensable introduction to the evolution of Buddhist imagery from its origins in India through its spread to China, Japan, and South Asia For more than 2,000 years, sublime works of art have been created to embody essential aspects of Buddhist thought, which developed and evolved as its practice spread from India to East Asia and beyond. How to Read Buddhist Art introduces this complex visual tradition to a general audience by examining sixty seminal works. Beginning with the origins of representations of the Buddha in India, and moving on to address the development of Buddhist art as the religion spread across Asia, this book conveys how Buddhist philosophy affected artistic works and practice across cultural boundaries. Reliquaries, sculptures, and paintings produced in China, the Himalayas, Japan, Korea, and South and Southeast Asia provide insight into the rich iconography of Buddhism, the technical virtuosity of their makers, and the social and political climate in which they were created. Beautiful photographs of the artworks, maps, and a glossary of the major Buddhist deities offer an engaging and informative setting in which readers-regardless of their familiarity with Buddhism-can better understand the art related to the religion's practices and representations. Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University Press

Written by the Buddhist meditation master and popular international speaker Sogyal Rinpoche, this highly acclaimed book clarifies the majestic vision of life and death that underlies the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. It includes not only a lucid, inspiring and complete introduction to the practice of meditation, but also advice on how to care for the dying with love and compassion, and how to bring them help of a spiritual kind. But there is much more besides in this classic work, which was written to inspire all who read it to begin the journey to enlightenment and so become 'servants of peace'. 25th anniversary edition.

What goes into creating art? How can we learn to "read" paintings? What are the key elements of composition? If you've ever found yourself seeking the answers to the above questions and more, then this may be the book for you! An art book like no other, How Art Works uses practical graphics to demonstrate the techniques, styles, materials, and concepts that lie behind great art. It shows you how to interpret paintings, drawings, and sculptures, and reveals how art is made, laying out the key techniques and materials in visual detail. It also explains the nuts and bolts of the technical aspects behind art, such as perspective and composition, and shows how to identify major artistic styles and movements. This awe-inspiring art history book features: - Oil and watercolour painting, drawing, ceramics, sculpture, and more - Explains the technical aspects of visual arts including perspective, light, colour, form, and texture - A selection of major art movements such as Impressionism, Cubism, Surrealism and more - Shows how information, messages, and emotion can be conveyed through art - Highlights key inventions and developments Providing all you need to know to build on your artistic understanding and appreciation, this is the perfect book for art lovers of all kinds, whether you're an art student, or you're simply a lover of visual art and are looking to discover more about art but aren't sure where to begin. At DK, we believe in the power of discovery. So why stop there? How Art Works is part of DK's widely successful How Stuff Works series. Discover the inner workings of the mind with How the Brain Works, succeed in all things science with How Science Works and discover the cosmos like you've never known before with How Space Works. Whatever topic sparks your interests, there's a plethora of knowledge to discover!

The Tibetan Book of the Dead is a Buddhist funerary text and guide to the afterlife. It was read aloud to the dying or recently deceased to help them attain enlightenment and liberation from the endless cycle of death and rebirth.

This international bestseller explains everything you need to know about body language, how to read it, and how to put your best self forwards. What people say is often very different to what they think or feel. Now, with THE DEFINITIVE BOOK OF BODY LANGUAGE, you can learn to read others people's thoughts by their gestures. It sounds implausible, but body language is easy to pick up and fun to use. Find out: How to tell if someone is lying How to make yourself likeable How to get co-operation from other people How to interview and negotiate successfully How to choose a partner Learn the secrets of body language with Allan and Barbara Pease, bestselling authors of WHY MEN DON'T LISTEN AND WOMEN CAN'T READ MAPS.

Brimming with upbeat guidance, this accessible handbook shows how anyone can use art to enlighten, uplift, calm and ease stress and anxieties. Visual art is enlightening, challenging, informative and arresting; but it can also be therapeutic, reducing anxiety and stress levels, and offering perspective on the challenges that we all face in our lives. This guide introduces readers to new ways of looking at a wide range of art. Through careful examination and explanation, it investigates how engaging with art and drawing upon its ideas can help everyone feel connected and inspired. From Frida Kahlo confronting her anxieties to Henri Matisse embracing happiness, from Louise Bourgeois conquering fear to Auguste Rodin finding hope, it shows how you too can use art to work through difficult emotions and improve your mental wellbeing. Even art that unsettles can help us to think and feel differently. Artists have been conveying aspirations, emotions, ideas and stories for thousands of years; this book will help everyone to 'read' these messages, and thereby to enrich their own emotional life through art.

Scholastic Readers are designed to support a child's efforts to learn how to read at every age and and every stage, based on the best research about how children learn to read. All-new, easy-to-read riddles by Jean Marzollo are paired with fun photographs culled from the best-selling I Spy books to create I Spy easy readers. With rhythm, rhyme, and picture clues, these books are for the newest little readers.

In this inspirational and practical guide to country life, passionate and hugely knowledgeable countryman Alan Titchmarsh explores the heritage of rural Britain, its landscapes and wildlife, its traditions, customs and crafts. The Lost Skills and Crafts Handbook will help you rediscover your love of the countryside, including: - a checklist of British butterflies and where to find them - how to keep chickens, ducks, goats and sheep - how to make soap, candles and your own herbal remedies - how to track animals and forage for food - essential knot tying - how to build a campfire without matches - how to create a kitchen garden - the origins of country superstitions And much more. With beautiful line art illustrations throughout, this compendium of the British countryside and its delights will be an essential read for any nature lover in your life.

How do we find calm in our frantic modern world? Tim Parks - lifelong sceptic of all things spiritual - finds himself on a Buddhist meditation retreat trying to answer this very question. With brutal honesty and dry wit, he recounts his journey from disbelief to something approaching inner peace and tackles one of the great mysteries of our time - how to survive in this modern age.

How do we find calm in our frantic modern world? Tim Parks - lifelong sceptic of all things spiritual - finds himself on a Buddhist meditation retreat trying to answer this very question. With brutal honesty and dry wit, he recounts his journey from disbelief to something approaching inner peace and tackles one of the great mysteries of our time - how to survive in this modern age.

The Tibet Museum collection in the medieval city of Gruyeres, Switzerland, offers a rare opportunity to discover Tibetan Buddhist art—an endangered world heritage—through some six hundred works. Founded in 2009 by Alain Bordier—an ardent collector who is fascinated by Buddhist art and Asian spirituality—the museum presents his unique selection of religious objects from the Himalayas (Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, and India), which he has acquired and assembled over more than forty years. In addition to providing artistic context, this volume also reveals the symbolism and spirituality associated with each work. Detailed analysis of a previously unpublished illuminated manuscript, which retraces the life of the great eleventhcentury Tibetan yogi Milarepa, provides an excellent introduction to the major Buddhist principles. Through insightful texts and striking art from the Alain Bordier Collection, this book provides an exceptional panorama of Tibetan art, history, and religious thought.

Radical Acceptance is the first Buddhist 'how-to' book that focuses primarily on the classic personal development issue of healing fear and shame 'An invitation to embrace ourselves with all our pain, fear and anxieties, and to step lightly yet firmly on the path of understanding and compassion' Thich Nhat Hanh Feelings of self-doubt and insecurity are what hold us back in life and cause true suffering. In her landmark book Radical Acceptance, renowned meditation and mindfulness teacher Tara Brach offers us all a path to freedom. Drawing on personal stories, Buddhist teachings and guided meditations Tara leads us to trust our innate goodness. She reveals how we can develop the balance of clear-sightedness and compassion, heal fear and shame and build loving, authentic relationships.

Read the books that inspired the How to Train Your Dragon films! This book will be a hit with children and adults alike. High up in the treacherous mists of the Murderous Mountains, Hiccup and the Company of the Dragonmark are in hiding. The witch's Spydragons are guarding the shores of Tomorrow - but Hiccup is determined to become King of the Wilderwest. Can Hiccup dodge the dragons and steal the King's Things back from Alvin before the Doomsday of Yule? And is there a traitor in Hiccup's camp who in the end will betray them all? How to Train Your Dragon is now a major DreamWorks franchise. How to Train Your Dragon 2 hits cinemas in Summer 2014 starring Gerard Butler, Cate Blanchett and Jonah Hill and the TV series, Riders of Berk, can be seen on CBeebies and Cartoon Network. Read all of Hiccup's exploits in the series: How to Train Your Dragon, How to Be a Pirate, How to Speak Dragonese, How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse, How to Twist a Dragon's Tale, A Hero's Guide to Deadly Dragons, How to Ride a Dragon's Storm, How to Break a Dragon's Heart, How to Steal a Dragon's Sword, How to Seize a Dragon's Jewel and How to Betray a Dragon's Hero.

Read with Oxford Biff, Chip and Kipper Fun with Words flashcards are a fun way for children to practise essential high-frequency words at home. Created by reading experts, they complement how your child is starting to read at school. Read with Oxford offers an exciting range of carefully levelled resources to build your child's reading confidence.

Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, bestselling author of Peace Is Every Step and one of the most respected and celebrated religious leaders in the world, delivers a powerful path to happiness through mastering lifes most important skill. In this precise and practical guide, Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh reveals how to listen mindfully and express your fullest and most authentic self. With examples from his work with couples, families, and international conflicts, The Art of Communicating helps us move beyond the perils and frustrations of misrepresentation and misunderstanding to learn the listening and speaking skills that will forever change how we experience and impact the world. A portion of the proceeds from your book purchase supports Thich Nhat Hanhs peace work and mindfulness teachings around the world.

Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, bestselling author of Peace Is Every Step and one of the most respected and celebrated religious leaders in the world, delivers a powerful path to happiness through mastering lifes most important skill. In this precise and practical guide, Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh reveals how to listen mindfully and express your fullest and most authentic self. With examples from his work with couples, families, and international conflicts, The Art of Communicating helps us move beyond the perils and frustrations of misrepresentation and misunderstanding to learn the listening and speaking skills that will forever change how we experience and impact the world. A portion of the proceeds from your book purchase supports Thich Nhat Hanhs peace work and mindfulness teachings around the world.