New Books in Spiritual Practice and Mindfulness

Bookshop.org is an online book retailer that donates more than 80% of its profits to independent bookstores. Launched in 2020, Bookshop.org has already raised more than $27,000,000. In this interview, Andy Hunter, founder and CEO discusses his journey to creating one of the most revolutionary new organizations in the book world. Bookshop has found a way to retain the convenience of online book shopping while also supporting independent bookstores that are the backbones of many local communities.  Andy Hunter is CEO and Founder of Bookshop.org. He also co-created Literary Hub. Caleb Zakarin is the Assistant Editor of the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/spiritual-practice-and-mindfulness

When Anne C. Klein (Rigzin Drolma) first read that everyone, including her, was already a buddha, she was so shocked that she put down the book she was reading. Now, as a professor of religious studies at Rice University and a teacher at Dawn Mountain Center for Tibetan Buddhism in Houston, she continues to grapple with the relationship between our buddhahood and our humanity. In her new book, Being Human and a Buddha Too: Longchenpa’s Sevenfold Mind Training for a Sunlit Sky (Wisdom Publications, 2023), she takes up the question of what it actually means for each of us to be a buddha, as well as what happens to our humanity when we seek awakening. In this episode of Tricycle Talks, Tricycle’s editor-in-chief, James Shaheen, sits down with Klein to discuss how she has come to understand buddhahood, the difference between wholeness and perfection, and why she believes that we are all backlit by completeness. Tricycle Talks is a monthly podcast featuring prominent voices from within and beyond the Buddhist fold. Listen to more episodes here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/spiritual-practice-and-mindfulness

After a month or two of absence, the podcast returns for a new season, beginning with an unexpectedly wide ranging conversation with Dr. Richard Dixey. Richard holds a Ph.D. from London University, an M.A. with distinction in the history and philosophy of science from London University, and a B.A. Hons from Oxford. He has been a student of Buddhism since 1972 and has travelled extensively in the Himalayas, India and South East Asia. He is currently an advisor to the Khyentse Foundation, runs the Light of Buddhadharma Foundation and is a senior faculty member at Dharma College in Berkeley. We discuss two of his works, Searcher Reaches Land's Limits (Dharma, 2020), which is a commentary text on Tarthang Tulku’s Revelations of Mind: A book that engages the reader in an open, non-dogmatic inquiry that has practical, philosophical, scientific, and meditative dimensions. The second is his most recent, Three Minutes a Day: A Fourteen-Week Course to Learn Meditation and Transform Your Life (New World Library, 2023), which makes a bold claim that we explore in our conversation. We also discuss epistemology, personal experience as all we have; we also touch on A.I. and the history and philosophy of science, and the current state of Buddhism in America. The introduction mentions a recent text called "An Antidote to Stupidity," written by the host, which is up at the non-Buddhism site, which listeners can read here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/spiritual-practice-and-mindfulness

Tony Nader, MD, PhD, a medical doctor trained at Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (PhD in neuroscience) and globally recognized expert in the science of consciousness and human development. His training includes internal medicine, psychiatry, and neurology. He's the successor to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and the head of the Transcendental Meditation organization globally. He was appointed assistant director of clinical research at MIT, and was a clinical research fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School. He conducted research in neurochemistry and neuroendocrinology; the relationship between diet, age, behavior, mood, seasonal influences, and hormonal activity; and the role of neurotransmitter precursors in medicine. Dr. Nader has shared his expertise at academic institutions such as Harvard Business School on The Neuroscience of Transcendence, Stanford University, where he gave talks in a series entitled “Hacking Consciousness.” as well as the keynote speaker for a conference at the House of Commons, British Parliament where his unique expertise in the knowledge of East and West has also been recognized by the National Health Service. His research has been published in Neurology, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, Journal of Gerontology, Progress in Brain Research, and other journals. In his new book, One Unbounded Ocean of Consciousness: Simple Answers to the Big Questions of Life (Penguin Random House, 2021), Dr. Nader comprehensively examines what scientists call the “hard” problem of What is consciousness? He unpacks this abstract question for both a general audience and experts in the field by investigating consciousness in terms of human physiology, quantum mechanics in physics, and the more ancient Vedic science. Dr. Nader is bringing the science of consciousness to new audiences and expanding the understanding of the relationship between mind and body, consciousness, and physiology and the furthest reaches of human potential. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/spiritual-practice-and-mindfulness

Today I talked to Yael Schonbrun about her book Work, Parent, Thrive: 12 Science-Backed Strategies to Ditch Guilt, Manage Overwhelm, and Grow Connection (Shambala, 2022). The positive psychology movement and Buddhism have more than a little in common, as confirmed by Yael Schonbrun during this discussion of how to find synergy and richness in what might seem at times to be the utterly conflicting roles we play in life. Underlying this book’s twelve strategies is ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) with its emphasis on being in the moment, practicing acceptance, and diffusing (or unhooking) from perspectives that might be holding us back. Also of note in this discussion is the interplay between two core ingredients of happiness: meaningfulness and pleasure. To leverage those two ingredients while finding a way to move through learned helplessness (also known as emotional gridlock), listen is as Schonbrun offers advice derived from not only her academic readings but her real-life experiences with his patients, kids, larger family and friends alike. Yael Schonbrun is a clinical psychologist who specializes in treating relationships. She is also a cohost of the podcast Psychologists off the Clock, an assistant professor at Brown University, and a parent of three children. Dan Hill, PhD, is the author of ten books and leads Sensory Logic, Inc. (https://www.sensorylogic.com). His latest two books are Blah Blah Blah: A Snarky Guide to Office Lingo and Emotionomics 2.0: The Emotional Dynamics Underlying Key Business Goals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/spiritual-practice-and-mindfulness

Find the answers to all your important, real-world questions by connecting with your spirit guides. Erin Newman teaches you how to safely work with them in a non-appropriative way, regardless of your background or belief system. These guides help you make money doing what you love, relieve physical pain, cultivate kindness, heal ancestral patterns, and more. Erin presents nearly thirty hands-on prompts that support all aspects of your life and give you the wisdom to move forward despite obstacles. By journeying to your spirit guides, you'll become more compassionate and release blocks along your sacred path. Perfect for any experience level, this easy-to-use book encourages you to align with your deeper purpose and bring the magical back into the practical. Erin Newman is a speaker, author, and Soul Fire Ignitrix for women entrepreneurs. She helps business owners to overcome mindset blocks so that they can truly do what lights them up in their business AND make the income they desire. Through a mixture of mindset and energetic healing tools, Erin helps people to finally vanquish the mind gremlins, follow their soul purpose, and create a new pathway to abundance, success, and joy. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband, 2 children, and one cute but bad doggie. In her free time, you can find her in nature or reading Scandi crime novels. For more information, please visit her website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/spiritual-practice-and-mindfulness

Disrupting White Mindfulness: Race and Racism in the Wellbeing Industry (Manchester UP, 2023) offers a timely commentary on the dominant narratives that shape the mindfulness industry - whiteness, postracialism and neoliberalism. Its positioning as ‘apolitical’ forges institutions that fit comfortably into increasingly divided societies. The race-gender profile of these institutions reveals a White, middle-class profile of decision-makers, educators and staff that is mirrored in its audiences. Mechanisms that recycle the industry’s whiteness include corporatist pedagogies, edicts of authority, disengagement with difference and inappropriate uses of mindfulness that distance People of the Global Majority. A growing emergent movement focused on a justice-infused mindfulness and liberatory wellbeing decolonises mindfulness and de-centres whiteness. Its premise in indigenous, global South, queer knowledges leverages difference to produce multiple solutions focused on liberation. There is room for White Mindfulness to change. Dr. Cathy-Mae Karelse (she/her) is a scholar-practitioner, changemaker and public speaker on issues of race, difference and belonging. She received a PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London in 2019. Cathy-Mae is trained in numerous transformation approaches with 20+ years of experience in deep systems change that addresses the underlying social norms and narratives that keep institutionalised discrimination in place. Her work addresses all landscapes: the inner, outer and in-between. Cathy-Mae is currently the DEI Lead at The Mindfulness Initiative and holds the position of Systems Change Lead at Resilience Capital Ventures. She works on policy and change programmes globally. Clayton Jarrard is a Research Project Coordinator at the University of Kansas Center for Research, contributing to initiatives at the nexus of research, policy implementation, and community efforts. His scholarly engagement spans the subject areas of Cultural Anthropology, Queer Studies, Disability Studies, Mad Studies, and Religious Studies. Clayton is also a host for the Un/Livable Cultures podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/spiritual-practice-and-mindfulness

Dr Pierce Salguero sits down with Willa Blythe Baker, a writer, translator, and teacher of meditation based on Himalayan Buddhist tradition. We talk about Willa’s early discovery of Buddhism with her mother, her time living as a nun, and our shared experience in graduate school at UVa. We then do a deep-dive into Buddhist tantra and the alchemical transformations of the body-mind that led to Willa’s most recent book, The Wakeful Body, published by Shambhala in 2021. If you find yourself in your head too much of the time, then this conversation is for you! Enjoy! And, if you want to hear from more experts on Buddhist medicine and related topics, subscribe to Blue Beryl for monthly episodes here. Willa's Publications and Activities Natural Dharma Fellowship and Wonderwell Mountain Refuge The Wakeful Body: Somatic Mindfulness as a Path to Freedom (2021) The Arts of Contemplative Care: Pioneering Voices in Buddhist Chaplaincy and Pastoral Work (2012) Everyday Dharma: Seven Weeks to Finding the Buddha in You (2009) Essence of Ambrosia: A Guide to Buddhist Contemplations (2005) Pierce Salguero is a transdisciplinary scholar of health humanities who is fascinated by historical and contemporary intersections between Buddhism, medicine, and crosscultural exchange. He has a Ph.D. in History of Medicine from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (2010), and teaches Asian history, medicine, and religion at Penn State University’s Abington College, located near Philadelphia. He is also the host (with Lan Li) of the Blue Beryl podcast. Subscribe to Blue Beryl here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/spiritual-practice-and-mindfulness

In the newly revised Rewire Your Brain 2.0: Five Healthy Factors to a Better Life ( Jossey-Bass, 2023), distinguished psychologist Dr. John Arden delivers an essential discussion of how to apply the latest developments in neuroscience, epigenetics, and immunology to help improve your mood, memory, relationships and longevity. You’ll learn to overcome mild depression and anxiety, procrastination, burnout, compassion fatigue, and a variety of other negative thought patterns. You’ll also find: Practical, self-help tips based on well-researched principles that are proven to work in the real world Ways to minimize the impact of everyday anxiety, stress, and depression and live your life to its fullest Tactics for improving your memory for day-to-day tasks at work and at home This book is a practical and hands-on roadmap to applying new advances in neuroscience, psychology, gene expression, and immune system research to the everyday problems we all face. Rewire Your Brain 2.0 deserves a place on the bookshelves of professionals, athletes, parents, and anyone else susceptible to the stressors of daily life. Dr. John Arden has over 40 years of experience providing psychological services and directing mental health programs. His study of neuropsychology inspired him to integrate neuroscience and psychotherapy, synthesizing the biological and psychological into a new vision for psychotherapy called Brain-Based Therapy. His work incorporates what is currently known about the brain and its capacities, including neuroplasticity and neurogenesis, with psychotherapy research, mindfulness, nutritional neuroscience and social intelligence. Dr. Arden is the author of sixteen books, translated into over twenty languages and has presented seminars in over thirty countries and in all U.S. states. For more information, please visit his website at https://drjohnarden.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/spiritual-practice-and-mindfulness

Geared toward modern Westerners and presented in the original poetic rhythm, Hearing the Song of Your Soul is an approachable, beautiful new translation of the Bhagavad Gita that can be powerfully shared aloud. Author Laura Atmadarshan Santoro studied in Indian ashrams and lived each verse of the Bhagavad Gita for a day as part of a decades-long sadhana (special practice). This experience allows her to show you how to authentically apply its wisdom to contemporary life challenges like racism, classicism, and gender fluidity. Her down-to-earth manner, humor and story-telling gifts have made her an in-demand international presenter and mark Hearing The Song of Your Soul (2022) as a must for Bhagavad Gita enthusiasts, world literature aficionados, spiritual seekers of all traditions and anyone needing support on their personal path. Raj Balkaran is a scholar of Sanskrit narrative texts. He teaches at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies and at his own virtual School of Indian Wisdom. For information see rajbalkaran.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/spiritual-practice-and-mindfulness