Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/767110 to listen full audiobooks. Title: Celebrate Every Day: Seeing the Extraordinary in the Ordinary Author: Shauna Niequist Narrator: Kate Marcin Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 3 hours 17 minutes Release date: October 22, 2024 Genres: World Religions Publisher's Summary: Life is hard, and it can be easy to lose sight of what matters the most. We celebrate big wins and milestones, but what about the miracle of ordinary everyday life? What about the in-between that we take for granted and don't think is worthy of a highlight reel? Even though each of us experiences life differently, our longings for love and connection is the same. New York Times bestselling author Shauna Niequist reminds you in Celebrate Every Day the importance of slowing down and appreciating the ordinary things you're taking for granted and missing as you’re planning for the milestone. Adapted from her acclaimed book 'Cold Tangerines,' this DayReader offers daily reflections that help both long-time fans and new readers see the extraordinary in the everyday. Celebrate Every Day: - gives readers 60 days of celebration and insight on how ordinary life is worth relishing. - focuses on overcoming busyness and insecurities, and building authenticity and friendships. - offers 120 reflection prompts, so you can dig deep and discover what you’re missing. If you're exhausted by perfection, tired of disappointment, and ready to appreciate life's everyday moments, this is for you! Discover the extraordinary in the ordinary with 'Celebrate Every Day.'

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/767109 to listen full audiobooks. Title: Go Love Yourself Author: Zachary Levi Narrator: Zachary Levi Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 2 hours 2 minutes Release date: October 22, 2024 Genres: World Religions Publisher's Summary: Read by the author. If you have ever felt like a disappointment, a product of trauma, or struggled with anxiety it’s important to know that you’re not alone. At some point in life we all struggle with accepting ourselves, navigating emotional turmoil, and overcoming disappointment. Actor Zachary Levi (Shazam!, American Underdog, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Chuck) shares his emotional struggles and the path he’s taken toward mental wellness in Go Love Yourself a DayReader™ with 60 entries and daily prompts to help you work through your issues and discover a life of gratitude. Zac will teach you how to: - move past trauma and create boundaries for your mental health. - discover joy and purpose despite your personal setbacks. - find resources that will help you on your journey. - love yourself.   Society often places a terrible stigma on mental illness. Mental health is judged in ways other kinds of health issues never are. Go Love Yourself will help you work through your issues and learn how to live with joy and self-love. Daily prompts for journaling, reflecting, encouraging self-acceptance, and personal growth can be found in the audiobook companion PDF download.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/755115 to listen full audiobooks. Title: The Uncommon Book of Prayer: A Guide to Co-Creating with the Universe Author: Heidi Smith Narrator: Heidi Smith Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 6 hours 8 minutes Release date: October 15, 2024 Genres: World Religions Publisher's Summary: Build and deepen your personal spiritual practice with this empowering, radical reframing of prayer as a secular tool for healing, personal growth, societal change, and profound joy. Prayer is an ancient practice—one that has been utilized and embraced by cultures around the world and across time. There is not one correct way to pray, and no tradition holds a monopoly on what prayer is or means. In The Uncommon Book of Prayer author, psychosomatic therapist, and flower essence practitioner Heidi Smith reveals that prayer does not even need to be practiced within a religious tradition, though it can be. Instead, she reintroduces readers to the idea of prayer as a highly personal practice that can bring joy and enlightenment, heal deeply felt trauma, and work toward planetary healing.  Readers will encounter a new definition of prayer: An active agreement that you make between your soul and the Divine (whatever that means to you). It is a sacred practice that can be called upon to bring about states of grace, healing, and change. Through this expansive, heart-centered experience readers will explore their own existing feelings about prayer and learn to build a personal practice that is authentic and sustaining.  In inviting chapters grounded with historical context, sample prayers, and stunning illustrations inspired by illuminated manuscripts, readers will learn to:  - Refine a prayer practice.  - Explore ambivalence around prayer and some of its difficult associations.  - Integrate a prayer practice into co-creative and healing work.   - Facilitate prayer circles in your community. - Open and strengthen communication with the heart, our most potent tool of resonance and the seat of true wisdom in the body.  - Create space and possibility for hope and dreaming (which are not frivolous, but instead life-sustaining and changing practices). - Create vital and creative solutions for your life and our world.   There are many ways in to healing. A conscious prayer practice formed by reading The Uncommon Book of Prayer is a way into co-creating with the universe and accessing all the gifts that lie therein.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/752175 to listen full audiobooks. Title: Stop the Spiral Devotional: 100 Days of Breaking Free from Negative Thoughts Author: Jennie Allen Narrator: Jennie Allen Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 5 hours 50 minutes Release date: September 24, 2024 Genres: World Religions Publisher's Summary: Stop spiraling thoughts and use your God-given power to think differently with this 100-day motivational resource inspired by the New York Times bestseller Get Out of Your Head, from the visionary behind the million-strong IF:Gathering. “Jennie Allen speaks so powerfully to this generation and teaches us so simply how to not allow our limitations to be our loudest story.”—Shelley Giglio, cofounder of Passion Conferences and Passion City Church, on Get Out of Your Head Are your thoughts holding you captive? Are you worn out from getting stuck in patterns of anxiety, distraction, or cynicism? If so, do you know that God built a way for us to escape that downward spiral? Stop the Spiral Devotional, inspired by the New York Times bestseller Get Out of Your Head, is your invitation to begin noticing negative spirals—every day. In this book, you’ll find one hundred days of devotions to inspire you to stop toxic thinking patterns and remind you of God’s power to set you free. Each day’s reading includes: • verses for meditating on God’s Word • a “Rewire the Spiral” statement to repeat throughout your day • a personal prayer for sparking deeper intimacy with God Let this hundred-day devotional guide you in refusing to be a victim to your thoughts and in realizing that you have already been equipped with God’s power to live free.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/759192 to listen full audiobooks. Title: The Origin of Religion Author: Joseph Mccabe Narrator: Oberon Michaels Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 1 hour 21 minutes Release date: March 26, 2024 Genres: World Religions Publisher's Summary: Much of the writing by secular scholar Joseph McCabe was devoted to the de-mystifying of organized religion. In this trenchant essay, McCabe seeks to disprove the assumption that the religious instinct in humanity was evident from the earliest days of civilization, and that the search for spiritual revelation was one of the primary activities of primitive societies. From an examination of the history of several ‘undeveloped’ races which had survived into the twentieth century, McCabe came to the conclusion that the concepts of God and deification have only been developed in advanced civilizations, and that ‘primitive man’ had no interest in religious speculation.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/764667 to listen full audiobooks. Title: Good Luck, Bad Luck or No Luck? Author: Gregory Heary Narrator: Omar Abu Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 0 hours 39 minutes Release date: March 10, 2024 Genres: World Religions Publisher's Summary: Is the concept of 'luck' guiding your decisions more than your faith? Are you ready to challenge how you think about luck and its impact on your life? Examine the role of 'luck' across different cultures and its effect on personal accountability and decision-making in this insightful study. By dissecting the belief in luck through various lenses—such as its influence in gambling, sports, and even medical practices—the book paints a vivid picture of how such beliefs can lead to a reliance on superstitions rather than divine guidance. With a critical analysis that includes Islamic perspectives on luck, which advocate for a life based on faith and trust in God, the author expertly guides readers away from misconstrued beliefs and towards a more spiritually aligned existence. Armed with the knowledge from this book, you will be encouraged to let go of baseless superstitions and to embrace a life guided by faith and divine will, enhancing both your personal accountability and spiritual health.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/755388 to listen full audiobooks. Title: Flight of the Bön Monks: War, Persecution, and the Salvation of Tibet's Oldest Religion Author: Harvey Rice, Jackie Cole Narrator: Jez Sands Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 8 hours 28 minutes Release date: March 5, 2024 Genres: World Religions Publisher's Summary: • 2024 International Book Award Nonfiction - Creative Category • Shares the true story of three monks’ heroic escape from occupied Tibet and the subsequent rebirth of the Bön religion in exile • Introduces Bön, Tibet’s oldest religion, and a traditional way of life extinguished by foreign occupation • Reveals details of the 1950 Chinese invasion of Tibet and the exodus of thousands of Tibetans to neighboring countries Providing an inside view into the Chinese occupation of Tibet and the tenets of Bön, one of the world’s oldest but least known religions, this book chronicles the true story of three Bön monks who heroically escaped occupied Tibet and went on to rebuild their culture through incredible resilience, determination, and passion. After taking his vows to become a Bön monk and completing a pilgrimage around 22,000-foot Mount Kailash, the holiest mountain in Tibet, Tenzin Namdak envisions a life of quiet contemplation at Menri, Bön’s mother monastery. Instead, he finds himself fleeing for his life across the highest and most difficult terrain on the planet. After Tenzin’s escape party is ambushed and he is severely wounded, Tenzin is taken to a concentration camp, where he overcomes his nearly fatal wound before making an arduous escape from Tibet over the daunting Himalayas. The other two monks, lifelong friends Samten Karmay and Sangye Tenzin, witness Tibet’s capital explode in a violent insurrection against Chinese rule. Escaping to Nepal, they worry about the survival of the Bön religion and begin collecting scattered works of Bön scripture. A chance meeting with British scholar David Snellgrove brings the three monks together and dramatically changes their lives. Tenzin founds a Bön settlement in exile in India, Sangye is chosen as the thirty-third Menri Trizen, Bön’s highest office, and together the three monks help rebuild the nearly extinct Bön religion. Aside from the escape of the Dalai Lama, no other escape from Tibet has been so consequential for so many.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/759953 to listen full audiobooks. Title: The Sabbath Author: Abraham Joshua Heschel Narrator: John Clickman Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 2 hours 9 minutes Release date: February 25, 2024 Genres: World Religions Publisher's Summary: In his acclaimed work, 'The Sabbath,' renowned theologian Abraham Joshua Heschel unveils the profound meaning of this sacred day. Transcending mere rest, the Sabbath emerges as a transformative experience, fostering awe, introspection, and connection with loved ones and the divine. Offering a sanctuary in time, Heschel's insightful exploration resonates with anyone seeking deeper meaning, a richer understanding of Judaism, or simply a path to a more balanced and fulfilling life.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/758477 to listen full audiobooks. Title: [Arabic] - جدد حياتك Author: محمد الغزالي Narrator: فريق نهضة مصر Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 7 hours 43 minutes Release date: February 19, 2024 Genres: World Religions Publisher's Summary: فى هذا الكتاب مقارنة بين تعاليم الإسلام كما وصلت إلينا، وبين أصدق ما وصلت إليه حضارة الغرب فى أدب النفس والسلوك فى محاولة للكشف عن روعة التقارب وصدق التطابق» .. هذه بعض كلمات المؤلف التى عبر بها عن سبب كتابته لهذا العمل الفريد، خاصة بعد قراءته لكتاب «دع القلق وابدأ الحياة» لديل كارنيجى وقد اعتمد فى هذا العمل على جانبين رئيسين: فهو يعرض نصوص وأحكام الإسلام ويقابل بها كتابات وتجارب وشواهد كارنيجى .. تأكيدًا لقيمة الإسلام ومنهجه فى التعامل مع النفس البشرية فمن القلق إلى الثبات إلى العمل إلى مشكلات الفراغ إلى محاسبة النفس وغيرها حيث تتنوع موضوعات هذا الكتاب تنوعًا ممتعًا.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/754842 to listen full audiobooks. Title: Brama Samhita: The Eternal Veda Author: Unknown Narrator: Sripad Jagannatha Das Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 2 hours 3 minutes Release date: February 2, 2024 Genres: World Religions Publisher's Summary: Lord Brahma saw Krsna directly and composed a prayer based on his realizations – a striking prayer by one who has seen the truth. Krsna revealed himself to Brama, along with his spiritual planets. Overwhelmed by this transcendental revelation, Brama spoke these words glorifying Krsna. Brama’s awe and love permeate the text and reveal the workings of the cosmic creation. The Brama Samhita teaches that transcendence, truth, and ultimate reality can be apprehended only by the mercy of the supreme transcendent entity, the Absolute Truth Himself, and that perception of ultimate reality is a function not of speculative reason but of direct spiritual cognition through divine revelation. This collection is taken from the fifth chapter of the Hymns of Brama, and includes verses 1 to 29.. There were 100 chapters in the Brama Samhita. This 5th chapter of the Brama Samhita was discovered by Lord Chaitanya. The other chapters have not yet been revealed. The Brama-samhita clearly describes Brahman. Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Brahman because of His unlimited knowledge, unlimited potencies, unlimited strength, unlimited influence, unlimited beauty, and unlimited renunciation. Ultimately, therefore, the word Brahman can be applied to Kṛṣṇa only. Because the impersonal Brahman is the effulgence emanating as rays of Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental body, Kṛṣṇa is the Parabrahman. Everything rests on Brahman, but Brahman rests upon Kṛṣṇa. The material elements are accepted as the inferior energy of Kṛṣṇa. By their interaction, the cosmic manifestation takes place, rests on Kṛṣṇa, and after dissolution again enters into the body of Kṛṣṇa as His subtle energy. Kṛṣṇa is therefore the cause of both manifestation and dissolution. Translator and commentator Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was a Gaudīya Vaisnava Hindu guru, ācārya, and revivalist in early 20th century India.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/753140 to listen full audiobooks. Title: You Are The Waking Buddha Author: Sripad Jagannatha Das Narrator: Sripad Jagannatha Das, Raj Rass Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 1 hour 38 minutes Release date: January 28, 2024 Genres: World Religions Publisher's Summary: The concept of the 'Waking Buddha' is a profound and transformative idea deeply rooted in Zen Buddhism. It encapsulates the essence of Zen practice, where awakening to one's true nature is not relegated to some far-off spiritual attainment but is a lived reality, an ever-present possibility. In this essay, we will explore the notion of the Waking Buddha, what it means, and how it pertains to our daily lives. The Waking Buddha represents the idea that enlightenment is not an abstract, unattainable goal but an immediate, tangible experience available to each one of us. It is not something to be achieved in a distant future but a realization that can happen here and now. The essence of this concept is mindfulness—being fully present in the current moment, aware of our thoughts, emotions, and surroundings. When we cultivate this awareness, we awaken the Buddha nature that resides within us. Zen teachings emphasize the importance of direct experience over intellectual understanding. The Waking Buddha is about transcending the limitations of the thinking mind and experiencing reality directly. It involves letting go of attachments, judgments, and preconceived notions, allowing the true self to shine forth. This awakening is not reserved for a select few but is a birthright of every sentient being, waiting to be uncovered through diligent practice. The path to becoming the Waking Buddha is not without its challenges. It demands commitment, patience, and a willingness to confront our own inner turmoil. Zen practitioners engage in meditation, mindfulness, and koan practice to break free from the confines of the ego and awaken to their true nature. Koans are paradoxical questions or statements used in Zen practice to provoke deep insight. They challenge the thinking mind, pushing it beyond its logical boundaries and into a realm of direct experience.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/741839 to listen full audiobooks. Title: Maharaji A Life Of Miracles Author: Sripad Jagannatha Das Narrator: Sripad Jagannatha Das Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 2 hours 58 minutes Release date: January 4, 2024 Genres: World Religions Publisher's Summary: Neem Karoli Baba known to his followers as Maharaj-ji - was a great Hindu guru, mystic, and devotee of Lord Hanuman. He is very well known outside India for being the spiritual master of a number of prominent Americans who traveled to India in the 1960s and 70s, including spiritual teachers Ram Dass, and Bhagavan Das, and musicians Krishna Das and Jai Uttal. His ashrams are in India, and in Taos, New Mexico. Maharaji was a lifelong adept of bhakti-yoga and encouraged service to others (seva) as the highest form of unconditional devotion to God. There can be no biography of him. Facts are few, stories many. He seems to have been known by different names in many parts of India, appearing and disappearing through the years. His non-Indian devotees of recent years knew him as Neem Karoli Baba, but mostly as “Maharajji” – a nickname so commonplace in India that one can often hear a tea vendor addressed thus. Just as he said, he was 'nobody'. He gave no discourses; the briefest, simplest stories were his teachings. Usually, he sat or lay on a wooden bench wrapped in a plaid blanket while a few devotees sat around him. Visitors came and went; they were given food, a few words, a nod, a pat on the head or back, and they were sent away. There was gossip and laughter for he loved to joke. Orders for running the ashram were given, usually in a piercing yell across the compound. Sometimes he sat in silence, absorbed in another world to which we could not follow, but bliss and peace poured down on us. Who he was was no more than the experience of him. Here are his sublime life and teachings.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/738879 to listen full audiobooks. Title: Glorifying and Enjoying God: 52 Devotions Through the Westminster Shorter Catechism Author: Andrew J. Miller, Jonathan Landry Cruse, William Boekestein Narrator: Marcus Jackman Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 9 hours 6 minutes Release date: December 20, 2023 Genres: World Religions Publisher's Summary: For centuries, the Westminster Shorter Catechism has helped Christians young and old to know their "chief end." Now, authors William Boekestein, Jonathan Landry Cruse, and Andrew J. Miller value this venerable catechism and winsomely introduce a new generation to its powerful message. Dividing the catechism into 52 brief devotions, they explain and apply each question and answer in a year's worth of Lord's Days. This valuable new resource is great for individual and family use for all who desire to "glorify and enjoy God forever."

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/741337 to listen full audiobooks. Title: [Arabic] - ملخص كتاب مع النبي: قصص وروايات Author: أدهم الشرقاوي Narrator: Sahla Books Format: Abridged Audiobook Length: 0 hours 21 minutes Release date: December 4, 2023 Genres: World Religions Publisher's Summary: نستمتع كثيرًا حين نقرأ القصص والروايات، نشبع أرواحنا بتلك الرحلة الشيقة التي نعيشها في كل قصة، تجذبنا البدايات، نخوض في التفاصيل، ثم نتلهف لمعرفة النهاية، وما آلت إليه الأحداث. القرآن مليءٌ بالقصص، وأحاديث الرسول كذلك، لكنها ليست للمتعة والتسلية، إنَّما هي دروس تعلمنا كثيرًا عن أمور ديننا ودنيانا، وتأخذ بأيدينا إلى الله.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/741313 to listen full audiobooks. Title: [Arabic] - ملخص كتاب رجال حول الرسول الجزء التاني Author: خالد محمد خالد Narrator: Sahla Books Format: Abridged Audiobook Length: 0 hours 23 minutes Release date: December 4, 2023 Genres: World Religions Publisher's Summary: بعد أن امتلأت أرواحنا محبة وحنينا لأصحاب رسول الله، بعد أن أخذنا العبرة من قصصهم، سنكمل ما بدأنا به في هذا الجزء، واضعين عددًا من السّير الأخرى التي كان لها عظيم الأثر في نهضة هذا الدين العظيم؛ لنروي ظمأ أرواحنا، ولتبتل قلوبنا حبًا وإيمانا.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/741340 to listen full audiobooks. Title: [Arabic] - ملخص كتاب خلق المسلم Author: محمد الغزالي Narrator: Sahla Books Format: Abridged Audiobook Length: 0 hours 22 minutes Release date: December 4, 2023 Genres: World Religions Publisher's Summary: يضع لنا المفكر الإسلامي محمد الغزالي كتابًا شاملا للقواعد الخلقية للمسلمين التي عليهم أن يتحلّوا بها. ويفصل لنا في كل خصلة تفصيلا وافيا وشاملا مستشهدا بكنزه المعرفي والآيات والأحاديث وهذا كله من أجل بناء مجتمع مسلح متماسك مثل المجتمع الإسلامي الأول.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/741146 to listen full audiobooks. Title: [Arabic] - ملخص كتاب أقوم قيلا Author: سلطان موسى الموسى Narrator: Sahla Books Format: Abridged Audiobook Length: 0 hours 22 minutes Release date: December 4, 2023 Genres: World Religions Publisher's Summary: تصحو من نومك لتؤدي صلاة الفجر، وتردد بعدها أذكار الصباح، لتحفظك من شر يومك كما تعلمت من أحاديث النبي، لكن هل توقفت مرة لتدبر معاني الكلمات والأدعية التي ترددها؟. نلتزم بالورد اليومي من القرآن والأذكار، ونحافظ على صلواتنا الخمس دونَ تقصير؛ ظنًّا منا أن ذلك ما أمرنا الله به. لم ننتبه أثناء قراءتنا لكتاب الله لقوله تعالى 'أفلا يتفكرون' وكذلك قوله 'أفلا يتدبرون' هذا هو أمر الله لنا؛ أن ندرك معاني كلامه ونتأملها، وجّه الله معظم آياته لأولي الألباب، لقوم يعقلون، يدركون عظمة كل جملة في كتاب الله، وما تخفي خلفها من أسرار وإعجاز.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/741309 to listen full audiobooks. Title: [Arabic] - ملخص كتاب الأحلام بين العلم والعقيدة Author: علي الوردي Narrator: Sahla Books Format: Abridged Audiobook Length: 0 hours 32 minutes Release date: December 4, 2023 Genres: World Religions Publisher's Summary: من أين تأتى أحلامنا؟. ما الذي تريد أحلامنا أن تخبرنا به؟. هل الأحلام وحيٌ إلهيّ؟ هل هي سفرٌ سفر عبر الزمن؟. هل هي مجرد تعبير عن رغباتنا المكبوتة ومخاوفنا الدفينة؟. في كتاب 'الأحلام بين العلم والعقيدة'، يقدم الدكتور علي الوردي إجابات الدين والعلماء حول عالم الأحلام الغامض والمثير

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/731393 to listen full audiobooks. Title: Shobogenzo: The Treasure House of the Eye of the True Teaching Author: Eihei Dogen, Rev. Hubert Nearman Narrator: Brian Nishii Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 43 hours 34 minutes Release date: April 2, 2021 Genres: World Religions Publisher's Summary: The Sho¯bo¯genzo¯ is the recognized spiritual masterpiece by the 13th- century Japanese So¯to¯ Zen Master Eihei Do¯gen. It is comprised of discourses that he gave to his disciples, in person or in writing, at various times between 1231 and his death 22 years later at age 53. These discourses cover a wide range of topics pertinent to those in monastic life, though often also relevant to those training in lay life. He discusses matters of daily behavior and religious ceremonial as well as issues involving the Master-disciple relationship. He also explores the deeper meaning that informs the so-called Zen ko¯an stories, which are often puzling in their seeming illogicality and contrary nature. The 96 discourses were originally written out by hand, primarily by his chief disciple and amanuensis, the Second Japanese So¯to¯ Zen Ancestor, Ko¯un Ejo¯. The majority of the discourses focus on exploring the spiritual significance of some topic drawn from Buddhist Scriptures or Chinese Chan (Zen) texts. Do¯gen's commentaries on these texts are not lectures as would be understood in academic circles, but are talks that arise from a Zen Master's deepest understanding of the spiritual meaning and relevance of his topic to Buddhist training and practice. They come out of Do¯gen's mind of meditation and are being presented to his monastic and lay disciples, who are presumably listening from their mind of meditation. The discourses carry a strong flavor of the conversational and the personal, and he enriches them with colorful Chinese and Zen phrases, as well as with medieval Chinese and Japanese colloquialisms. When translated literally, many of these metaphors and figures of speech may well have little meaning for English-speaking readers and listeners. However, by the 13th century they would have been a common way for a Buddhist Meditation Master to refer to That which is the True Nature of all beings. The function of these metaphors is, to some extent, to ‘ground' a Master's disciples by providing them with a colorful and more easily remembered image instead of some more abstract, ‘intellectual' definition. They point to the Great Matter for which one trains in Serene Reflection Meditation, which is to awaken to one's True Nature. This recording of the Sho¯bo¯genzo¯ features the fine translation by the Rev Nearman of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives of the Soto Zen tradition, who, based at Shasta Abbey in Northern California, was responsible for a number of key Japanese Zen texts. Rev Nearman provides not only useful, concise introductions to each of the Discourses, but also copious footnotes clarifying the text, which have been incorporated into the main narrative. This classic Zen text receives an engaged reading from Brian Nishii, whose presentation is deepened by his fluency in Japanese and Mandarin.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/731481 to listen full audiobooks. Title: The Diamond Sutra, The Heart Sutra, The Sutra of Hui Neng: Three Key Prajna Paramita Texts from the Zen Tradition Author: Anonymous Narrator: Ratnadhya Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 5 hours 7 minutes Release date: August 1, 2019 Genres: World Religions Publisher's Summary: These three sutras are the most important texts for the Chan (Chinese) and Zen (Japanese) Buddhist traditions, though they are very different in character and provenance. The Diamond Sutra (Vajracheddika Prajña Paramita Sutra in Sanskrit) has the distinction of being 'the earliest complete survival of a dated (11 May 868) printed book'. It was found in the Dunhuang Caves in China in 1900. The title, Diamond Cutter, outlines its purpose, which is to cut through ignorance to attain to perfect wisdom or ultimate reality. It is a relatively concise Mahayana text, using the Six Perfections (generosity, virtue, patience, spiritual vigour or energy, meditation and wisdom) to realise no-self and the emptiness of all phenomena. Its origin is uncertain - even its date falls into a wide spectrum of somewhere between second and fifth centuries. The sutra is set in the context of a teaching given by the Buddha to the bhikkhu Subhuti who has asked for advice how to attain ‘supreme perfect enlightenment'. The translation used for this recording is by Wai-Tao. The Heart Sutra, another Mahayana text, is very different. It is short - barely 500 words - and is chanted, recited or read daily by many Buddhist communities across a wide range of traditions throughout the world. It is placed in a teaching given by the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Avalokitesvara to the bhikkhu Šariputra. Despite its brevity, it is rich in meaning and reference, covering a number of Buddhist formulations, including the five skandhas (form, feeling, perception, formation and consciousness) and the Four Noble Truths. The core message of the Sutra is ‘form is emptiness, emptiness is form' - again the declaration that all phenomena are empty. Its origin (likely before sixth century) and even original language is unknown, scholars differing on whether it was first written in Sanskrit or Chinese. The Nalanda translation is used here. The Sutra of Hui Neng is the longest of these three works, and is different again. It is a remarkable document, telling the history of the Sixth Chan Patriarch, Hui Neng (638-713), a semi-legendary teacher who, though uneducated and illiterate, gained enlightenment when accidentally hearing The Diamond Sutra being recited. Also called The Platform Sutra (Buddhist teachers in China traditionally preached from a podium) Hui Neng relates his history and his exegesis of The Diamond Sutra. In contrast to the two preceding works, The Sutra of Hui Neng is an unusually informal text, with the personality of the Sixth Patriarch coming across the intervening centuries with affecting immediacy. The translation is by Wong Mou-Lam. The three sutras are read with clarity and understanding by Ratnadhya.