Ocean State Libraries

A collection of thirty-nine short essays in which Thomas Merton examines what true contemplation is and how it can impact one's spirituality.

An American Buddhist nun explains how to become compassionate and fearless by accepting the pain in individual lives in their present state through the study of fifty-nine traditional Tibetan Buddhist sayings.

A translation of the early document of Chinese philosophy.

The Book of Five Rings (五輪書, Go Rin no Sho) is a text on kenjutsu and the martial arts in general, written by the Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi around 1645. Many translations have been made, and it enjoys an audience considerably broader than other martial artists and people across East Asia. For instance, some foreign business leaders find its discussion of conflict and taking the advantage to be relevant to their work in a business context....

"Bashō (1644-1694)--a great luminary of Asian literature who elevated the haiku to an art form of utter simplicity and intense spiritual beauty--is renowned in the West as the author of Narrow Road to the Interior, a travel diary of linked prose and haiku recounting his journey through the far northern provinces of Japan. This edition features a masterful translation of this celebrated work. It also includes an insightful introduction by translator...