Book Description
The Simplest Path, Step One: Free Your Mind delineates, in one slim volume, a complete system for achieving personal spiritual awakening, along with a straightforward, no-nonsense plan individuals and groups so enlightened can follow to awaken Humanity en masse and positively transform the world. This book contains keys to awakening. Awakening from our personal dream shatters the solid "box" of limitation memes have built around our lives, and frees us to fluidly craft our personalities, environments, relationships, careers, etc. as an artist paints a landscape or a sculptor teases form from formless clay. All of us awakening together from the shared dream of the planet will mark the birth of our species out of our current global nightmare of decline into a limitless future literally beyond our present ability to imagine, even in our "wildest dreams," indeed.
Customer Reviews:
Way Beyond "Socrates Revisited".......2007-08-22
After reading the commentary attached to the one star rating given by the young man from Texas, I feel compelled to step forward in defense of this very fine book. With only one exception, every point made in that negative review is simply wrong. Just not factually correct. The reviewer identifies himself as a young man (... "to my young mind"), and since all of his other Amazon reviews are of TV episodes on DVD, video games and rock music CDs I take him at his word. Well, I am an "old man," closing in on my sixty-third birthday, and I came to Mr. Casspriano's book after six decades of life experience, the last three of those decades a zealous practitioner of Zen Buddhism. I say this not to "brag," but simply to qualify myself as a reviewer before beginning.
I'll start where the one star reviewer closed his argument, with his statement that the simplest path reduces to two Socratic concepts: "Admit that you don't know anything" and "know yourself."
The first part is nominally true (the exception). Like Zen Buddhism, a central tenet of the simplest path is working to release the false notion we all hold that we know ourselves, other people, the world around us. But identifying and releasing our attachments to our illusions is a life's work, not some brash "I don't know nothin'!" as the young Texan seems to imply. Under normal circumstances, we go about our daily lives with no idea we are deluded about anything, as Maya (the illusion of the phenomenal world around and even inside us) is so convincing that most of us never even think to question its validity. Casspriano did not invent the notion of human beings being trapped in illusion, as this truth was known to the timeless authors of the Hindu Vedas and is central to all schools of Buddhism (not just Zen). But his scientific/spiritual exploration of the mechanism by which Maya ensnares our minds and can, with effort, be overcome is among the best "plain English" explanations of this process I have read. There is no "inscrutable mystery" in the simplest path (a criticism that has been accurately leveled toward Zen Buddhism, as a lot of Eastern thought truly does come off as "inscrutable" when translated into English and/or the metaphors of Western culture). Casspriano lays out in no-nonsense American English exactly what our brains are doing when they create the illusion we mistake for reality, then shows the reader in the same clear terms how to train his or her brain to break free of illusion and taste reality as-it-is. In just 216 pages, that is no mean feat. After thirty years of Zen practice and numerous kensho experiences (of varying depths and intensities), I can say from personal experience that Casspriano is correct. Enlightenment comes as the fruit of a long, incremental process of retraining the mind to touch reality in a new way, and the process described in the simplest path is the same as that followed in Zen practice, especially Rienzi Zen koan study (I'll have more to say about this in a later paragraph). Casspriano's approach and language is very different from traditional Zen (more "scientific," and no sitting meditation is required), which I think would appeal to Americans and other Westerners seeking to experience "awakening" without necessarily committing themselves to a religion like Buddhism, but the internal mental/spiritual process and final destination are the same.
"Know yourself," on the other hand, is not in this book at all, at least not in the way the young reviewer, or Socrates for that matter, uses the phrase. As in Buddhism, Casspriano takes pains to demonstrate that "self" is as much of an illusion as our misapprehension of the phenomenal world, and is a byproduct of exactly the same mind process that creates outer Maya. A core teaching of Buddhism is that our "self," our personality/ego, is nothing more than an aggregation of outside influences that cluster together in our minds like shiny stones gathered into a pile, and which we mistake not only for something "real," but tragically, for our essential selves. Yet this "pile" has nothing really to do with who we are at all. Buddhism teaches "no-self." Belief in the illusion of a unique and independent "self" is our greatest obstacle to enlightenment. Wasting time and energy getting to "know yourself" in the Western sense is foreign to Eastern thought. Casspriano again does a great job of translating the Buddhist concept of "no-self" into Western scientific/spiritual terminology. He shows the process by which our ego/personality aggregate "piles up," as well as how to take the pile down, stone by stone. Enlightenment is what the pile was covering up, and so it naturally appears as soon as the pile is removed - but oh how we cling to our personal pile of stones! "Self" is what we must trade for enlightenment, what must be surrendered, and Casspriano returns to this truth many times in the simplest path. My point is that the one star reviewer's reduction of the simplest path to "know yourself" has no basis at all in the actual book.
As to the book being "gimmicky": Yes, the words "The Simplest Path" recur frequently throughout the book, but not in reference to the book itself (at least that's not how I took it), but rather to the system of understanding the mind and working toward "awakening" Casspriano is describing - and it is a complete system that deserves to be considered as a whole, on its own. At times the repetition does have a feel of "branding" in the commercial sense, so I understand where the reviewer may have taken his impression. But the simplest path, while resonant with Zen Buddhism (and apparently, according to Casspriano, with the Toltec philosophy espoused by Carlos Castaneda, of which I have no personal knowledge, so I'll have to take the author's word for that) is far enough different that it needs its own "name" to set it apart from other schools of similar but not identical thought. The reviewer's criticism is like saying that every use of the term "Zen" in a book called "Zen Buddhism" should be taken as a reference to the book, and not to the larger practice of Zen Buddhism as a spiritual discipline that the book is describing. Casspriano's point in repeatedly linking The Simplest Path, Zen Buddhism and Toltec Shamanism throughout the book, at least as I understood it, is to highlight these three spiritual practices as related reliable paths through a dark forest of illusion, a forest in which many apparent (and more popular) paths, including most (all?) religious beliefs, actively vie to mislead travelers toward deeper ensnarement in the dream, rather than leading them toward "awakening."
I want to say a word about koan study in Rienzi Zen and how it relates to the simplest path. Koans are those quirky Zen sayings and stories like "what is the sound of one hand clapping?" or "what was your original face before you (or your parents) were born?" that have no rational answer, and which Zen students turn and turn in their minds like the tumblers of a combination lock until their imprisoned psyches "explode" in a "super-rational" experience of reality beyond the illusion ("irrational" would be the wrong term, as that implies "nonsense"). That "super-rational" vision of reality is called "kensho." I have experienced it myself, more than once in my lifetime. I have come to think of Casspriano's "Key Questions" in the second half of the simplest path, especially the later seven of the ten, as "cultural koans" designed to trigger "collective kensho" for the whole human race at once. Like "what is the sound of one hand clapping?", unflinching consideration of the value of human life, of how our beliefs about the future shape the present, of the true origin and destiny of life on Earth, etc., especially as seen through the lens of Casspriano's "Key Question Technique," reveals that none of these questions have rational answers, yet all require our active and immediate response. Successful resolution of these larger riddles that impact everyone will require us all to eventually "explode" into reality, together, in a "super-rational" way. We'll have to break through the illusion and wake up together, as one (which has been the goal of Mahayana Buddhism, of which Zen is a sect, since around 200 BCE). That is the "Planetary Awakening" addressed in this book, and I believe Casspriano's "Key Questions" are a concrete step in that direction. I'm glad I spent my fifteen dollars.
This is my "old man" take on the simplest path, having encountered it after 30 years of Zen Buddhist practice (I'm not veering off my chosen path here, just bowing respectfully in passing toward Casspriano's). From a Buddhist perspective, the simplest path is true Dharma, though I do not get the impression from reading his book that Vincent Casspriano is himself a Buddhist or a follower of any religion. That to my mind makes his book all the more interesting.
True, but gimmicky.......2007-08-09
Casspriano's book is scientifically and philosophically sound as best as my young mind can tell, but I don't recommend this book. Its scattered with numerous pages of advertising about how his "program" works and how it compares to other religions and spiritual movements. Why must this author physically write out "The Simplest Path" in reference to his book every other page, and talk about his second volume? Perhaps because he's not out for pure truth, but for our money.
All this book comes down to after you strip away the nonsense is two things. First, admit that you don't truly know anything. Second, know yourself. Do those two things (they essentially both mean to question EVERYTHING), and you'll have Casspriano's "Planetary Awakening," with 15 bucks still in your pocket. And you'll be following the fundamental truths already said by Socrates.. so do yourself a favor and pick up Plato's "Apology" and read up on the Socratic dialogue on how to live a good life. And don't stop there, because you can't be sure he's right.
And I have 10 bucks that says these other couple of reviews were written by the book publisher. In any case, ignore the hype.
A Unique and Inspiring Wake-up Call.......2007-05-15
This is one of the most clear-headed books I've read in years on the subject of real, nitty gritty, get your hands dirty spiritual development (as opposed to the fru fru New Age variety). So much of what passes for "spirituality" in our time amounts to some author, celebrity, priest, philosopher or self-appointed guru telling us what to "believe," sight unseen, if we want to reach heaven, attain enlightenment, achieve "ascension," etc. Casspriano takes an at times startling opposite approach. For Casspriano, such unquestioned/unquestionable beliefs are not only NOT the path to spiritual awakening, they represent the chief obstacle blocking our realization of higher consciousness. And it's not just religious beliefs ("faith") he's talking about, but all our beliefs about reality, especially those that enclose our thinking in "boxes" that limit our freedom to find solutions to real-world threats like Peak Oil, overpopulation, Global Warming, etc. Though much of the book focuses on individual enlightenment, for Casspriano, these larger planetary issues are "spiritual," as well. Whether the issue is our personal inability to find happiness or Humanity's collective rush toward physical extinction, the cause is the same - our wrong-headed beliefs about what's real. The solution is the same, as well - continuous, deep questioning. Using Richard Dawkins' concept of "memes" as a central metaphor, Casspriano first breaks down the basic process of belief, showing the mechanism in our brains by which beliefs misdirect and control our psyches, then he walks the reader through an exploration of a series of ten "anti-meme questions" aimed at breaking down the walls of our mental "boxes" and setting our minds free. With each question, he supplies an exercise designed to allow the reader to attain a personal taste of reality "beyond the box," especially as flavored by that chapter's "Key Question." For the most part, this formula works very well (with a few rare moments of over-exuberance on the author's part, as already described in other reviews, though as a card carrying vegan environmentalist, I can't say I particularly minded), delivering a cumulative series of death-blows to some of the most basic "pillars" of our present human consensus reality. Beyond the walls those pillars supported lies real reality, where we are all interconnected and interdependent, and, in Casspriano's view, mutually destined for greatness, if we can just wake up and grab the reins of our runaway culture in time. This is not a book for spiritual "feel gooders" seeking soft assurances that they're perfect just they way they are and everything's going to be all right, no matter what. This is a wake up call, a tool kit and a concrete action plan for becoming individually enlightened and collectively saving the world, all rolled up into one. That, I think, is a cause well-worthy of exuberance.
Challenge Consensus Reality!.......2007-05-10
This is a thoughtful book that addresses how we may go about developing a process to question our everyday consensus reality. I suppose if I have learned anything in 49 years of life, it is that all personal and social problems stem from our fundamental views on the nature of reality itself. Vincent Casspriano uses the concept of a "meme" as a fundamental unit of ideas, assumptions, etc. that often block our understanding of reality itself. One such meme, for example, may be that we have to "fight for our freedom" or the world's a "fearful" place and hence, we have to be ready to kill to protect ourselves. I suppose you could also use the word "paradigm" here as well, but the essential point of this book is that we "unconsciously" function in our life with many limited points of view that block our ability to solve problems on both a personal and a social basis.
While Vince Casspriano is to be congradulated for producing a book that presents both a methodology and a motivation for personal transformation, there are a few pitfalls here that the potential reader should be aware of before tackling this material. The author has some rather strong views on fossil fuel consumption, meet consumption, and the role of humans in the cycle of procreation. While I generally agree with his analysis on fossil fuel consumtion and meat consumption (as I have viewed large tracks of deforrested grazing land in developing countries), these viewpoints can distract the reader from the essential point here which is to rigourously question consensus reality. Since I am single, and have no motivation to have children, I definitely disagree with his views on the necessity of human procreation on this planet, but here again, it is important to extract the essential meaning rather than get caught in the specific political/social debates that these issues may spawn.
If you are serious about personal transformation with the potential for changing our global consciousness, than this book can be an invaluable tool. I do agree with the Author that a world population of "high functioning" people can resolve every planetary problem we face today. As we systematically question our consensus reality, we will see our problems in new ways, and with this new perspective, problems can often be quickly resolved or transcended.
A Simple Cure For What's "Eating Us".......2006-11-13
I considered titling this review, "Stop Whining, Wake Up and Get Busy Saving the World," but decided "Eating Us" would be more attention-grabbing - which matters because I believe Vincent Casspriano, Jr.'s "The Simplest Path, Step One: FREE YOUR MIND" is an important book, and I want to do whatever I can to draw your attention to it. Pick the title you like best. Both very fittingly describe what you will find within the pages of this remarkable new release from New Paradigm Press.
I have selected three short quotations to explore in this review that I think best summarize Casspriano's overall message:
From Chapter One, "The Boxes We Dream In":
"Right now, this very moment, you are asleep... Even if you are reading these words in broad daylight - sitting at your desk or beside the kitchen table, your feet firmly planted on the floor, eyes open, senses alert, feeling the weight of this book in your hands as sounds of life rise and fall rhythmically around you - you are deeply asleep, and dreaming furiously"
Now, the idea that Humans are sleeping, and must therefore "awaken," is by no means unique to Casspriano's "Simplest Path" spiritual system, being the root observation underlying pretty much all Eastern religion, and a lot of Western Occultism and New Age metaphysics, as well. In fairness, Casspriano makes no claim to this as an original insight, openly supporting his assessment of the human predicament with quotations taken from Animism, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Islam. He then flows seamlessly into a list of complementary illustrations from the secular realms of Quantum Physics, brain/consciousness research, and most to-the-point, the study of memes and memetics, ala Evolutionary Biologist and world's best-known cheerleader for scientific atheism, Richard Dawkins.
If you've never heard of memes or memetics, a quick Google of those terms will reveal hundreds of serious, information-rich websites devoted to this now thirty-year old science. In a nutshell, a "meme" is a sort of contagious thought-form that spreads between people by way of imitation. Obvious memes in our environment include advertising jingles, fads and fashions, etc. Casspriano somewhat radically extends the concept to include just about everything that makes up the contents of our individual brains and shared human culture. While he resists redefining the word "meme" wholesale, he decidedly expands its definition to make memes and "memeplexes" (what you get when a number of memes band together into an organic, relational unit, like a religion or cultural or political movement) the basic, fundamental building blocks of everything we habitually label "real..."
And then he demonstrates, in at times excruciating detail, the complete emptiness of the "apparent-reality" that is a byproduct of memetic activity in our brains. What we call "real" is not real at all. It's an illusion spun up by our memes. And our memes are not original to us. They are "viral invaders" assailing our minds from without. Worse - and, while even this thought is not wholly unique to Casspriano, he certainly gives it his own very effective spin - memes are by no means mere passive beliefs or simple "harmless ideas." They are, Casspriano believes, actively predatory psychic parasites whose survival depends on our buying into the illusions they create in our minds. Think of illusion (Samsara, Maya, etc.) as a web we're caught in. Memes are the spider. We are the fly. Gotcha.
One thing I like very much about Casspriano's book is that he never asks us to take anything on faith, least of all this rather ugly depiction of the human psychic/spiritual condition. He not only challenges readers to test his hypothesis firsthand in order to experience what is real and true for ourselves, he spends a large chunk of the book outlining specific exercises anyone can do to escape memetic interference and personally experience reality as-it-is. The exercises in Part II of the book are powerful medicine... But this is a digression, so let me return to the point.
Memes are the spider, and we are the fly. A better metaphor might be that memes are the farmer, and we are the cow. Domesticated and docile, we allow memes to milk us daily, to extract from our minds the potent human psychic energy which, if reclaimed by us and put to proper human use, would quickly and positively transform our lives and our world. This transformation is awakening, ascension, enlightenment, metanoia, the Buddha-like change of consciousness most religions and spiritual systems on Earth hint at, but few ever actually deliver to followers. In this analysis, Casspriano's "Simplest Path" is very much in line with Gurdjieff's "Fourth Way," Carlos Castaneda's Toltec sorcery, and a few other well known spiritual practices inhabiting a somewhat darker, though perhaps more realistic corner of the New Age. But unlike most of those other systems, Casspriano's prescription for escaping illusion and awakening to reality is remarkably, well... simple.
From Chapter Three, "Waking Up":
"The simple truth is that we are sleeping because we lack sufficient energy to wake up."
And later in the same chapter:
"The real work that brings about awakening, rather than merely granting the external appearance of "being spiritual," while actually embroiling us ever more deeply in the dream, is a rigorous, daily commitment to the identification and elimination of every self-serving belief from which our personal dream-lives are constructed."
For "belief" in the quotation above, read "meme/memeplex." Casspriano certainly does, treating the terms as largely interchangeable. In the end, this genuinely simple - at least in the sense of being uncomplicated and pragmatic - spiritual practice amounts to discovering reality as-it-actually-is less by searching for a glimpse beyond the illusion, than by systematically withdrawing our participation in, and identification with, the dream. When we disentangle our psyches from memetic illusion, only reality remains. We don't have to chase it; to a meme-free mind, reality just appears. This is "Satori" in Zen Buddhism. This is "stopping the world" in the Toltec sorcery of Castaneda and others. Casspriano's genius lies in his talent for exposing the core mechanism behind such complex and often inscrutable spiritual systems, and for putting into plain language clear instructions for unraveling the dream and achieving personal awakening. The virus-like process by which memes take over and control our human minds, as described by Casspriano is, to my mind, very complicated (but well worth struggling through). What is genuinely simple about "The Simplest Path," however, is Casspriano's prescription for breaking those bonds, once you've made the effort to understand how they are created and maintained. For Casspriano, remaining a victim of spiritual sleep and energetic exploitation by memes is a complex activity in which we unconsciously invest enormous amounts of psychic energy every day of our lives. Awakening is the product of a simple act of withdrawing that investment, which automatically re-energizes of our minds and lives. Or as Casspriano cleverly phrases it when closing Chapter Three, "Waking Up":
"Unweave the tapestry of the dream, and awakening happens."
Anyone can do this. Spiritual awakening, in Casspriano's view, may be hard work, but it is not complicated work. The path to enlightenment is really rather shockingly simple. Fall out of love with the dream. Reclaim your psychic energy. Wake up to reality.
The ten "Key Questions" Casspriano explores in the second section of the book are designed to put the theory laid out in Part I to practical and immediate use. Essentially, I think Casspriano sees these ten issues - why we treat enlightenment as an "airy-fairy" ideal instead of a measurable transformation of brain functioning, the excuses we make for avoiding personal responsibility and integrity along the lines of Castaneda's "impeccability," the fallacy of belief in a "separate self," etc. - as pillars of both our personal and collective human dreams. They are by no means an exhaustive listing of the memes twisting our minds. But they are primary keystones on which layers upon layers of the grand illusion are built. Topple these ten baseline pillars and the larger structure crumbles.
Casspriano explores some "Keys" more successfully than others. One downside to the book is that, especially in the "Keys," Casspriano's own memetic prejudices shine at times rather glaringly through, as when, in his discussion of the American "What Would Jesus Do?" religious fad, he characterizes the Evangelical Christian purveyors of WWJD as, "ultra-conservative, right wing ideologues." Even should the reader personally agree with such pronouncements, its hard to resist thinking, "Hey Vince! Your memes are showing!" But where he nails his point, Casspriano's prose can be downright inspiring, as with the "Key" cosmological study "Is Earth the Center of the Universe?," which explores the gap between what we know, scientifically, about the Universe and what our daily choices and behavior says we really believe, about the cosmos and about ourselves. His closing "Key" "Are We Alone?" so poetically frames the true stakes of our global human predicament - species survival VS extinction - that its hard to imagine anyone keeping their gaze glued squarely to their own self-involved navel in the wake of reading it. Of course we are not alone. There are six and a half billion of us on Planet Earth, and whether we awaken to what's best in us or follow our darkest drives over History's cliff into oblivion, we do so as one. One planet, one fate.
This notion of "oneness" and of a common, intertwined human spiritual and biological destiny is a core theme in The Simplest Path, Step One: FREE YOUR MIND that sets it apart from any spiritual book in recent memory. My final quotation from the book returns us to the opening lines of Chapter One, "The Boxes We Dream In":
"We are all aware of the challenges facing us as we enter together into the 21st Century:
· World oil supplies are running out.
· Global warming is transforming the Earth into a steamy greenhouse.
· Even as our technology connects the world, ideological extremism, terrorism and militarism divide us as never before.
· Headlines bombard us with news of war, famine, pestilence and death until we feel overwhelmed and unable to respond.
· Time is running out..."
Vincent Casspriano, Jr.'s "The Simplest Path to Personal and Planetary Transformation, Step One: FREE YOUR MIND" does not offer easy escape from these very pressing real-world human ills, but rather, a down to Earth, workable prescription for their cure. Yes, we must awaken as individuals, and, rest assured, "The Simplest Path" shows spiritual seekers exactly how to do that. But a prime message of "The Simplest Path" is that, for personal awakening to have meaning, it must occur within the context of a complete re-visioning of global culture, and a mass wrenching away of the wheel of History from the control of viral memes, that we might create a common cosmic human destiny worthy of our highest potential as a species.
Now that's a meme worth feeding.
Amazon.com's Best of 2001
With the better part of our lives spent at work, it's a wonder there aren't more books devoted to practical living in the workplace. Franz Metcalf, a Buddhist scholar and author of What Would Buddha Do? has teamed up with management consultant BJ Gallagher Hateley to apply the Buddha's insights to life on the job. What would Buddha do at work? Of course, he'd quit and go find a comfortable spot in the forest to meditate. But those of us for whom early retirement is not an option can still profit from the Buddha's wisdom. Buddha's advice is not always obvious but certainly always helpful. What would Buddha do to get promoted? To influence others? To maintain job security? The answer to the first two questions is that he would simply do his job well. You would think that would also be the answer to the third question. But for the third, our authors teach us the Buddhist notion of impermanence--that in a world that is always changing, job security is an illusion. So although the Buddha himself was focused on liberation, he also offered guidance for the workaday world that, with elaboration from Metcalf add Gallagher Hateley, can itself prove liberating. --Brian Bruya
Book Description
With the economy booming, people are experiencing extraordinary material benefits yet still hunger for deeper meaning in their work lives. What Would Buddha Do at Work? uses the gentle teachings of Buddha to help readers discover that meaning. What Would Buddha Do at Work? presents 101 situations or issues that people struggle with daily, ranging from coping with difficult bosses, serving customers, and working as a team, to being creative, solving problems, and offering leadership. In response to these dilemmas, the authors pass along Buddhist wisdom that will inspire and guide readers to “enlightened” answers to their problems — answers that are spiritual as well as practical and realistic.
Customer Reviews:
Great book but inapproriate foreword.......2005-01-30
This book is a wonderful attempt to put in practice the sublime spiritual wisdom of the east in the modern workplace. It is basically an application in today's context, of the spiritual wisdom which was meant purely for spiritual seekers in those days before Christ . All the issues of the work place are more than appropriate and the quotes are explanations are very convincing.
But what I found very awkward was the foreword by Ken Blanchard. Ken is asserting his belief in a very patronising manner by saying 'Jesus is the truth'. And to add more to it he says, "Buddha is a psychologist". This statement is very premature as he doesn't seem to be conversant with the Orient and its Masters. People who read books like this one obviously know Buddha as an enlightened master and not a mere psychologist. The wisdom of the Buddha is spiritual and to call it coming from a 'Pschologist' is blasphemy for the buddhists, though in saying all this ,I am not a Buddhist.
Thanks for the book but would actually prefer a spiritual master to write a foreword.
Take Bhudda's wisdom to work!.......2001-08-02
I found this book in a little bookshop in Marin Co., CA. Why isn't it being publicized more? Even the authors say "getting promoted is a happy side-effect of excellent work," and this book is just such an excellent work in that it furnishes great exampoles of practical ways to handle ourselves in the ready-made workplace or to create a workplace where dilemmas can be faced with the guidance of Bhudda thinking. Thanks to the authors for this help and recommendations.
SPIRITUALITY FOSTERS GROWTH AND PROFITABILITY.......2001-08-01
This is one of the greatest books one will ever find on the basics on what helps a business achieve its full potential. First of all, you do not want to be just a good employer, you want to be the best employer you can possibly be. Then, you want happy, motivated, productive employees who WANT to help you succeed, as opposed to those who are just showing up because they need a paycheque. Employees need to work well both independently and as a team. You also want happy, satisifed customers who receive personal, respectful and efficient customer service and value for their dollar. If they find that in your business, they will be back time and time again. Many of the secrets that serve as the driving engine of successful businesses can be found in the age-old basic principles of Eastern Philosophies.
What would Buddha do in this situation? How would he handle it? This book will help provide the answers. Aside from adhering to strong basic management principles, if you run your business based on integrity and strong ethical values, the money will come - it is the end result of the fruits of your labour, the driving force behind your success. Strive to run your business with honesty, respect, compassion and organized thought. By providing a quality product/service that is in demand, at an affordable price, in a unique manner that your competitors are not providing, and staying within your budget, you have the makings of a successful business.
This book may seem like common sense to many but, as a counsellor and teacher in business management with thirty years of experience, I can assure you that many business owners/managers do not think common sense is of any great importance or simply choose not to follow it. They are eventually the ones who show up on the list of bankruptcies. After reading this book, sit down and make a list of how you would like to be treated as an employee. What would keep YOU happy, motivated and productive? Then, ask yourself if you are creating this type of work environment for your own employees. Sound knowledge of business management skills is a must for any entrepreneur, but there is a misconception out there that a successful entrepreneur must be some sort of "super, natural guru." You run a business with the same moral values and principles used in your personal life. The inner peace and contentment one finds in their own personal spirituality can also be applied to the workplace to achieve profitability while maintaining a nurturing, caring, positive, productive environment.
The 101 dilemmas presented here show how ancient wisdom can be used to solve many of our modern-day obstacles and challenges in the workplace. This book is highly recommended and certainly worth a five-star rating - even Buddha would be proud of this one!
Insightful and Hilarious.......2001-07-31
We all are aware of the cliche "What Would Jesus Do?". In fact whenever I hear that question I groan and I know Jesus covers his ears and says "Get a new line".
I am not a Buddhist, but I think this book is very good and insightful. If you are Buddhist, buy this book, it will help guide you to Nirvana, or at least it will give you a lot to contemplate. If you aren't Buddhist, buy this book anyway, it will make you laugh and it is good lessons for life.
Average customer rating:
- Pretty good for beginners
- The Complete Book of Indian Cooking
- The Best Book on Indian Cooking
- Great Book - please help locate
- I wish I had not given it away!!!
|
Complete Book of Indian Cooking
Shehzad Husain , and
Rafi Fernandez
Manufacturer: Lorenz Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Indian
| Asian
| Regional & International
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0754801756 |
Book Description
Over 170 delicious, authentic Indian recipes, from all regions of the country. Over 600 glorious color photographs, including pictures of each finished dish. All recipes are carefully tested, with a Comprehensive introduction explaining all the ingredients, techniques and equipment you will need. At-a-glance cook's tips and hints make every step simple for the Western cook. Traditionally recipes include such beloved foods as Samosas, Naan, Chapati, Tandoori Chicken, Bombay Duck, Korma and Dhal, while more modern contributions such as Lamb Tikka, Spicy Potatoes and Stuffed Baby Vegetables, will enliven tables everywhere and introduce readers to the depth and versatility of Indian cuisine.
Customer Reviews:
Pretty good for beginners.......2006-12-06
I would recommend this book to someone who is not familiar with Indian cooking but enjoys the cuisine. It gives a basic idea of Indian cooking methods and Indian spices....people can play around with it a little to come up with variations on their own. I've cooked almost 50% of the recipes in it and have been satisfied with the result on 75% of them....not a bad record.
In case you're wondering, this review comes from an Indian who bought this book as soon as she got married to obtain a few Indian recipes. But now, I just look at the book to inspire me with new ideas.
The Complete Book of Indian Cooking.......2002-12-18
Originally published in 1995, this book was updated in 1999. My wife, who is in the Navy, found it in Singapore when her ship visited there. It is a wonderful book with delicious recipes, well explained procedures and clear illustrations, that calls for easily accessible ingredients -- no need to go to the non-existent "Indian foods store" all the other cookbooks send you to. Recipes are detailed and well-explained. I have over fifty books on Indian and South/Southeast Asian cooking in my library (most of them gathering dust), and this is by far the best. I use it every week, and friends and work colleagues demand the recipes. This is a book for the beginner and pro alike. I lived in London for years and had a lot of curry, and the results of these recipes taste authentic and are uniformly delicious. A great book!
The Best Book on Indian Cooking.......1999-05-11
Excellent pictures that guide you to delicious Indian Cooking, with useful tips, a great gift for a new bride
Great Book - please help locate.......1998-07-02
I am a Native Indian and immigrated to this country and loved this book and all its illustrations and wish I could find it.
PLEASE HELP. Publisher please reprint.
I wish I had not given it away!!!.......1998-06-20
I am a native Indian; I LOVE this book. The dishes come out tasting VERY real; like a restaurant or even an Indian 'Dhaba'. I gave my copy to a friend for his wedding and have regretted my decision; I CANT FIND IT. Please help me someone.
Average customer rating:
- The most authentic food you will cook!!
- Indian cook book
- A first class book
- I have tried all receipes from this book...THE BEST
- A user friendly book of good recipes
|
The Complete Indian Cookbook
Mridula Baljekar
Manufacturer: Smithmark Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Bargain Books
| Stores
| Books
| Arts & Photography
| Audiobooks
| Biography
| Business & Investing
| Calendars
| Children
| Computers & Internet
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Film
| Greeting Cards & Accessories
| Health, Mind & Body
| History
| Home & Garden
| Humor, Comics & Pop Culture
| Literature & Fiction
| Mysteries & Thrillers
| Nonfiction
| Parenting & Families
| Reference
| Religion & Spirituality
| Romance
| Science & Nature
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Sports
| Teens
| Travel
General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Complete Indian Cooking
ASIN: 0831714875 |
Customer Reviews:
The most authentic food you will cook!!.......2005-09-20
I purchased this book in the early 90's, being an englishman with a taste for Indian food and a flair for cooking. This has travelled with me ever since. I have used this book as a source for all of my indian meals and the recipes (and I have prepared man of them) are the most authentic dishes you will create. I cooked for an Indian friend a couple of years ago and after I had served him some of my onion bhajis, he paid me the compliment of telling me that they tasted exactly as his mom had prepared back in calcutta. The recipes can be daunting, with endless lists of ingredients - but find yourself a good asion food store and go to task - it's worth it!!!
Indian cook book.......2005-05-19
We cook out of this cook book allot and each page is scented with the spices from YEARs of serious use. I have a great cook book collection and this is the BEST book of the lot. The recipes are detailed and specific. This book is worth whatever you have to pay for it. Enjoy and cook.
A first class book.......2001-09-06
This book is excellent, I cannot recommend it highly enough
The recipes are clear and easy to follow.
Every recipe ALWAYS turns out very well
Very Highly recommended
I have tried all receipes from this book...THE BEST.......1999-11-16
This is the best cook book I have come across. Everything is just right, except I cannot get a copy of it. Most libraries have it.
A user friendly book of good recipes.......1999-05-01
I have tried many of the recipes in this book and I've never been disappointed. Some of the recipes look overwhelming because of many ingredients but the author has kept the instructions simple and to the point. This book is perfect for newcomers to Asian cooking but it is also good for those that are more experienced. My only complaint is that the index could be expanded to make it easier to look things up.
Average customer rating:
|
The Complete Indian Cookbook
Meera Budhwar
Manufacturer: Book Sales
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Bargain Books
| Stores
| Books
| Arts & Photography
| Audiobooks
| Biography
| Business & Investing
| Calendars
| Children
| Computers & Internet
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Film
| Greeting Cards & Accessories
| Health, Mind & Body
| History
| Home & Garden
| Humor, Comics & Pop Culture
| Literature & Fiction
| Mysteries & Thrillers
| Nonfiction
| Parenting & Families
| Reference
| Religion & Spirituality
| Romance
| Science & Nature
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Sports
| Teens
| Travel
Indian
| Asian
| Regional & International
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1555218105 |
Book Description
Every Indian dish in is a feast in itself although every effort has been made to make the recipes easy to follow. the introduction reviews utensils ingredients and measurements. Included are lengthy chapters on Starters, Breads, Chutneys, Meat, Chicken, Fish, Rice, and Dahls and Savories/Snacks. All the favorite dishes such as Vindaloo Patia Korma Dopiaza and Shansak are covered as well as lesser known regional dishes.
Book Description
"Mrs. Ortiz can always be trusted to treat her subjects accurately because she has lived and cooked in the countries she writes about." -- Associated Press
"An eye-opener for people who are unaware of the diversity of that region's cooking, which draws on European, African and Asian influences. Caribbean cuisine is documented in 450 recipes organized in 14 chapters. The region's distinctive ingredients, cooking methods and utensils are thoroughly explained by Mrs. Ortiz." -- Kansas City Star
"Scores of recipes that will convince you that, yes, there is something new under the gastronomic sun . . . . I wish space permitted me to tell you about the lamb stew with red kidney beans from Guadeloupe, a marvelous recipe for a large Edam cheese stuffed with beef from Curacao, skewered beef kabobs with pineapple, tomatoes, onions and peppers from Anguilla, a pork and spinach dish from St. Lucia and a Camaguey meat salad from Cuba, but I'll have to refer you to the book for those items." -- Josef Mossman, Des Moines Register
Customer Reviews:
Well researched and clearly presented.......2006-09-16
This classic cookbook, which was originally published in the early 1970s, offers a generous amount of information on ingredients, cooking methods, and equipment plus a large number of recipes that illustrate the great diversity of the region's cooking. Ms. Ortiz explains how foods and cooking techniques from widely scattered parts of the world have been combined with local ingredients to produce an exciting and eclectic cuisine. I found it especially interesting to read about the ways in which different islands interpret the same dish and how some islands have dishes that are uniquely their own. This book was a labor of love for the author, who worked on it for six years. If you can locate a copy, it would still be a worthwhile addition to your kitchen library.
I also recommend "The Cooking of the Caribbean Islands" (Time-Life Foods of the World), for which Ms. Ortiz was the consultant.
Well-organized!.......2001-01-14
This pocket-size book offers a concise and wide variety of traditional Caribbean food and drink recipes. Ms. Ortiz has certainly done her research. If you like this book, you will love the recently released "A Taste of the Caribbean" by Angela Spenceley. Features cooking tips, information and nutritional count of countless exotic fruits, vegetables and spices, and charming blurbs deciphering local island lingo. This book is a must for any good cookbook library.
A wonderful mix of caribbean cooking from all the islands........1999-08-04
When I bought this book I was searching for receipes from Puerto Rico. Being Puerto Rican and having been raised in the United States, I learned to love all the native dishes that my mother would fix for us. As a new military bride I soon discovered that even though I knew how to cook some of the staples i.e. arroz con gandules, carne guisada, etc., there was a lot I didn't know. My mother was not much help because she never measured anything, just threw it together and it was delicious and she was not nearby so I could observe and learn. I remember yearning for mom's delicious "sancocho criollo" and not knowing how to cook it. I went searching for receipes and came upon this wonderful book. It is full of great receipes and resources as to where to find ingredients throughout the USA and Canada. I have received numerous compliments for my "Empanada de Pollo". I have also learned to cook and enjoy foods from other islands such as "Pulpeta" from Cuba and "Flying Fish Pie" from Barbados.
Average customer rating:
- Excellent Indian Cookbook
- mouthwatering
- The best compilation on Indian cooking I have ever seen
|
The Complete Book of Indian Cooking (Complete Cookbooks)
Manufacturer: Smithmark Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Indian
| Asian
| Regional & International
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0765196859 |
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Indian Cookbook.......2006-04-26
I love Indian food, like most people love Chinese food. If you are a lover of Indian food, this is a great cookbook for you. This is not my only Indian cookbook, but it is the most complete Indian cookbook that I have.
In the introduction this book covers the basics of Indian regional cooking (the difference between northern and southern cooking), the composition of a meal, preferred drinks with meals, and the most common ingredients used.
The recipe in the book for Paneer (which is extremely easy) turned out great the first time I tried it. I was also pleased with all the other recipes that I have tried in this book. There is a very easy to follow bread section in this book that is particularly useful. The Mango Ice Cream is really good as well.
This book is well constructed of glossy paper and a sturdy cover. There are many glossy photos in this book that make preparing unfamiliar dishes much easier.
If you love going out to Indian restaurants, this book will teach you how to make great tasting Indian food in your own home.
mouthwatering.......2000-05-28
this is my favorite indian cookbook. every dish has an appetizing illustration. i have tried about a dozen of its recipes so far and they are simple to cook and delicious, rating at least a 3 out of 4. i wish it was not out of print because it is a perfect gift for all occasions. it has made me able to cook my favorite recipes at the local restaurants, and just as deliciously. it helps to have an indian grocer nearby, too, because some necessary ingredients are less common in mainstream supermarkets here, but that would change if people tried more indian cooking, because every recipe i tried in this book was out of this world.
The best compilation on Indian cooking I have ever seen.......1998-12-29
This book provides the best and most complete selection of Indian recipes I have ever found. The recipies are easy to follow and well presented. Photographs of each dish help us novices to understand how they should look, as well as taste. Even the nan bread was a success. I highly recommend this book
Average customer rating:
|
The Complete Book of Indian Cookery (Complete S.)
Premila Lal
Manufacturer: Foulsham & Co Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Indian
| Asian
| Regional & International
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0572019386 |
Product Description
Over 175 easy, authentic and deliciously aromatic recipes shown step-by-step in more than 900 color photographs.
Books:
- The Strategy Process: Concepts, Context and Cases (3rd Edition)
- Tintin in the Congo
- Wertham Was Right!: Another Collection Of POV Columns
- Wisdom for a Young Ceo: Incredible Letters and Inspiring Advice from Today's Business Leaders
- Working PeopleSmart: 6 Strategies for Success
- A Mother's Rule of Life: How to Bring Order to Your Home and Peace to Your Soul
- Activity-Based Costing: A Review with Case Studies (CIMA Research S.)
- All Star Comics Archives, Vol. 4 (DC Archive Editions)
- Archiving Websites: A Practical Guide for Information Management Professionals
- Because I Said So: 33 Mothers Write About Children, Sex, Men, Aging, Faith, Race, and Themselves
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Logic and Computer Design Fundamentals, Third Edition
- Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance
- The Kitchen Table Investor: Low Risk, Low-Maintenance Wealth-Building Strategies For Working Familie
- A Cast of Friends
- Best Practices in Leadership Development and Organization Change: How the Best Companies Ensure Mean
- Distant Pleasures: Alexander Pushkin and the Writing of Exile
- Chief of Station, Congo: Fighting the Cold War in a Hot Zone
- Buchführung und Bilanz für Einsteiger
- Wealth-Building Secrets As Practiced By The World's Richest People: What The Kuwaitis Can Teach You
- Perish Twice
Parallel Universe Of Self
The Intention Experiment: Using Your Thoughts to Change Your Life and the World
How to Meet Yourself: ...and find true happiness
Life Without a Centre: Awakening from the Dream of Separation
One: Essential Writings on Nonduality
