Lama Surya Das, author of the bestselling Awakening the Buddha Within , is the most highly trained American lama in the Tibetan tradition. In this elegant, inspiring book, he integrates essential Buddhist practices with a variety of other spiritual philosophies and wisdom traditions, to show you how to create a personalized spiritual practice based on your own individual beliefs, aspirations, and needs. Through reflections on his own life quest, thoughtful essays, and entertaining stories, Surya Das examines the common themes at the heart of any spiritual path, including faith, doubt, love, compassion, creativity, self-inquiry, and transformation. He then explores prayer, yoga, chanting, guided meditations, breathing exercises, and myriad other rituals, providing practical examples of each that we can use day-to-day to nurture our inner spirit. " Awakening to the Sacred is filled with beautiful teachings, gracious stories, dozens of practices, humorous tales and wise, practical ways to invite our hearts to awaken to the highest wisdom in every part of our lives." --Jack Kornfield, author of A Path with Heart " Awakening to the Sacred is a feast for the soul. Lama Surya Das gives us the benefit of nearly thirty years of seeking, practice, and study. His vision is our opportunity." --Mark Epstein, author of Going to Pieces Without Falling Apart "Written with tenderness and warmth, Awakening to the Sacred invites all beings to begin the never-ending process of their own spiritual unfolding, and is a wonderful companion on the way of the sacred in everyday life." --Ken Wilber, author of The Eye of Spirit and The Marriage of Sense and Soul "Surya Das brings a reader the how and why, the tools and the inspiration, to live one's life with spiritual practice as the priority. With clarity and humor, through stories and practice, this book welcomes those of all spiritual traditions to the process of becoming fully alive." --Sharon Salzberg, author of A Heart As Wide As the World and Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness Lama Surya Das, author of the bestselling Awakening the Buddha Within , is the most highly trained American lama in the Tibetan tradition. In this elegant, inspiring book, he integrates essential Buddhist practices with a variety of other spiritual philosophies and wisdom traditions, to show you how to create a personalized spiritual practice based on your own individual beliefs, aspirations, and needs. Through reflections on his own life quest, thoughtful essays, and entertaining stories, Surya Das examines the common themes at the heart of any spiritual path, including faith, doubt, love, compassion, creativity, self-inquiry, and transformation. He then explores prayer, yoga, chanting, guided meditations, breathing exercises, and myriad other rituals, providing practical examples of each that we can use day-to-day to nurture our inner spirit. Lama Surya Das, author of the bestselling Awakening the Buddha Within, is the most highly trained American lama in the Tibetan tradition. In this elegant, inspiring book, he integrates essential Buddhist practices with a variety of other spiritual philosophies and wisdom traditions, to show you how to create a personalized spiritual practice based on your own individual beliefs, aspirations, and needs. Through reflections on his own life quest, thoughtful essays, and entertaining stories, Surya Das examines the common themes at the heart of any spiritual path, including faith, doubt, love, compassion, creativity, self-inquiry, and transformation. He then explores prayer, yoga, chanting, guided meditations, breathing exercises, and myriad other rituals, providing practical examples of each that we can use day-to-day to nurture our inner spirit. Lama Surya Das has spent thirty years studying with the great spiritual masters of Asia, including the Dalai Lama, and is a leading spokesperson for the emerging American Buddhism and contemporary spirituality. He is a poet, translator, and full-time spiritual teacher who leads lectures, workshops, and meditation retreats worldwide. He is the author of three books, including the national bestseller Awakening the Buddha Within , is active in interfaith dialogue, and has been featured in numerous publications including New Age Journal , the Boston Globe , the Los Angeles Times , and Tricycle . He lives in Concord, Massachusetts. Introduction--Awakening to the Bigger Picture Let none turn over books, or roam the stars in quest of God, who sees him not in man. --JOHANN KASPAR LAVATER, Swiss poet (1741-1801) If you have picked up this book, then in all probability you are a seeker. My dictionary has a simple definition of a seeker as "one who seeks: a seeker of truth." In practical terms, a seeker is a spiritual traveller or wayfarer, a pilgrim who has embarked on a quest to find and experience the sacred. Seekers are ubiquitous: They can be found in every nation; they can be part of an