Books

Ever wondered about the connection between Zen and self-knowledge? Dark Zen

If you have even a glimmer of interest in these matters, this book can open a new dimension for you. This much prized knowledge is delivered via the friendship that develops between a lost young man and a Zen master.

Nostalgiawest photographer Bob Fergeson has just released a new book, set in the swamps of Louisiana. Bob couches Zen lessons and a methodology for spiritual development into a simple story that allows the teachings to shine through. This book has something to offer the complete beginner and the more seasoned seeker - simple explanations of profound truths.

The book is available on amazon, in both print and Kindle editions. The Kindle version has full color photos taken by the author in southern Louisiana.

Join Bobby Boudreaux and the master of Dark Zen, OD Magee, as they explore the meaning of life and death deep in the Louisiana swamp.

This Above All is a description of that journey, sharing some understandings I gained along the way and practices I was doing, or trying to do, that I feel contributed to the final return Home. My hope is that this book will help you along your way too and that may be by giving you a clearer focus and understanding of what you are trying to achieve in yourself. A clear understanding leads to focus which leads to more effective and efficient methods of getting there. It's about working effectively rather that working hard.

"When the thought and the mind goes away, all you are left with is the real part of yourself.... In the quiet, there is a sense of eternality and unconditional love.”

The sense of eternality marks the work of photographer, mountaineer, and spiritual teacher Bob Fergeson. Set among the Rocky Mountains, Bob's story weaves the passions of the creative life and a love for the outdoors into a compelling narrative of a spiritual search. From his childhood attempts to capture moments of ethereal, quiet beauty with a Brownie box camera, Bob's life careened towards a crushing encounter with alcoholism, then flowered in a time of self exploration through painting, drawing, and dreamwork, led to years of spiritual disciplines, and culminated in a final encounter with Truth that left him weeping on a Colorado mountainside.

Whether you frame your quest as a search for God, truth, enlightenment, awakening, certainty, or an aching longing to fill a void inside, you will find this feature-length documentary is more than just a film, it is a resource that you will mine for inspiration and advice again and again.

How can we re-connect, open the Gateway to Within, and once more gain the Peace and Understanding of our Inner Self? The Listening Attention is our innate ability to observe the world and ourselves without identification. Separate from the world of the mind and action, it points the way home.

" Bob Fergeson distills the best of his advice on the practical matters of the spiritual search in this little book of self-knowledge. Unafraid to speak of his own difficulties and realizations, Bob offers an everyman's guide to self-realization: not through believing the words of another, but through seeking within; cultivating what he calls the Listening Attention. "

The essays, poetry and insight from the Listening Attention web site are now available in a 5x8 paperback. Full color cover photographs and illustrated with black and white photographs by the author. 108 pages, ISBN: 978-0979963063

The Mystic Missal in cooperation with TAT Foundation Press presents Images of Essence: a beautiful collection of poetry and photographs, available in soft and hard covers as well as Kindle. Photographer Bob Fergeson and poet Shawn Nevins bring together their creative wanderings to explore the theme of The Standing Now: the moment when a pause in the passing now of our lives reveals eternity.

"Nevins and Fergeson each take us on a journey to the very same place (to the Only place?) by heading in opposite directions. They beautifully illustrate and if we pay attention, illuminate, a search for source both within and without.

Photographer and author Paul Rezendes calls the book, “A beautiful collection of poems and imagery, and an invitation to self-exploration.”

"A contemplative meditation in words and pictures, conveying an achingly beautiful reminder of our quest for light, love, truth, and being. Its harmony of sight and sound remind us of our true home. Each photo by NostalgiaWest photographer Bob Fergeson and accompanying poem by mystic poet Shawn Nevins builds a crescendo of introspective silence ... one at a time, leading us beyond time. A beautiful present for yourself, a loved one, a friend." - Art Ticknor, Self-Discovery Portal

Beyond Mind, Beyond Death: A fascinating collection of some of the best material from 77 issues of the TAT Forum. This is spiritual writing at its finest: inspirational, instructional, and confrontational. A volume of spiritual poetry and prose amplified by poignant photography and peppered with humor.

Selections from over thirty contributors including: William Samuel, Bob Fergeson, Shawn Nevins, Douglas Harding, Franklin Merrell-Wolff, Art Ticknor, Bart Marshall, Coleman Barks, Bob Cergol and Bernadette Roberts.

Solid Ground of Being: A Personal Story of the Impersonal, by Art Ticknor. Illusions, delusions, or faulty beliefs prevent us from seeing clearly and acknowledging what we truly are ... beyond personality and even beyond individuality. In sharing the simple facts of his life experience, Art Ticknor takes us on an extraordinary journey. With a natural storyteller's voice and conversational style that draws the reader in and pulls us gently along, he conveys his view that the journey beyond the mind, to the solid ground of being, will bring full satisfaction to life. Solid Ground of Being on Amazon.

This booklet examines celibacy as a practical discipline for those on a spiritual search, and surveys a number of ordinary men and women to discover the benefits they derive and their advice to others. Discover how celibacy affects intuition and energy, how it reveals the habits of our mind, and is a natural state for anyone involved in intense effort. Hear from those currently practicing, former practitioners, and those who have struggled mightily with what Gandhi called "the highest goal."

The Perennial Way: New English Versions of Yoga Sutras, Dhammapada, Heart Sutra, Ashtavakra Gita, Faith Mind Sutra, and Tao Te Ching, by Bart Marshall. These insightful new versions are presented without commentary ... clear and poetic, yet intensely faithful to the language and nuance of the originals, they invite direct communication with the masters, and vibrate with a revelatory self-evidence that resonates in the mind and heart long after reading. "His translations not only interpret ancient mystical writings, but transmit their essential power to utterly alter and redefine our lives." - Bruce Joel Rubin.