from dust jacket One of the most exhilarating experiences in the world is to discover a new way of thinking. But to do so one has to abandon one's old way of thinking, which is no easy thing. Durckheim, the well-known philosopher and psycho-therapist, abandons the old dualistic thnking about man in terms of body and soul, which is the hallmark of Western thought. He shows how man must always be taken as one whole, the person. Realisation of the Self can never be a spiritual development alone but must include the body. It can be achieved only by 'practice' of the soul-body unity. Such practice must be based on the knowledge of the vital centre wherein division is non-existent. It was in Japan where Durckheim discovered the teaching and the tradition of Hara-Japanese for the vital centre. Through some experience of it Western man also could be freed from his perisistent conceptual thinking-which inevitably blocks his access to Being-and could be put in contact with the Great Life and so achieve that state of mind which is the pre-requisite of Self-realisation. The book, often in accord with the most recent trends in religion, philosophy and psycho-therapy, contains several illustrations and three outstanding texts by Japanese masters on Hara. Contents Introduction I Hara in the life of the Japanese 1 Hara in the Life of the Japanese 2 Hara in the everyday Life of Japan 3 Hara as the Purpose of Practice 4 Hara in the Japanese Language II Hara in its General Human significance 1 Eastern and Wastern Views of Hara a the General significance of the centre of teh Body b The European Attitude to teh Belly c Natural Hara d The Two Levels III Man with Hara 1 The Living Form Centred in Hara 2 The Ego and the Vital Centre 3 Malformations of the I 4 Hara as Secular Power 5 Hara in Experience, Insight and Pactice 6 The Strength, Breadth and Closeness Engendered by Hara 7 The Order of Life in the Symbolism of the Body IV Hara as Practice 1 The Purpose and Pre-requisite 2 The Purpose and Limits of Practice 3 Posture, Breath, Tension-as Staarting Pints of Practice 5 The Practice of Right Posture 6 Sitting with Hara 7 Tension-Relaxation 8 The Practice of Breathing V Retrospect and Outlook Appendix: Japanese Texts 1 Okado Torajiro 2 Sato Tsui: the Teaching of the Human Body 3 Kaneko Shoseki: Nature and Origin of Man Illustrations Horyuji-Kura; Boddhisattvis Japanese tea ceremony; The Kabuki Choir Horyuji-Kondo; Yumechigai-Kwannon Mater Kenran Umeji; Master Ekyo Hayashi's painting of Kwannon Mary Magdalene; The Synagogue Yakushiji-Kodo; Nikko Basatsu The forebears of Christ; Young Zen monks in meditation The repentant Buddha; Kakomona meditations

Have you ever wanted to change your life-style, to acquire a more revelant set of values, a more dynamic way of thinking, acting and existing?•Hara' is Japanese for •vital culture'- the vital center of teh self, the focus of existence. Its basic teaching is simple: to distinguish between body and soul is false, see the whole self as a single entity and you can attain a higher state of harmony and fullfillment.