Awake Mind, Open Heart: The Power of Courage and Dignity in Everyday Life - Softcover

Kneen, Cynthia

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1569245517 ISBN 13: 9781569245514

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 2002

Synopsis

Twenty-five years ago renowned Tibetan Buddhist meditation master Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche introduced teachings of the Shambhala warrior tradition—teachings that show how we could live as enlightened citizens and help create an advanced society based on fearlessness and non-aggression. Now Awake Mind, Open Heart makes these teachings accessible to the widest possible audience. Author Cynthia Kneen, who has conducted Shambhala Training workshops for more than twenty years, shows us how to develop personal power through direct, genuine experience and how to cultivate natural bravery, authenticity, and gentleness. Directed especially to readers new to Shambhala Buddhism, she also teaches how to develop genuine dignity by connecting to the strength and wisdom of the world as it is, and how to transform fear into fearlessness. This is an invaluable introduction to these ancient Tibetan teachings.

About this title

About the Author

CYNTHIA KNEEN (pronounced neen) is a senior student of Chögyam Trungpa. She has taught meditation programs for more than twenty-five years. She is also a practicing management consultant and lives in Boulder, Colorado. Awake Mind, Open Heart is her first book.

From Publishers Weekly

Shambhala is both a legendary, quasi-mythical kingdom loosely akin to Shangri-la, and also a system of teachings on "how to manifest dignity and human power in everyday life." Kneen, a teacher of meditation programs, asserts that Shambhala has existed through the centuries as a kind of gnostic, secret knowledge within elite Buddhist circles. Shambhala does not, however, emphasize traditional Buddhist tenets such as impermanence, interconnectedness or even the teachings of the historical Buddha himself. As Kneen outlines in the first several chapters, Shambhala instead revolves around recognizing and trusting the basic goodness of the world and of oneself. This process is aided by meditation, and Kneen provides some practical tips on how to meditate. Next, she describes how daunting obstacles, both internal and external, can be faced with a warrior spirit by rousing a special inner vitality called "windhorse," which leads to intense personal power and dignity regardless of outside circumstances. This, in turn, allows one to open up to the world and to begin building a better society. Kneen provides many personal examples of her own experiences with Shambhala, and these are often amusing and memorable. The writing, however, is frequently longwinded, and later chapters tend toward a vague assertion of spiritual principles rather than the specificity that makes the earlier chapters focused and accessible. This is an informative introduction to Shambhala, though many readers will find it falls short of the author's stated goal of allowing them to make a personal connection with Shambhala's teachings.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 1569245517
• ISBN 13: 9781569245514
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 288