Book Previews ~ Shambhalian
Titles
This page contains previews of books
from the Shambhala Buddhist tradition that deal with the wisdom
activity of enlightened warriorship in everyday life.
For a complete index of all the literary
resources available at this site or for a brief overview of this
path or to view the schedules of practice and study at the
center, please click on the appropriate menu button in the row
above.
Shambhala:
The Sacred Path of the Warrior
Chogyam Trungpa
In this practical guide to enlightened living Chogyam
Trungpa offers an inspiring vision for our time based on the
archtypical figure of the sacred warrior. In ancient times, the
warrior learned to master the challenges of life, both on and off
the battlefield. He acquired a sense of personal freedom and
power, not through violence or aggression but through gentleness,
courage and self- knowledge. The Japanese samurai, the
warrior-kings of Tibet, the knights of medieval Europe and the
warriors of the Native American tribes are some few examples of
this universal tradition of wisdom.
Within this book, the warrior's path is made available to
contemporary men and women in search of self-mastery and greater
fulfillment. Interpreting the warrior's journey into modern
terms, Trungpa describes and discusses developing such life
skills as synchronizing ones mind and body; overcoming habitual
behaviors; relaxing within ones discipline; facing the world with
openness and fearlessness and finding the sacred dimension of
everyday life.
Above all, Trungpa shows how, having discovered the elemental
basic goodness of human life, the warrior learns to project that
goodness out into the world for the peace and sanity of others.
The Shambhala teachings - named for a legendary Himalayan kingdom
where prosperity and happiness reign - reveal the potential for
enlightened conduct that exists within every human being. "The
basic wisdom of Shambhala" Trungpa writes "is that in this world,
as it is, we can find a good and meaningful human life that will
also serve others. That is our true richness."
Ruling Your World
Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche
"Most of us are living in a haze-sometimes helping
others, sometimes helping ourselves, sometimes happy, sometimes
sad. We don't feel in control of our own lives. The ancient
teachings of Shambhala rulership show us that we all have the
ability to rule our own world and live with confidence. To do
this, we need to use our daily lives to be strong, as opposed to
aggressive, and to act with wisdom and compassion. This may sound
difficult, but when we begin to mix this ancient wisdom of
rulership into our everyday life, we have both spiritual and
worldly success. We don't need to abandon our life and become an
ascetic or a monk in order to gain confidence and achieve this
success. We can live in the world as a ruler no matter what we
are doing."
- from Ruling Your World
Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche is one of the most highly respected
young incarnate lamas of Tibet. Educated in buddhist meditation,
philosophy, and ritual, he was raised in both Eastern and Western
traditions. He is a holder of the Kagyu, Nyingma, and Shambhala
lineages and is director of Shambhala International, a worldwide
organization of meditation and retreat centers, and teaches
thousands around the globe. He divides his time among North and
South America, Europe, and India.
210 pages. Hardcover.
Sacred World
Jeremy & Karen Hayward
This is the first book to offer step-by-step
instruction in Shambhala warriorship. Combining Buddhist
mindfulness practice and pre-Buddhist shamanic teachings,
Shambhala warriorship training teaches ways to call on powerful,
natural energies for personal and collective transformation. It
shows us how to use everyday situations to unite mind, body, and
emotions in a harmonious whole. The Haywards illuminate the
powerful and elegant philosophy behind warriorship with practical
guidelines, meditations, personal insights, anecdotes, and
mindfulness exercises to guide the reader on the warrior's path,
which ultimately leads to self-liberation and harmony with the
world. The Haywards are uniquely qualified to present these
teachings: close friends and students of Chögyam Trungpa,
they helped him present the teachings of Shambhala warriorship
through the Shambhala Training program, with which they continue
to work closely today.
How to be a Help Instead of a
Nuisance:
Practical Approaches to Giving Support, Service
and Encouragement to Others
Karen Kissel Wegela,
Ph.D.
Despite our good intentions to help others, we often
hold back because we don't know what to do or are afraid to
intrude. And even when we overcome our hesitations, we sometimes
find, to our horror, that we have made things worse with our
attempts to help.
Mindful Presence, without Agenda: The author combines the
insights of traditional meditative practices and modern
psychology to address these problems, concluding that the most
important thing we can offer to anyone in distress is our mindful
presence, without agendas or expectations. When we learn to
cultivate this ability to be open - heartedly, compassionately
present, we find that we can intelligently apply a variety of
skills and techniques such as listening, being mindful companions
or forming supportive teams for individuals and families.
We may find that our actions benefit us as much as they do the
people we seek to help. You will learn:
- How to really listen.
- How to be truly comforting companion to the ill or
dying.
- How and when to offer advice (and when not to).
- How to face uncertainty and pain.
- How to give and receive helpful feedback.
- How to form effective support teams.
In her step-by-step handbook, Karen Kissel Wegela guides readers
through the process of becoming present to oneself so as to be
able to offer meaningful help to friends, relatives and clients
in distress. She states that a sense of loving-kindness toward
oneself will flow naturally toward others as help is offered.
A practice of give-and-take grounded in Buddhism and
meditative practices such as tonglen (learning how to breathe in
someone else's emotion and breathe out reassurance and
compassion) forms the basis of the techniques she presents.
Writing in simple, direct language, she uses brief clinical
and personal histories to illustrate her points. Three appendices
offer useful information on additional professional resources,
the Naropa Institute's contemplative psychology program, and
meditation centers.
Karen Kissel Wegela, who began studying with Trungpa,
Rinpoche, about a quarter of a century ago, is a clinical
psychologist, psychotherapist, educator, and writer. In her
private practice she works with adults and couples. She is
director of the M.A. Psychology program in Contemplative
Psychotherapy at the Naropa Institute in Boulder, Colorado.
Circles of Care:
How to Set Up Quality Home Care for Our
Elders
Ann Cason, Reeve Lindbergh
Circles of Care is a comprehensive Eldercare guide written
from the author's 25 years of experience as a professional
caregiver and as a practitioner of Shambhala Buddhism.
Using a practical approach it shows family and paid caregiver
how to enter the elder's world, how to catch the rhythm of that
life, how to enrich and expand the world and then how to relax
into the job of taking care with a more settled state of
mind.
It is important for the caregiver to appreciate the importance
of the major life transition which the elder is making and to
find ways to support the person's strengths. The book shows how
the elder has a foot in two different worlds: the everyday,
familiar and solid world of doing and the lighter less graspable
world of being. To be of service to someone old, the caregiver
needs to support the spirit of the person's being while getting
in touch with any obstacles to the expression of one's own way of
being. The book gives practical suggestion and insights to help
the family expand their vision of care, find the help that they
need and relax into their job of taking care
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