Natural Brilliance: A Buddhist System for Uncovering Your Strengths and Letting Them Shine

by Irini Rockwell

Overview

This book presents an ancient system for understanding human dynamics that can help us navigate our complex, twenty-first-century lives. Traditionally called the five wisdoms, this system describes five forms of intelligence that are inherent in all of us and that we can draw upon at any time. These are: presence, clarity, richness, passion, and action. Author Irini Rockwell explains these fundamental forms of intelligence and how we can put them to use to enhance our relationships, our work, and our creativity.

Each of us has a primary form of intelligence, which we must identify and understand, but we can also learn to cultivate the other wisdoms and use them to suit our changing circumstances. Rockwell integrates useful stories and case studies to illustrate how to put the five wisdoms teachings to use in personal and professional life. Building on her first book, The Five Wisdom Energies, Rockwell offers further guidance on using the five wisdoms teachings to gain insight and boost effectiveness, with specific chapters dedicated to those working in the fields of counseling, education, and the arts.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780834827776
Publisher:	Shambhala
Publication date:	03/13/2012
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Irini Rockwell is a senior teacher in the Buddhist lineage of Tibetan meditation master Chögyam Trungpa. She holds a masters in contemplative psychotherapy and is the director of the Five Wisdoms Institute, an organization offering training programs to enhance self-awareness, communication, and effectiveness. She is also the author of The Five Wisdom Energies: A Buddhist Way of Understanding Personalities, Emotions, and Relationships. For more information, visit www.fivewisdomsinstitute.com.

Table of Contents

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xii

Introduction: Moving toward Wisdom 1

Part 1 Wisdom Energy in People, Places, and Situations

1 Five Wisdom Qualities 9

2 Meet Some Friends 19

3 Experience Speaks Louder than Words 35

4 Our Energetic Constellations 53

5 The Brilliance of the Five Wisdoms 67

Part 2 The Five Wisdoms Applied

6 A Quiet Presence 79

7 Personal Authenticity 91

8 Authentic Relationships 107

9 Energetic Exchange 117

10 Unbiased Perception 125

11 Engaging Effectively 137

12 Creating Our World 163

13 Professional Arenas 167

14 No Ending 177

Resources 179

Index 181

About the Author 189

Editorial Reviews

An indispensable guide to discovering how the Five Wisdoms vividly inspire our lives, and Irini Rockwell has done a fantastic job translating these profound Buddhist teachings into practical applications for everyday life. With useful exercises, keen insight, and down to earth stories, Natural Brilliance points us to our innate authenticity where we can learn to wake up to life’s colorful display, dance with our ever-changing circumstances, and open to the richness of being human. If you want to express your natural brilliance and bring the profound teachings of the Five Wisdoms alive in your life, read this book.”—Michael Carroll, author of Awake at Work and The Mindful Leader


“This book is equal parts wisdom and pragmatism. Relying on her decades of experience as a Buddhist practitioner and teacher of the Five Wisdom Energies, Rockwell explains how to find your unique brilliance and then apply it at work, in your relationships, and to your spiritual path.”—Susan Piver, author of The Wisdom of a Broken Heart and How Not to Be Afraid of Your Own Life

“Rockwell underscores her lessons with remarkably concrete suggestions and lists. This work nicely bridges the gap between understanding and practice for contemporary Buddhist believers; excellent for the busy practitioner.”—Library Journal

“Offers a simple yet profound Buddhist typology system than can enhance self-awareness, improve relationship dynamics, and boost effectiveness.”—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

Psychotherapist and Buddhist teacher Rockwell (The Five Wisdom Energies) continues the work she began in her earlier book, which called on readers to awaken to five "Buddha families," or inherent strengths: clarity, enrichment, passion, activity, and spaciousness. Here she shows how understanding our own strengths can improve our everyday life, and she underscores her lessons with remarkably concrete suggestions and lists. VERDICT This work nicely bridges the gap between understanding and practice for contemporary Buddhist believers; excellent for the busy practitioner.

Library Journal