Natural Brilliance
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.
"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
"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
"To discover wisdom in the heart of confusion is the most precious gift. To have Irini Rockwell deliver this message is our greatest fortune. With precision and warmth, Rockwell shows us that shadows occur only when we turn away from the light, our own natural brilliance. This wonderful book shows us how to turn back into it." —Andrew Holecek, author of The Power and the Pain
"In an act of sustained devotion, Irini Rockwell has preserved and elucidated Chögyam Trungpa's teaching of the five wisdom energies, making them accessible and pertinent to anyone doing spiritual practice today. With elegance, skill, and experience born of her own practice with them, she has written the indispensable handbook for applying the Five Wisdoms to your own life and work." —Diane Musho Hamilton Sensei, Boulder Mountain Zendo
"A highly accessible and profound book on how to explore and clarify the way our mind works with our everyday experience. Based on the Buddhist understanding of the five wisdom energies, it offers a wonderful example of applied contemplative psychology, with many useful instructions on how to liberate our egocentric emotions and confusion into the egoless emotions and wisdom of the Buddha." —Han F. de Wit, author of Contemplative Psychology and The Spiritual Path
"This presentation of the Five Wisdoms is clearly the fruit of years of working with people. Recognizing these wisdoms in our lives, including their possible shadow aspects, yields both the recognition of who we are and the potential to let go of unhelpful behavioral patterns." —Mauk Pieper, head of research and development at Venwoude Training in Personal Leadership, the Netherlands
"Through her lucid explanation of the Five Wisdoms in action, Irini Rockwell offers a beautiful and powerful vehicle to navigate the complex subtle energies of our lives. Her insights serve as luminous guideposts that invite us into a more engaged relationship with each moment, within and without. To effectively respond to the social, ecological, and economic challenges of tomorrow, future leaders will need to access the intelligence, compassion, and energy that these practices unleash." —Barrett C. Brown, PhD, executive director, Integral Sustainability Center, MetaIntegral Foundation
"Irini Rockwell offers us many possibilities from her practical and deep understanding, so we are able to rediscover the wisdom qualities in our lives." —Sebo Ebbens, PhD, founder, Centre for Contemplative Practices
"Irini Rockwell has made a great compassionate gesture to digest and present one of the greatest wisdom fruits of Tibetan Buddhism—the teachings on the Five Wisdom Energies—in a way that is accessible, meaningful, and workable. She rightly refers to it as 'a human path.' She has made a great contribution to bring these higher teachings down to earth and into the hearts of people." —Sydney Leijenhorst, KenKon, Integral Life and Training Centre, Wageningen, the Netherlands
"In Natural Brilliance, Irini Rockwell shares with us the fruits of her deep exploration of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche's teaching on the Five Wisdom Energies. Irini brings a clarity and accessibility to this arcane subject, making it directly relevant and understandable for contemporary dharma practitioners and those interested in personal growth." —John Churchill, Samadhi Integral, Massachusetts
"A very precise, practical, and profound exploration of the Five Buddha Families leading to the discovery of our inherent sanity and basic goodness. A great manual to bring out the best of who we are." —Catherine Pagès Roshi, head teacher, Dana Sangha, Paris
"Natural Brilliance is a welcome tour guide to developing leadership practices because it reveals five innate energies all leaders can access. Irini Rockwell shows that it is actually easy to live in sustainable ways by applying the five wisdoms for Purpose, Priority, People, Place, and Planet." —Marilyn Hamilton, PhD, author of Integral City
"Natural Brilliance is all it promises to be and much more. Irini's writings plug us into deeper dimensions of reality that are always there, patiently awaiting our return." —Anouk Brack, founding director, Experience Integral Foundation
"An extraordinary book on how one applies the rich wisdom of the Five Wisdoms to our life, our work, our relationships." —Roshi Joan Halifax, abbot, Upaya Zen Center
"Irini Rockwell has helped many people worldwide to uncover their courage, dignity, and strength. This text shines with its own 'natural brilliance.'" —Sonya Jones, PhD, author of Small Claims, Large Encounters and Jesus Was a Shaktipat Guru