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

by Cynthia Kneen, David Schneider (Foreword)

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.

Genres: Buddhism

288 pages, Paperback

First published November 8, 2001

Reviews

[Drew Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shortly after this book was published in December 2002, I contributed the following review to its amazon.com page. I had met Kneen through the Berkeley, CA, Shambhala Center and gone on to study meditation under her individual guidance.

"When I was growing up, I never heard anyone talk about wisdom. Knowledge and skills were held to be within our reach, but "wisdom" was something for philosophers, not ordinary people like us. Cynthia Kneen's book is a wisdom book. It is a treasure chest of ideas and stories that demonstrate how each of us can work toward realizing our hearts' most cherished visions in everyday life. Its basic structure is to introduce, in a logically coherent way, a system of teachings known as Shambhala Buddhism. In this regard, you could say it is an intellectual text, one demanding of the reader both concentration and reflection. At the same time, the book contains such poignant and varied anecdotes as to touch even the most skeptical heart. It also relates its teachings to the lives of spiritual warriors already likely familiar to readers, such as Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa, and Rosa Parks. On an NPR radio show, Kneen once heard a new immigrant to the US say, "My dream is to have my family live in a peaceful situation, educate my children, contribute to my community and larger society, and help reduce the destructive forces in the world." Whereas my own family have been citizens for four generations, this is my dream, too. Kneen's book reminds me that the resources for realizing this dream exist within ourselves and the diverse world we share. It encourages me to stay true to the yearnings of my youth, confident that I have countless allies who have never given up on human goodness."

[Q · Rating 3 out of 5]

First half: this is bad—arbitrary, too optimistic, structure hard to follow. Second half: those issues still exist, but I start to see some gems. Overall, rather than being traditionally Buddhist or having a particularly unique core, the book's concepts are centered around the idea of "basic goodness" and discourses more on the author's wisdom, developed through the interaction between her personal experiences and received teachings from [Shambhala & friends].

A PoG read.

[Douglas Lord · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author made lemonade when life gave her lemons and insists that the answer to life's riddle lies inside you. First-time author Kneen makes no bones about her devotion to Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, the late Buddhist meditation master who introduced many Buddhist teachings to the West. Here she shares her "understanding of Trungpa's ... original teachings" so that readers can make a "personal connection to their meaning." Perhaps unwittingly, this quickly degenerates into channeling his shtick. With a goal somewhat similar to Cole's, Kneen urges readers to attain "inner authority [and] gain full presence in the world." Opening one's heart means unearthing treasure inside you (e.g., internal strength, peace) via meditation. Such a courageous and energetic process will take much more illumination than Kneen provides; while noble, this book is often indistinct. Determined readers could squeeze something from this, but would get more bang for their buck with Jonathan Landaw's clear, no-nonsense Buddhism for Dummies and should also consider Sylvia Boorstein's Pay Attention, for Goodness' Sake: Practicing the Perfections of the Heart--The Buddhist Path of Kindness or Joan Borysenko's results-oriented Inner Peace for Busy People.

Find reviews of books for men at Books for Dudes, Books for Dudes, the online reader's advisory column for men from Library Journal. Copyright Library Journal.

[Valerie Davia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice introduction to Buddhism and Shambhala, I liked the author's style and personal experiences.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiring book about how to live bravely and kindly

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A warm and encouraging approach to Shambhala Buddhism, Kneen's teachings will give individuals and small groups much to study and practice.