Review
“An extraordinary and invaluable guide to life and practice by a meditation master whose great compassion has brought the dharma to our everyday lives.”—Roshi Joan Halifax, author of Standing at the Edge and abbot of Upaya Zen Center
“In this delightfully engaging book, renowned teacher Phakchok Rinpoche teams up with scholar and longtime student of Rinpoche Sophie Wu to offer us an entirely accessible yet truly profound exploration of dignity as stable confidence in our own true nature. Awakening and cultivating our innate dignity cures us of feelings of low self-esteem, inadequacy, self-doubt, and incompleteness. With ‘dignity training’ exercises—contemplative practices that help us to touch and grow our innate dignity—along with edifying stories and lively examples, this is a jewel of a text, and genuine medicine for what ails us.”—Jan Willis, PhD, author of Dreaming Me: Black, Baptist, and Buddhist and Dharma Matters: Women, Race, and Tantra
“Phakchok Rinpoche has been practicing the deepest part of his tradition in retreat and experiencing the essence of authentic Dharma. In Awakening Dignity, Phakchok Rinpoche combines his depth of understanding with his sharpness and ease to offer profound teachings in an open, easily understood way. This highly accessible book will benefit any reader.”—Tsoknyi Rinpoche, author of Open Heart, Open Mind
“In this book, Kyabgön Phakchok Rinpoche taps into the essence of fearless dignity and provides a step-by-step experiential process to gently clear away the layers of ‘clouds’ (habitual patterns) that obscure certainty in our innate basic goodness. In this way, Rinpoche guides us to recognize our own true nature and deftly illustrates how such recognition is an essential first step in seeing the fundamental nature in all beings. By providing the tools for stabilizing this clear view of unchanging reality, Rinpoche helps us cultivate the skillful means to treat ourselves and others with more awareness, loving-kindness, compassion, and wisdom. I wholeheartedly recommend this book for all who wish to find happiness and fulfillment in their lives.”—Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, The New York Times best-selling author of The Joy of Living
“The concept of dignity is one that many of us think we understand, yet precious few truly do. Personally, I was among them until reading this book by Phakchok Rinpoche. Although I have long worked on cultivating compassion and wisdom, it was only after reading Awakening Dignity that I realized the essential role dignity plays in understanding who I really am and my full potential. Rinpoche’s heartfelt gift to the world is to provide the knowledge and path for learning that dignity is our pure nature beyond how we usually identify ourselves. To begin on the journey to realizing our inner dignity, we need an introduction, and this book is it.”—Kit DesLauriers, 2019 US Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame, two-time World Freeskiing Women’s Champion, and author of Higher Love: Climbing and Skiing the Seven Summits
“Dignity is something we all possess but may not readily understand or recognize as being part of our true nature. Awakening Dignity offers teachings and practices that help us see and deal with any obstacles in our way. Written with clarity and a pertinent connection to our daily lives, you don't need to be a Buddhist to gain insight from this lovely book.”—Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness and Real Change
“Awakening Dignity is a beautiful, compelling, and practical guide to living a more fulfilling life—meaning a life filled with inner dignity. Phakchok Rinpoche, along with his student and coauthor Sophie Wu, guides readers in a highly accessible, step-by-step fashion—and offers simple ‘dignity training’ meditation exercises to help readers incorporate the teachings into their lives. Rinpoche wisely draws upon traditional Buddhist sources as well as his remarkable life and teachers. This book will appeal to anyone who is seeking to flourish.”—Richard J. Davidson, The New York Times best-selling author of The Emotional Life of Your Brain
“Phakchok Rinpoche is an emerging stakeholder of the Buddhadharma who has trained under some of the greatest teachers of the century. His efforts to create a dialogue between the Buddhadharma and Western philosophy and thinking are greatly welcomed.”—Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, author of The Guru Drinks Bourbon? and Living Is Dying
“Readers will appreciate the accessible prose and the authors’ compassionate tone. This enlightening outing delivers.”—Publishers Weekly
About the Author
PHAKCHOK RINPOCHE is a popular and beloved Tibetan Buddhist master with a teaching style that is at once unique, dynamic, and engaging. Born in Kathmandu, Nepal, Rinpoche was recognized soon after birth—at the early age of one—as a reincarnated Buddhist master. Having undergone formal education and training in Buddhist philosophy and meditation, Rinpoche travels the world teaching in Buddhist centers, universities, and monasteries. With sharp insight into our contemporary global culture, he contextualizes and demonstrates the relevance of ancient meditative practice to our time.
SOPHIE (SHU-CHIN) WU, PhD, is associate professor of history at Agnes Scott College. Trained in Chinese intellectual history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she teaches Asian history and philosophy, including Buddhism. As a longtime student of Buddhism, Sophie is a meditation instructor for Phakchok Rinpoche’s organization.
