Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior (Mass Market Paperback)

~ Chogyam Trungpa (Author)
Key Phrases: discovering magic, drala principle, internal drala, Great Eastern Sun, Invoke Magic, Trungpa Rinpoche (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Trungpa's warrior is a most appealing figure, embodying qualities that every spiritual tradition would hold dear. The principal discipline recommended here—being genuine moment after moment—allows one to discover the magic inherent in phenomena, where the synchronization of body and mind becomes an attunement to the natural order."—Yoga Journal

"Trungpa's clear-headed vision shows us that celebrating life is based on appreciating ourselves. This book is a masterpiece of clarity and insight."—East West Journal

"Shambhala provides a clear depiction of the results and, thus, the reasons for meditation practice as a source of strength for daily living and spiritual growth."—Body, Mind & Spirit

Product Description

There is a basic human wisdom that can help solve the world’s problems. It doesn’t belong to any one culture or region or religious tradition—though it can be found in many of them throughout history. It’s what Chögyam Trungpa called the sacred path of the warrior. The sacred warrior conquers the world not through violence or aggression, but through gentleness, courage, and self-knowledge. The warrior discovers the basic goodness of human life and radiates that goodness out into the world for the peace and sanity of others. That’s what the Shambhala teachings are all about, and this is the book that has been presenting them to a wide and appreciative audience for more than twenty years.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala (March 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590304519
• ISBN-13: 978-1590304518
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #36,241 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Basic wisdom for a world of chaos, January 20, 2008

By	Craft Clothier (Carrollton, VA) - See all my reviews

Recognized as the eleventh reincarnation of Trungpa Tulku and abbot of Surmang, Chogyam Trungpa (Mukpo) came to the United States after escaping from Communist-occupied Tibet to India in exile, and living in the UK and Canada. Although Trungpa Rinpoche's writings have spanned broad topics in buddhist studies and secular meditation, "Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior," perhaps more than any other, represents his efforts in bringing basic sanity to the western masses. Based on the inherently simple premise that "in order to establish an enlightened society for others, we need to discover what inherently we have to offer the world," he introduces Shambhala as the result of our examination of our own experience: "there is something basically good about our existence as human beings" (29). The book is not religious in any sense; there is no effort to prosyletize and no overtly religious overtones. Although the student of buddhism will see similarities, Trungpa Rinpoche regularly reminds us that warriorship is not limited to any particular culture, time period, or belief system. Warriorship is the basic birthright of all humans and is particularly accessible in both the secular and the sacred worlds.
This book was moving for me and an excellent example of a true Tibetan teacher's legacy for the western world. I recommend it to anyone who seeks a return to basic sanity.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Where the Clover-Tops are Trees, and the Rain-Pools are the Seas.", November 14, 2008

By	L. Wilcox (Christchurch NZ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Chögyam Trungpa was, if nothing else, a Character. As famous as his ideas were his Shenanigans: promiscuity, affairs with students, and heavy drinking that on the face of it seem out of step with the Buddha's teachings, but which many of his followers justified as "Crazy Wisdom" in a long Tibetan tradition.(His misbehaviour is said to have begun after an accident: he crashed his car - I place my hand over my heart as I tell you this - into a joke-shop.)

I've always felt uncomfortable with books like "Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism" and "The Myth of Freedom". He shows nothing short of genius in adapting Tibetan world-pictures and spiritual methods for Western readers: unlike many icons of Asian spirituality in the West, he really, thoroughly (and indeed scarily) understood the people he found himself among.

But he adapted by psychologising. For Tibetans, the Six Realms of Existence are actual and concrete; they are as real as Ecuador or Niagara Falls. Trungpa Rinpoche turns them into Mental Tendencies that we can observe in our own minds at any moment. The result is fascinating, much-praised and helpful to many, but leaves me feeling... confused, dubious.

No such reservations about this more modest book. The legendary city of Shambhala, the Way of the Warrior, may be peripheral aspects of Tibetan tradition, but they're especially accessible. This is, in a word, Wisdom, that anybody could practice anywhere, at any time. I am awed by his subtlety, poetry and delicacy of touch. His choice of the "Child's Garden of Verses", for instance, to illustrate the Buddhist concept of seeing the Universe in its smallest details, is wildly inspired. I rack my brains to think of another Asian spiritual teacher who could have used that illustration.

Wisdom is often advertised, much more seldom found, but it's certainly here, along with a fragrance of ancient heroic tales and indelible childhood stories. Even the faintly Asian English (you keep waiting to be called "Grasshopper") only adds to the appeal.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Learn to Relax - Reduce Stress Too!, March 30, 2008

By	Constance Brown "On Wheels!" (Warren, MA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Shambhala: Sacred Path of the Warrior This was a book recommended by my counselor. I was very skeptical since I am a Christian and this was definitely not a Biblical book. I WAS PLEASANTLY SURPRISED! Trungpa does not try to convert you to Buddha or anything like that. This book is a joy to read. Easy to put into practice. Best of all, the results are more than worth whatever you pay for it! I can relax now, I could not before I read this book. I can fall asleep at night! Get this book, you will thank yourself!