Smile at Fear: Awakening the True Heart of Bravery [Hardcover]

Chogyam Trungpa (Author), Carolyn Gimian (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 3, 2009

Many of us, without even realizing it, are dominated by fear. We might be aware of some of our fears—perhaps we are afraid of public speaking, financial hardship, or losing a loved one. But in this book meditation master Chögyam Trungpa shows us that most of us suffer from a far more pervasive form of fear: the fear of ourselves. We feel ashamed and embarrassed to look at our feelings or acknowledge our styles of thinking and behaving; we don’t want to face the reality of our moment-to-moment experience. It is this fear that keeps us trapped in cycles of suffering, despair, and distress.

Chögyam Trungpa offers us a vision of moving beyond fear to discover the innate bravery, trust, and delight in life that lies at the core of our being. Drawing on the Shambhala tradition and on Buddhist teachings, he explains how we can each become a spiritual warrior: a person who faces each moment of life with openness and fearlessness. “The ultimate definition of bravery is not being afraid of who you are,” writes Chögyam Trungpa.

In language that is fresh, accessible, and startlingly direct, this book explains:


   • how the practice of sitting meditation can help us to uncover our inherent confidence and bravery,
   • how fear and embarrassment about ourselves keep us trapped in cycles of suffering,
   • the wisdom of loving-kindness and nonaggression,
   • how true invincibility depends on becoming more open and vulnerable.


Here are the essential insights and strategies that will allow us to finally claim victory over fear.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“The teachings presented in this book are transformational—and especially relevant today, when so many of us are facing uncertainty and anxiety. Chögyam Trungpa shows us how to uncover our innate strength, confidence, and joy under any circumstances. I strongly recommend this book to all those seeking awakening and freedom.”—Pema Chödrön

“Chögyam Trungpa offers us a rich banquet with many inviting, intriguing, and delicious glimpses into the Buddhist perspective on our mind and life.”—Daniel Goleman

“There is no one better than Chögyam Trungpa to show us how to be fearless. He overcame great difficulties while remaining true to his principles—bravery, compassion, and gentleness. These are the qualities of a Shambhala warrior, which shine through brilliantly in this book.”—Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche

“This is powerful dharma encouragement to awaken our own fearless and wise heart—from one of the most remarkable and brilliant teachers of modern times.”—Jack Kornfield

“This book offers each of us an encounter with our own fearlessness. I will keep this book close by and treasure it for the rest of my life.”—Margaret J. Wheatley

“Chögyam Trungpa’s vision of fearlessness as honesty, joyfulness, sadness, and openness is inspiring and particularly relevant to our historical moment.”—Norman Fischer

“A book that should be included in nearly every Buddhist’s library.”—Elephant Journal

About the Author

Chögyam Trungpa (1940–1987)—meditation master, teacher, and artist—founded Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, the first Buddhist-inspired university in North America; the Shambhala Training program; and an international association of meditation centers known as Shambhala International. He is the author of numerous books including Shambhala: Sacred Path of the Warrior, Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism, and Smile at Fear.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala (November 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590306961
• ISBN-13: 978-1590306963
• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 0.6 x 8.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #375,716 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Chögyam Trungpa (1940-1987)--meditation master, teacher, and artist--founded Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, the first Buddhist-inspired university in North America; the Shambhala Training program; and an international association of meditation centers known as Shambhala International. He is the author of numerous books including Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior, Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism, and The Myth of Freedom.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Profound and Wonderful, December 8, 2009

By 

Jon Leland "Avid Golfer, Internet Marketer, K... (San Rafael, CA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Smile at Fear: Awakening the True Heart of Bravery (Hardcover)

This is really the third in a series of what I would consider essential teachings from one of the most important Buddhist teachers of our time. It follows "Shambhala, Sacred Path of the Warrior" and "Great Eastern Sun." I love reading this before I sit for meditation in the morning. I salute Carolyn Rose Gimian for a loving and elegant job editing these talks.

In case you have any doubts, this is no little book of "left-overs" that are being put out long after Trungpa's death. This is the "real deal." I find these teachings--arranged in bite sized chapters--to be profound and literally enlightening. The material not only covers diving into your fears or being present with them rather than recoiling; but more importantly to me, it explains how to shine with the unconditional fearless, doubtless awareness that fuels the confidence and joy of Windhorse energy.

This pithy little book is surprisingly powerful--at least it is to me. I recommend it very highly, especially to anyone who has found resonance with the teachings of Chogyam Trungpa, Pema Chodron or Sakyong Mipham.

Very rich and rewarding indeed!

35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Being Fearless in a Scary World, November 24, 2009

By 

Larry Underwood "Author - St Louis Cardinals ... (Scottsdale, AZ) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Smile at Fear: Awakening the True Heart of Bravery (Hardcover)

We live in an age of easy access to information about virtually anything; that's a double edged sword. Sometimes, what we don't know won't scare us; when we find out about every little thing that could pose a threat to our well being, we have a tendency to worry; and when we worry, we're not living life to its fullest potential.

The late Chogyam Trungpa (1940-1987) understood how fear can hold us back, and his writings from over two decades ago are particularly helpful for guiding us through the scary world of 21st century realities.

His simple strategy relied on looking objectively at ourselves and meeting every possible challenge to our sense of safety and security head on; instead of running away from our fears, we assertively address them, and they become minimalized. By mastering this ability, we discover the "way of the warrior"; our true heart of bravery is awakened, and suddenly that big presentation you were dreading in front of all those people doesn't seem like such a big deal, after all.

Trungpa's sage advice is particularly valuable in dealing with today's modern problems---from a struggling economy, to unstable world affairs, to trying to avoid the swine flu. Personally, the latter never crosses my mind, until I see another story about it as a trending topic on Twitter. Still, I think I'll manage to avoid its devastation, perhaps forever. We'll see.

In the meantime, for readers of this book, you'll come away with a better understanding that life's not so challenging after all; especially if we keep smiling (or even laughing) in the face of fear.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very useful and inspiring read, March 15, 2010

By 

Peter Strong (Boulder, CO, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Smile at Fear: Awakening the True Heart of Bravery (Hardcover)

The essential teaching of mindfulness: to turn towards our fears and suffering and surround them with the compassionate space of pure awareness. We spend so much of our lives reacting against our fear and anxiety, which is a path to suffering; to open to experience fully what is real is the path to awakening and freedom. I also recommend 'The Path of Mindfulness Meditation', available through Amazon.