The Five Wisdom Energies: A Buddhist Way of Understanding Personality, Emotions, and Relationships

by Irini Rockwell

Book Overview

This book invites us to celebrate our strengths and work with our weaknesses by learning to identify and utilize five basic personal styles or energies. Written in a playful and accessible way, this... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1570624518
• ISBN13: 9781570624513
• Release Date: March 2002
• Publisher: Shambhala
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.81 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Enlightening New Interpretation of a Traditional Spiritual View

Having had the pleasure of studying personally with Ms. Rockwell, I this text is a inspiring complement to her work. Based on the ancient Buddhist tradtion of the "five Buddha Families", Ms. Rockwell updates the teachings colorfully for modern Western students. Her compassionate style helps one understand, in great detail, our "wisdom and neurosis", how closely they are aligned, and how compassion for oneself is at the heart of all transformation. Her teachings are invaluable and I wish I had had the benefit of this information earlier in attempts at intimacy with those of "different natures". What Ms. Rockwell has done so successfully for me in my life is help me find the space around my own particular "view" as part of the "Padma" family, and find humor and relief in letting it be "okay". I highly recommend this book to Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike.

Beats Wound Worship

This book is a healthy alternative to recent relationship guides in the genre represented by Harville Hendricks'Getting the Love You Want. Ms Rockwell energizes the world of relationships by revealing the deep tantra of Buddhist wisdom in the context of interpersonal relations. Buddhist perspective is rare in the self help world since it is easy to think meditating is 'other worldly" with nothing to do with day to day interactions between people. The author shows a compassionate and intelligent understanding of human nature using categories of energy that characterize personality types. Most psychologically based relationship guides, rely on an examination of childhood wounds to identify relationship issues. Taken together they are both helpful. However taken to extreme the Hendricks methods may become a "wound worship" approach to relationships. Ms Rockwell presents a balanced position that will help our understanding that there are innate characteristics that color relationships. The colorful dance she describes (see the book cover) is a joyful and energetic interpretation of the five personality archtype from Shambala (Tibetan) Buddhist thinking.

The "Five Wisdom Energies" are energizing

If you really want to understand the interconnections between the mind and body, this is a must. Not only is it an easy read but I found myself wanting more. This is a great introduction into the "five wisdom energies" or "buddha families" that each of us embodies. What makes this even more helpful, is we not only display different energies in different areas of our lives, but Irini Rockwell teaches us how to identify and cultivate self-awarenss and improve communications as a result.

Locating and engaging one's own energy sources

The Five Wisdom Energies: A Buddhist Way Of Understanding Personalities, Emotions, And Relationships by Irini Rockwell (Director, Five Wisdoms Institute) is a thoughtful and informative survey of the five wisdom energies or "buddha families", and how they relate to an understanding of human personalities. Exercises in locating and engaging one's own energy sources, enlivening one's emotional intelligence, balancing the five styles of relating to others, and more are covered in this intriguing guide to incorporating the benefits of Eastern philosophy into one's life. The Five Wisdom Energies is a welcome and highly recommended contribution to the growing library of Psychology, Buddhist, and Eastern Philosophy, literature and reference materials.