A Buddhist master's guide to cultivating dignity through meditation to live a meaningful and fulfilling life.

The notion of dignity is crucial to the question of how best to live a meaningful and fulfilling life, particularly for today's environment in which so many of us experience self-doubt, low self-esteem, and feelings of being trapped by anxiety, dissatisfaction, or even success. How, in such a circumstance, can we gain authentic and unshakeable dignity? In Awakening Dignity, Phakchok Rinpoche draws from the Tibetan Buddhist wisdom tradition to offer a unique and fresh approach to answer this question.

From the Buddhist perspective, dignity is an inherent quality of fundamental wholeness and completeness that we all naturally possess: our true nature is pure and our heart is noble. In this guide, Phakchok Rinpoche shows how knowing that we are whole and complete already--and gaining trust and certainty in that understanding--can counteract the common feeling that we are not enough, that something is missing.

Gaining unwavering trust in ourselves protects us from life's ups and downs. With genuine dignity, we are not riddled with uncertainty, anxiety, or self-doubt. Rather, we are able to face any circumstance with confidence, clarity, and compassion. Through reflections, examples, and simple meditations--such as embracing adversity and practicing compassion--Awakening Dignity provides all the tools necessary to fully embody our fundamental dignity.

Awakening Dignity: A Guide to Living a Life of Deep Fulfillment, Phakchok Rinpoche and Sophie Wu, Shambhala Publications, Paperback, 240 pages, $21.95

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.