Sunday

The Five Wisdoms Institute

By Irini Rockwell

The Five Wisdoms Institute was founded in 2002 after the publication of my book The Five Wisdom Energies, a Buddhist Way of Understanding Personalities, Emotions and Relationships. It is the outcome of a long relationship I have had with the five wisdoms teaching both at Naropa University and Shambhala Centers and being on the Maitri Council International, charged with promoting the five wisdoms. With the Sakyong’s message of “turning the flower outward,” going out beyond our centers, I was further inspired to create a situation where these teachings could flourish.

As a first phase of development, I traveled extensively for two years teaching from California to Istanbul at Buddhist, personal growth and Shambhala centers, and educational institutions. I gave numerous newspaper, radio, and television interviews along the way. The book has sold around ten thousand copies and has been translated into six languages.

The second phase, a two-year minimal residency training in personal and professional development, has brought out the breadth and depth of the five wisdoms. It was launched in 2006 and we have now graduated Paris and Amsterdam groups and the Minneapolis group has completed one year. We are now working with groups two and three in the Netherlands.

The institute not only promotes five wisdoms teachings but has also done a one year Mindful Awareness Instructor Training and engages in special projects such as collecting five wisdoms music, making videos, and producing Wise Eyes (colored glasses). Based on tantric teachings, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche created the unique five posture practice to work directly with what we think, feel, say, and do. This is the core practice for the training which is a model for working with human dynamics.

As qualities of an authentic person, the five wisdoms bring out the best of who we are, cultivate personal integration, and foster wisdom. They provide a common language to engage in genuine relationships, skillful communication, creative thinking, enlivened environments, and effective action. As the vivid energy of all we experience, they tune us into the dynamics of situations so we can respond appropriately and fully.

The third phase of development is The Five Wisdoms Advanced Training. Individuals will focus either on becoming a certified teacher, trainer or coach (some restrictions apply) or on enhancing their profession, as in psychotherapy, art, or project development. A Five Wisdoms Training Manual will be available. It will begin in the Netherlands in Sept 2009 and in the United States in 2010.

Up to this point there has not been a five wisdoms teachers training in Shambhala though there are frequent requests to become authorized. So if you are already a teacher and would like to deepen your understanding or you would like to gain the experience necessary to become authorized, the Advanced Training could provide this opportunity. 

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For more information, click Five Wisdom Institute and Five Wisdoms at Work