Confidence

A funny, wise, and relatable exploration of how to stand firm amid the ups and downs of existence, from a renowned teacher and writer hailed as “the future of Buddhism”

• New book from the widely praised author of The Road Home: A Contemporary Exploration of the Buddhist Path, a Library Journal Best Book of 2015
• Based in New York City, Nichtern has a strong social media presence; teaches worldwide, both in person and online; and hosts the podcast The Road Home
• Explores a rarely addressed topic in the literature of Buddhism: what truly defines confidence and how we can cultivate it in the face of life’s ups and downs
• Includes a detailed exploration of the Buddha’s concept of the Eight Worldly Winds, the polarities of praise and blame, pleasure and pain, fame and insignificance, success and failure

ETHAN NICHTERN is a renowned contemporary Buddhist teacher and the author of The Dharma of the Princess Bride, One City: A Declaration of Interdependence, and the widely acclaimed The Road Home: A Contemporary Exploration of the Buddhist Path. Since 2002, Nichtern has taught meditation and Buddhist psychology classes and workshops in New York City and around North America and lectured at meditation/ yoga centers, conferences, and universities including Brown, Yale, and NYU. He has been featured by CNN, NPR, the New York Times, Vogue, and Business Insider and has written for the Huffington Post, Beliefnet, Lion’s Roar, Tricycle, Buddhadharma, and more. He lives in Brooklyn.

— SHARON SALZBERG, author of Real Happiness

“In an age of increasing fragmentation and restlessness, Nichtern offers accessible antidotes to everyday feelings of disorientation, distraction, and dissatisfaction.”

— VICE

“Grounded in compassion, Nichtern’s teaching offers a profound, lucid, and complex education in self-awareness, interdependence, and enlightenment.”

— PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

In today’s culture of intense polarization and constant change, how do we find the confidence to navigate life’s challenges? Is now really the time for medi- tation, for looking inward? What do we do with mindfulness? Ethan Nichtern, described by Vogue.com as “a supercool, deeply kind brainiac,” and one of the leading meditation teachers of our time, tackles these questions head-on in Confidence. This provocative book takes contemporary considerations of power, identity, ethics, and confidence to new heights, offering readers an es- sential guide to self-discovery.

Nichtern examines the Buddhist concept of the Eight Worldly Winds, the four paired opposites of praise and blame, pleasure and pain, fame and insignificance, and success and failure. By delving into these dichotomies, readers gain invaluable insights into their relationships with others (including teachers, friends, leaders, the disgraced, and the adored) and themselves. With four transformative meditation exercises, this book empowers readers to cultivate and access their innate confidence and wisdom.