Chodron, Pema Books

When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times

Pema Chodron

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 129 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

There is a fundamental happiness right within our reach, yet we usually miss it—ironically, while caught up in attempts to escape pain and suffering. Pema Chödrön's radical and compassionate advice for what to do when things fall apart in our lives goes against the grain of our usual habits and expectations and confronts us with traditional Buddhist wisdom. There is only one approach to suffering that is of lasting benefit, Pema teaches, and that approach involves moving toward painful situations to the best of our ability with friendliness and curiosity, relaxing into the essential groundlessness of our entire situation. It is there, in the midst of chaos, that we can discover the truth and love that are indestructible. Included in the book are: Ways to use painful emotions to cultivate wisdom, compassion, and courage Ways to communicate that lead to openness and true intimacy with others Practices for reversing our negative habitual patterns Methods for working with chaotic situations Ways to cultivate compassionate, energetic social action

The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times

Pema Chodron

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 45 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

impossible 1 out of 5 stars.
2 of 9 people found this review helpful.

There is something repellant, even repulsive, about the religious mind. We cannot escape the world, however much we dislike it: it is a violent, often ugly place, dominated by the stupid; and however far we flee from it, these unpleasantries inevitably find us out, we cannot run far enough or fast enough. Show me your attachment to the beautiful and the good, indeed, show me your love of peace, and I will show you beauty adulterated and good compromised; and I will expose your peace as a forgery that hides your hatred of life. The religious mind, when it perceives this contradictory and chaotic quality of existence, sees in it an opportunity to perform a trick of ethical magic. If one is good, if one is clarified, if one is just in every action, if one will only turn the other cheek, behold, nothing will ever die, pain will cease, and the horrible will be rectified. Alas, good friends, the truth is quite otherwise: he who turns his cheek is beaten and crucified. And he who cries for justice, will weep in earnest by way of reckoning.

It is the weak who fear the strong; it is the good who inspire in others evil. In this world one either eats or is eaten, and no amount of sympathy, pity, or compassion will adulterate the predatory core of being itself. And books like this are authored by charlatains, who try to take away your fear by denying the necessity for it.

I give you two instances of this religious magic: Ms. Chodron informs us of an elderly couple living in a gated community in Florida. They fear the violence resulting from poverty of circumstances surrounding them. Ms. Chodron implies that it is the elders who are at fault for the fear they experience, that they must open their arms to the terror around them, that they must become as nothing and embrace the thing they fear. What do they fear? Besides murder? The loss of their culture. The compromise of the quality of their life. Ms. Chodron does not seem to comprehend that pistol shots are exchanged on the freeways in southern Florida; that interracial violence and cross-cultural warfare has come to visit us in our homeland, and that southern Florida is one of its battlegrounds--and even if she does, she has no answer for it, except to say, we should submit to it. Peace is submission. I say that piety like this is suicide: piety does not, can not, will not, nor ever shall bring us peace, except the peace of the grave.

She likewise quotes with great approval Einstein, who faults us all for our consciousness--which, he describes as cut off, selfish, lacking understanding, and unwilling to embrace "the whole of nature". Einstein, good folk, was paid handsomely for his consultations on the development of Atomic Weapons. So much for embracing the "whole of nature" and its fundamental goodness. Saint Einstein, and his good work, the annihilation of millions, and the development of weapons with which his employers can further dominate our lives. So much for Ms. Chodron. She is either stupid or malicious, neither of which is very good for you.

tlt

Editorial Review:

We always have a choice, Pema Chödrön teaches: We can let the circumstances of our lives harden us and make us increasingly resentful and afraid, or we can let them soften us and make us kinder. Here Pema provides the tools to deal with the problems and difficulties that life throws our way. This wisdom is always available to us, she teaches, but we usually block it with habitual patterns rooted in fear. Beyond that fear lies a state of openheartedness and tenderness. This book teaches us how to awaken our basic goodness and connect with others, to accept ourselves and others complete with faults and imperfections, and to stay in the present moment by seeing through the strategies of ego that cause us to resist life as it is.

Comfortable with Uncertainty: 108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion

Pema Chodron

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Wow 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Once in a great while a book like this comes along. It's so honest and plain and challenging at the same time. The short chapters and conciseness furthermore make it all the more accessible.

A best of that's really good 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

It's a best of some of her writings, and it's really good. It's a nice concise set of one and two page sections from her other books. Something that I found myself reading a second time.

Editorial Review:

This book by the renowned American Buddhist nun offers short, stand-alone readings designed to help us cultivate compassion and awareness amid the challenges of daily living. Comfortable with Uncertainty does not assume prior knowledge of Buddhist thought or practice, making it a perfect introduction to Pema Chödrön's teaching on lovingkindness, meditation, mindfulness, "nowness," letting go, and working with fear and other painful emotions. More than a collection of thoughts for the day, Comfortable with Uncertainty offers a progressive program of spiritual study, leading the reader through essential concepts, themes, and practices on the Buddhist path.

Start Where You Are: How to Accept Yourself and Others

Pema Chodron

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 30 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Beautiful book 5 out of 5 stars.
11 of 11 people found this review helpful.

I truly enjoyed this book as it awakened a sense of compassion for myself and others, with insight and humor Pema Chodron guided me to a state of joy, and well being. I also discovered the 59 traditional Tibetan Buddhist maxims and was able to relate them to every day life. This book reminded me of one of my favorite authors, Ariel and Shya Kane and their book Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment their short stories are inspiring and fun, and I felt a sense of ease and grace that lasted well after reading their book.

Editorial Review:

Start Where You Are is an indispensable handbook for cultivating fearlessness and awakening a compassionate heart, from bestselling author Pema Chodron. With insight and humour, she presents down-to-earth guidance on how to make friends with ourselves and develop genuine compassion towards others. This book shows how we can 'start where we are' by embracing rather than denying the painful aspects of our lives. Pema Chodron frames her teachings on compassion around fifty-nine traditional Tibetan Buddhist maxims, or slogans, such as: 'Always apply a joyful state of mind', 'Always meditate on whatever provokes resentment' and 'Be grateful to everyone'. Working with these slogans and through the practice of meditation, Start Where You Are shows how we can all develop the courage to work with our own inner pain and discover joy, well-being and confidence.

Getting Unstuck

Pema Chodron

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 44 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Something everyone should listen to 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This CD set is taken from a series of classes given by Pema Chodron to help us to understand that we can have some control over the thoughts and emotions that enter our minds. Although meditation is the primary tool used by Buddhists to be become of aware of and work with thoughts and emotions, the information given by Pema Chodron is not specific to meditation. We all have trouble dealing with our emotions at times, and these teachings help us to see what it is that we are dealing with and offers advise on how to deal with our emotions. I don't meditate, but I found the information to be very useful and I believe it can be of benefit to everyone. Pema Chodron speaks in a very accessable manner and uses stories and humor to illustrate her teachings, making it very easy to listen to these CD's. I can't imagine that anyone would not appreciate hearing them--I've listened to them several times. I highly recommend this set.

Editorial Review:

An urge comes up, we succumb to it, and it becomes stronger. We reinforce our cravings, habits, and addictions by giving in to them repeatedly. Pema Chödrön guides us through this "sticky feeling" and offers us tools for learning to stay with our uneasiness, soften our hearts toward others, and ourselves and live a more peaceful life in the fullness of the present moment.

The Wisdom of No Escape and the Path of Loving Kindness

Pema Chodron

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 26 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Good book but not as good as others 3 out of 5 stars.
6 of 9 people found this review helpful.

Don't get me wrong, this is a good book, but there are just a couple of things about it that make it not quite as good as I was hoping. First, her interpretation of the Four Noble Truths is problematic in my eyes. Basically she take Tibetan teachings on egolessness (which are great teachings in their own right) and superimposes them on the Four Noble Truths. Her interpretation does not ring true for me - she states that the 2nd Noble Truth is "resisting life causes suffering" and that the 3rd Noble Truth is learning to let go of our "selves"/ego. These are valuable teachings but do not represent the more usual (and probably academically correct, as well as more powerful, in my opinion) translations that I have read: that (very summarily put) the 2nd Noble Truth is that that craving/desire/grasping causes suffering and the 3rd Noble Truth is that ceasing to crave/desire/grasp results in the cessation of suffering. Her interpretation is not wrong, but it is a bit of a Chinese whispered version of the Four Noble Truths and I would have liked her book better had she not re-interpreted them like this. Secondly, she writes "from above" a little. I feel that she comes across like a lovely, cosy, caring and wise Aunty. For me this made her teachings have less impact. I preferred Tara Brach's "Radical Acceptance" (which deals with a similar subject - accepting life as it is) to "The Wisdom of No Escape": Brach's writing is a bit more raw and personal and she writes like one sister to another sister (or brother)).

Editorial Review:

This book is about saying yes to life in all its manifestations—embracing the potent mixture of joy, suffering, brilliance, and confusion that characterizes the human experience. Pema Chödrön shows us the profound value of our situation of "no escape" from the ups and downs of life.

Don't Bite the Hook: Finding Freedom from Anger, Resentment, and Other Destructive Emotions

Pema Chodron

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Philosophy delivered in common sense style 5 out of 5 stars.
10 of 13 people found this review helpful.

Pema Chodron explains the Buddhist philosophy in this as well as her many other CDs in a clear, relevant manner with just the right touch of humor relating to the human condition. She has mastered the philosophy, yet her modesty lets the listener know that she has been where we listeners often are. Easier to absorb than reading, for me, and a lot more fun. A great way to clear the mind at night when trying to get negative thoughts out of my head and helpful to prepare for sleep. I actually fall asleep with the headphones on and hope that perhaps my subconscious is learning her explanations of various instructions. Super for the novice or the more advanced student.

Editorial Review:

Listen to an audio excerpt online in MP3 format—click here.

Life has a way of provoking us with traffic jams and computer malfunctions, with emotionally distant partners and crying children—and before we know it, we're upset. We feel terrible, and then we end up saying and doing things that only make matters worse. But it doesn't have to be that way, says Pema Chödrön. It is possible to relate constructively to the inevitable shocks, losses, and frustrations of life so that we can find true happiness. The key, Pema explains, is not biting the "hook" of our habitual responses. In this recorded weekend retreat, Pema draws on Buddhist teachings from The Way of the Bodhisattva to reveal how we can:stay centered in the midst of difficultyimprove stressful relationshipsstep out of the downward spiral of self-hatred awaken compassion for ourselves and others 3 CDs, 3 hours

The Pema Chodron Audio Collection: Pure Meditation:Good Medicine:From Fear to Fearlessness

Pema Chodron

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Features:

• Pure Meditationinstruction in Tibetan Buddhisms pinnacle practice for transformation
• Good Medicineteachings in tonglen where we befriend our troubles
• Compassion-tonglen teaches us to widen our capacity for compassion
• From Fear to Fearlessnessoffers an antidote to fear
• Four noble aspirationsmaitri (lovingkindness), compassion, joy, and equanimity

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Pure Meditation - great product 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Have you seen that ad on TV - "Your mind controls you, but do you control your mind?" Pema Chocdron shows you how to stop the incessant noise and criticism of your mind by finding a space where ideas are allowed, but teh spontaneous reaction to those ideas is not. By becoming compassionate towards others, you become more compassionate towards yourself, and learn to laugh at yourself and feel less alone by realizing "others feel like this too".

Buy this - it helps.

Editorial Review:

Pema Chodron is one of the West’s most beloved teachers of Buddhism, making the Tibetan vajrayana tradition accessible in today’s world. Now, three of her most popular teachings are available in one boxed set. The Pema Chodron Collection includes: Pure Meditation – step-by-step instruction in Tibetan Buddhism’s pinnacle practice for transformation and letting go; Good Medicine – teachings in tonglen, an elegant meditation that allows us to use our troubles to befriend ourselves and widen our circle of compassion; and From Fear to Fearlessness – offers an antidote to fear in the four noble aspirations – maitri (lovingkindness), compassion, joy, and equanimity.

How to Meditate with Pema Chodron: A Practical Guide to Making Friends with Your Mind

Pema Chodron

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

When it comes to meditation, Pema Chödrön is widely regarded as one of the world's foremost instructors. Yet most of her books and teaching programs have focused on the benefits and challenges of a well-established practice . . . until now. On How to Meditate with Pema Chödrön, the American-born Tibetan Buddhist nun and author of When Things Fall Apart (Shambhala, 2000) presents her first complete audio course for those new to meditation. This in-depth, 5-session curriculum helps listeners honestly meet and compassionately relate with the mind--the fundamental skill in meditation--as they join Pema to explore: * The basics of mindfulness awareness practice, including proper posture, inner and outer focus, and breathing * Overcoming common obstacles like physical discomfort, difficult emotions, wandering attention, or drowsiness * Guided sessions for resting in the nature of mind, staying present, and more--plus straightforward advice for bringing the fruits of practice into everyday life If you could handpick someone to teach you the best way to meditate, Pema Chödrön would be a first choice for millions. Now this beloved voice shares with listeners everywhere her unique approach--simple and down-to-earth while informed by the highest traditions of Tibetan Buddhism--on How to Meditate with Pema Chödrön.

Turning the Mind Into an Ally

Sakyong Mipham

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 37 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Removing the Clutter from your Mind 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Sayong Mipham has produced an easy to digest book involving the basic principles of meditation. At the risk of being overly simplistic, "Turning the Mind into an Ally" involves removing the clutter that crowds the mind. To employ Mipham's own metaphor, our minds often run wild like a horse which needs to be corraled and trained. Even through simple techniques that only involve breathing, one can focus the mind. Yet Mipand's instruction does not stop here as he takes the reader through further levels. I am hesistant to summarize the book further as Mipham states his case much better than I ever could for him.

Although I am a Christian, I have long been interested in Buddhism and the principles of meditation. As Thomas Merton explored in his lifetime, Buddhism has more parallels with Christianity than one might think. In reality, this book is written for a wide audience and can appeal to divergent people including those with only the most basic knowledge of Buddhism.

Editorial Review:

Sakyong Mipham shows how to cultivate a strong stable mind and no longer live "at the mercy of our moods." His stories and wisdom from American culture, as well as from the great Buddhist teachers, help demystify this essential discipline and place it in the framework of Western culture. Accessible, practical, and clear, it provides readers with the necessary tools for taming the mind.