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koreanlinda's review
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Another super helpful book by Pema Chodron. I also recommend "The Places That Scare You," and "When Things Fall Apart." Here I share a list of quotes that I wanted to remember.
- p.5: Putting so much effort into protecting our hearts from pain hurts us over and over again. Even when we realize it’s unhelpful, this is a hard habit to break. It’s a natural human tendency. But when we generate bodhichitta, we go against the grain of this tendency Instead of shying away, we arouse the bravery to take a direct look at ourselves and the world. Instead of being intimidated by phenomena, we come to embrace all aspects of our inexhaustibly rich lives.
- p.8: This awakening to our true nature doesn’t happen overnight. And even as we begin to awaken and find ourselves more and more able to help others, we have to accept that there’s not always something we can do — at least not immediately. Without making excuses of succumbing to indifference, we have to acknowledge that this is just how things are. Countless people and animals are suffering at this very moment, but how much can we do to prevent that? … maybe all we can do in the moment is to not turn away and to let the unfolding tragedy deepen our bodhichitta. Then we can let ourselves become curing about what causes people to hurt animals in the first place.
- p.9: When we arouse bodhichitta, it’s important to understand that we’re in it for the long haul. We will have to stick around for a long time and apply tremendous effort and patience. The supreme vision of bodhichitta is to help every single living being awaken to their true nature. Our only shot at accomplishing this is by first attaining enlightenment ourselves. Along the way, we can take one step at a time, doing our best to keep our longing and commitment going during the ups and downs of our lives.
- p.25: Polarization is at its most problematic when we dehumanize people — when we forget that the people we judge, criticize, and disagree with are actually as fully human as we are.
- p.28: Having compassion doesn’t mean we can’t take a stand. It’s important to speak up when we’ve been hurt, when we see others being hurt, and when we observe or experience examples of abuse of power.
- p.37: When any unwanted feeling comes up, the first step is to feel it as fully as you can at the present moment… Hold the rawness of vulnerability in your heart. Breathe with it, allow it to touch you, to inhabit you—open to it as fully as you currently can. Then make that feeling even stronger, even more intense…. Do this until the filing becomes so heavy you could hold it in your hand. At that point, grab the feeling. And then just let it go. … Let it float out and out into the universe, dispersing into smaller and smaller particles, which become inconceivably tiny and distant.
- p.61: The interesting thing is that the more willing you are to step out of your comfort zone, the more comfortable you feel in your life. Situations that used to arouse fear and nausea become easier to relax in. On the other hand, if you stay in the comfort zone all the time, it shrinks. … The more you try to wall off the danger, the more afraid you become of everyone. And the older you get, the more threatened you feel.
Review by Linda (she/they) in April 2022
Twitter @KoreanLindaPark
Letter writer at DefinitelyNotOkay.com
katrinadalythompson's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
mf__luder's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
5.0
tpanik's review
4.0
It is reassuring to know that Pema is here, gently confirming for us that we are enough, and our influence is vast, just as it is. A timely, helpful work.
glabeson's review
5.0
Every time I finish one of Ani Pema's books, I want to start it over again and keep re-reading until her voice is embedded in my head. I wouldn't say this book is wildly different from her other writings: she continues to masterfully convey profound ideas in digestible ways. The idea I keep returning to is to work with interrupting the storyline--when feeling a strong emotion, trying to experience it without rejecting it or repressing it while also interrupting the mind's tendency to narrate the situation, which tends to magnify and solidify the emotion. She quotes Trungpa Rinpoche, “it's as if you’re the sky, allowing all the clouds to pass through you, not rejecting anything that arises in that space.”
What might be unique to this work is her addressing a couple of timely though universal topics such as political polarization and dealing with a spiritual teacher showing their "shadow side" and violating a student's trust. I imagine this is in reference to the turmoil recently experienced in Shambhala leadership. Her response is wise but brief, which for some might feel insufficient.
My thanks to Shambhala Publications for an ARC of this beautiful book.
What might be unique to this work is her addressing a couple of timely though universal topics such as political polarization and dealing with a spiritual teacher showing their "shadow side" and violating a student's trust. I imagine this is in reference to the turmoil recently experienced in Shambhala leadership. Her response is wise but brief, which for some might feel insufficient.
My thanks to Shambhala Publications for an ARC of this beautiful book.
karenika's review
5.0
"Only by learning to fully embrace all aspects of ourselves--even the most seemingly negative elements of our minds and hearts--will we learn to fully embrace others. Only by discovering the basic goodness in both our lotus and our mud, will we come to see the basic goodness of all living things."
I love Pema Chödrön. There's something about the way she writes that speaks exactly to me. Her way of communicating with compassion, kindness and vulnerability speak to me and make me feel both less alone and more hopeful. This book is full of reminders that failure is an opportunity for growth and that we don't have to let life's events get to us. We can observe, “as if you’re the sky, allowing all the clouds to pass through you, not rejecting anything that arises in that space,” as Trungpa Rinpoche says.
I need to read books by Pema at least monthly so I can remember some of the down to earth and profound thoughts in her books. They are the exact perspective check I need in my life.
I love Pema Chödrön. There's something about the way she writes that speaks exactly to me. Her way of communicating with compassion, kindness and vulnerability speak to me and make me feel both less alone and more hopeful. This book is full of reminders that failure is an opportunity for growth and that we don't have to let life's events get to us. We can observe, “as if you’re the sky, allowing all the clouds to pass through you, not rejecting anything that arises in that space,” as Trungpa Rinpoche says.
I need to read books by Pema at least monthly so I can remember some of the down to earth and profound thoughts in her books. They are the exact perspective check I need in my life.
izzytheterrible's review
5.0
Audiobook: Not read by author, but an absolute beautiful (and quick!) listen.
Pema is such a gentle voice in this harsh harsh world, and exactly what I need for myself. As always, she delivers vulnerability, wit and a soft touch while also challenging me to greater heights in my life.
100% will read again.
Pema is such a gentle voice in this harsh harsh world, and exactly what I need for myself. As always, she delivers vulnerability, wit and a soft touch while also challenging me to greater heights in my life.
100% will read again.