Reviews

Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living by Pema Chödrön

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samars's review

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

jwinchell's review

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4.0

This is another book I will likely return to again and again. This time around, what I needed to read is: "The more we make friends with ourselves, the more we can see that our ways of shutting down and closing off are rooted in the mistaken thinking that the way to get happy is to blame somebody else." And: "The notion of aspiration is simply that you voice your wishes for enlightenment. You say to yourself, for yourself, about yourself, and by yourself things like, 'May my compassion for myself increase.'"

denjzen's review

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4.0

I think Pema Chodron is amazing. Everyone should read this, regardless of whether you have interest in Buddhism or not. It's excellent.

betsyrisen's review against another edition

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5.0

“We already have everything we need. There is no need for self-improvement. All these trips that we lay on ourselves—the heavy-duty fearing that we’re bad and hoping that we’re good, the identities that we so dearly cling to, the rage, the jealousy and the addictions of all kinds—never touch our basic wealth. They are like clouds that temporarily block the sun. But all the time our warmth and brilliance are right here. This is who we really are. We are one blink of an eye away from being fully awake.”

"I have found that if we can possibly use anything we hear against ourselves, we usually do.”

“Not only do I not want you to go away, you can come back any time you like. And here, have some cake.”

“To be fearless isn’t really to overcome fear, it’s to come to know its nature.”

“None of us is okay and all of us are fine. It’s not just one way. We are walking, talking paradoxes.”