Scan barcode
A review by theauthoress
Comfortable with Uncertainty: 108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion by Pema Chödrön
4.0
"… we don't like the way reality is now and therefore wish it would go away fast. But what we find as practitioners is that nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know. Even if we run a hundred miles an hour to the other side of the continent, we find the very same problem awaiting us when we arrive. It keeps returning with new names, forms, and manifestations until we learn whatever it has to teach us…"
If the quote above doesn't tell you this is a book that is fitting for the decade we're in right now, then I don't know what will.
"Comfortable with Uncertainty" is my first experience with Pema Chodron's writings. It's a short book, made up of short chapters not more than a couple of paragraphs. Kind of like Ryan Holiday's "Daily Stoic", written in a simple, readable format that doesn't weigh you down with too much information. You could either consider it a positive or a negative, though; there's only so much you can take away from a short passage on a single theme.
But the good thing is that the same basic points are repeated throughout the book, which worked for me because I usually need to look at a concept several times from different angles so it sinks in and I can actually apply it in life.
It's funny, I discovered Pema Chodron a few years ago, watched a video of hers, thought she was sharing some real wisdom. But I didn't really get involved in her content until the last quarter of 2020 when I was listening to an audiobook by Danielle LaPorte, who mentioned a quote or two by Chodron.
I'm glad this author returned into my life at the right moment when I most needed her book.
Final thoughts and rating:
4/5 stars.
Short book, short chapters. Great for anyone who likes spiritual books (or Buddhist wisdom), wants to cultivate a more compassionate approach to life, or find a greater sense of peace and resilience when faced with life's challenges.
If the quote above doesn't tell you this is a book that is fitting for the decade we're in right now, then I don't know what will.
"Comfortable with Uncertainty" is my first experience with Pema Chodron's writings. It's a short book, made up of short chapters not more than a couple of paragraphs. Kind of like Ryan Holiday's "Daily Stoic", written in a simple, readable format that doesn't weigh you down with too much information. You could either consider it a positive or a negative, though; there's only so much you can take away from a short passage on a single theme.
But the good thing is that the same basic points are repeated throughout the book, which worked for me because I usually need to look at a concept several times from different angles so it sinks in and I can actually apply it in life.
It's funny, I discovered Pema Chodron a few years ago, watched a video of hers, thought she was sharing some real wisdom. But I didn't really get involved in her content until the last quarter of 2020 when I was listening to an audiobook by Danielle LaPorte, who mentioned a quote or two by Chodron.
I'm glad this author returned into my life at the right moment when I most needed her book.
Final thoughts and rating:
4/5 stars.
Short book, short chapters. Great for anyone who likes spiritual books (or Buddhist wisdom), wants to cultivate a more compassionate approach to life, or find a greater sense of peace and resilience when faced with life's challenges.