Rating: 
Summary: Profound, practical guide to attaining wisdom
Review: I've read this book three times in two weeks. I read so many books about wisdom. The Four Agreements (not so good), meditation by Jack Kornfeld books, Nietzche, Don't Sweat the Small Stuff. I've read Pema Chodron's previous books, and those didn't speak to me as deeply as this one does. I don't read just to pass the time. I read to find wisdom. This book contains deep wisdom.
The author lays out ways to analyze ourselves, our emotions and our thoughts. She discusses how we as humans react to our thoughts and pain. Her book analyzes the causes and roots of suffering. She then asks "why do must people suffer in such a similar way?". Decades of acquired wisdom are then offered.
The causes and roots of suffering are our fleeing from pain, running for comfort. Fleeing without knowing why, fleeing without knowing where we are going. The descriptions of human behaivor are spot on accurate. This describes so many Western philosophers, political reformers, talented artists, and many people who are looking to find 'the one true way'.
After laying out the causes of suffering, she distills her understanding of human behaivor, and gives us ways to approach these problems. Practical, approachable ways that you can build on over time. This isn't a set of principles of "Look at the world with happiness, and you too will be happy", or a collection of trite sayings to convince yourself "You're good enough, you're smart enough, and doggone it, people like you". Slogans don't allow us to analyze and understand the root causes of our pain and suffering. This book lays out those causes. And it lays out ways we can study suffering, and use our efforts to transform our lives from unsure, troubled beings to people who have a firm grasp of themselves. This self understanding leads to lots of confidence. And she uses a scientific method for this analysis.
There are two books i read over and over. "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind", which i've been learning from regularly for 4 years. And now this one.
Suzuki Roshi said 'We are always looking for something, without knowing what we are doing'. We are looking for happiness. This book studies what is happiness, what is suffering, why is it so temporal, and what can i do about attaining it.
And it helps us understand what we are doing.May you benefit from this wisdom as much as I have.
"Science is best defined as a careful, disciplined, logical search for knowledge about any and all aspects of the universe, obtained by examination of the best available evidence and always subject to correction and improvement upon discovery of better evidence. What's left is magic. And it doesn't work."
--James Randi
Rating:
Summary: Be. Here. Now.
Review: In the current age of anxiety, Pema Chödrön is both a refreshing and challenging voice. Basically, she encourages us to see problems as spiritual opportunities. Instead of trying to run from discomfort, she advocates staying put and learning about ourselves. Instead of habitually reaching for whatever palliative gives relief -- always temporary -- she suggests feeling and observing our discomforts, becoming more fully present in our lives, learning how to be truly here now. Only through this process, she says, can we experience the deep joy of being alive. This is a great companion volume to her book "When Things Fall Apart." It elaborates on themes introduced there, describing several practices of Tibetan Buddhism, some ancient and long forgotten, which help us not only cope with anxiety but use it to overcome fearfulness. This is an important spiritual effort because while we typically think of hate as the enemy of love, it is really fear that makes love difficult. Fear immobilizes us, makes us pull the covers over our heads, and isolates us from others. Chödrön, a student of Chögyam Trungpa, encourages the consistent practice of meditation. And she discounts the usual results-driven expectations people associate with it, pointing out that as we confront our true selves in meditation, it often becomes more and more difficult, not easier. And for those who have found meditation fiercely frustrating, as I have, she has alternatives. The practice of "tonglen" is one simple spiritual ritual that can be done anywhere, anytime, providing a dramatic and freeing shift in emotional perspective. Learning not to let disappointment, anger, and hurt trigger our personal melodramas, which sap our energy, we can find our way to greater equanimity and become a less destructive presence in the world. I strongly recommend this book as a welcome spiritual tonic in troubled times, whether that trouble originates elsewhere or from within. As with her other books, you can read and reread it, each time discovering much to learn and reflect on -- and in her words, "this is news you can use."
Rating:
Summary: Read the book, don't get the audio tapes!
Review: Like all of Pema Chodron's books, this one is excellent. It gives sound advice for facing fear and other difficult emotions, and growing from the experience. I had read most of this book a few months ago, but picked it up again when I was trying to make a difficult career decision. Pema's guidance helped me face my fear of making a risky change, rather than ignoring it or giving into it. The content of the audio tape set is first rate, but the reader's overly earnest, yet breathy style really grated on me. I've tried listening to the tapes again, and just can't get past the voice. First time this has happened with an audio tape like this. No doubt the reader felt she was striking the proper tone for the material, but it didn't work for me.
Rating:
Summary: Integrative
Review: Pema Chodron demonstrates the uncanny ability to merge the thinking and feeling functions in one integrative work. Her books are very readable, include numerous exercises/techniques for practical application, and she walks her talk in the writing. At least to me (and, I think, the vast majority of the reviewers of her books) she exudes the maitri (loving kindness) that she professes so cogently. I just started "The Wisdom of No Escape" which I expect will be up to her high standards. Her books are short, but my criticism of many other writers on Vajrayana (and other topics as well) has been about how verbose they are--that the meaning could easily be condensed 10-fold or more. Not so with Pema Chodron's works. She leaves you wanting more. How about a few more books, Pema?
Rating:
Summary: A simple guide
Review: Pema Chodron managed in her little book to speak to me as if I were in a week long retreat in the mountains meeting with her once at the end of each day. Her gentle encouragement to face what is painful within and without us with compassion are like the words of a long time friend and trusted spiritual advisor. Someone whom you know is unconditionally interested in your well being. It is a "how to" book that does not add anxiety to our inability to be perfect. A "how to" book about what? About being open, about relaxing and surrendering to the uncertainties and insecurities of life. It is a book helpful to life and the goodness of life. I thank the author for her effort in writing it.
Rating:
Summary: Life
Review: Pema Chodron provides all the support you need to take yourself to those places that scare you. Those places are the ones that can keep you from moving forward in your life-keep you stuck. Her gentleness and incredible insight make it possible to recognize ways to love and support yourself through your exploration.
Rating: 
Summary: A lot more to this than meets the eye
Review: Pema Chodron seems to get mostly favorable reactions from reviewers, although a few are turned off by what they see as her complacency and hard-edged analysis. To the latter, I suggest reading "traditional" self-help books (there are plenty out there) that are either squishy (John Bradshaw and Wayne Dwyer come to mind) or tell you to "Just Do It" (Eat That Frog, Who Moved My Cheese). I like Chodron and this book because I think she takes a middle path between compassion and "tough love". So many books tell us to be in the moment and experience life just as it is, warts and all. I think this book goes into a little more depth regarding the many aspects of awareness and the mind-games we play with ourselves. I also get a sense that Ms. Chodron has been through a lot in life, from both a personal and a spiritual perspective. That makes her writing a little more down to earth than, say, Deepak Chopra (many of you will cringe that I even mentioned his name in this review). An interesting insight that I got from this book is the concept of groundlessness. In 12-step programs and some Christian circles they talk about being "spiritually grounded", which means to have beliefs that are not whimsical or based on hunches, but are well-established principles espoused by your program/religion. Chodron would appear to disagree with this description somewhat, and I'm on her side, in that you should always question what the truth is, even the Buddha's teachings. Even enlightenment is not the end, she says, but really is just the start of truly living. Groundlessness, then, is being able to be in the moment with no pre-conceived ideas or desires for a particular outcome. It could also be called egolessness. Where this book comes up short is that it is highly repetitive, especially in the middle chapters. She basically repeats the same exercise for practicing lovingkindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. I didn't get as much as I would like out of those sections; I think they're more for someone who's in a heavy-duty meditation practice. I think this book could be easily misinterpreted by someone who picks it at random from a library or bookstore. The stuff that's talked about in here may seem simple or even counter-intuitive, but I believe it's the result of the author's long spiritual journey. Many self-help books and religions advertise that they can cure whatever your problem was in X easy steps (and have testimonials to prove it). The Places That Scare You says that there is relief from suffering, but finding relief is just the beginning.
Rating:
Summary: Sound Advice
Review: Pema Chodron teaches us here that indeed, we always have a choice: We can let conditions in our lives make us more fearful, anxious and ever more bitter, or we can allow them to diminish and thus make us kinder. The choice truly is our own, whether we always care to admit this or not. Here she provides us with the tools necessary to deal with the challenges we face in our lives, to open our hearts and above else our minds to the suffering of ourselves and ultimately others; tools which helps us move beyond apprehension which is always preventing us from being honest and loving towards one another. "So beautifully written that the reading is a pleasure-speaks to people of all religious persuasions." - The Los Angeles Times. This was a brilliant book, I cannot recommend it enough to any of you.
Rating:
Summary: A fine and inspirational book
Review: Pema Chodron writes lucidly about some of the most fundamental Buddhist teachings, namely the development of loving-kindness and compassion (bodhichitta), and gives valuable practical advice on how to approach difficult emotions such as pain and fear in our everyday lives. Perhaps the best chapter - at least to me - is on 'The Facts of Life' where she presents some basic but profound thinking on human suffering, and how it ties all of humanity together. Her greatest accomplishment is conveying Buddhist wisdom in a manner that is accessible to all. Surely this book should be of benefit to any reader.
Rating:
Summary: Facing the Places That Scare Us
Review: Pema Chodron's latest book, "The Places That Scare You," was released just before the world experienced the embodiment of all the places that scare us: the inconceivable catastrophic events of September 11 and their aftermath. Of course, we must not pass over the monumental suffering cause by these events. However, the real message of September 11 is to point out the insecurity that constantly lies beneath the surface of our existence, the groundlessness that we fear and either try to ignore or to flee. Fear ordinarily shuts down our hearts and minds; it makes our world smaller. But when we begin to relate to our fear fully and properly, the vulnerability that we ourselves experience is transformed into genuine caring for others and for our world. In her book, Pema presents various tools for facing up to fear as a springboard for giving birth to bodhichitta, the awakened heart of love and compassion. These include mindfulness meditation, training in the four limitless ones (loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity), and the practice of tonglen (exchanging ourselves for others). For people interested in learning more about tonglen, Pema has written another book called "Tonglen: The Path of Transformation," which is available from Vajradhatu Publications.
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