Living Beautifully
with Uncertainty and Change
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4.7 • 41 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
Instant bestseller: Buddhist teacher Pema Chödrön shares life-changing practices for living with wisdom, confidence, and integrity amidst confusing situations and uncertain times
We live in difficult times. Life so often seems like a turbulent river threatening to drown us and destroy our world. Why, then, shouldn’t we cling to the certainty of the comfortable—to our deep-seated habits and familiar ways? Because, Pema Chödrön teaches, that kind of fear-based clinging keeps us from the infinitely more powerful experience of being fully alive. The Buddhist teachings she presents here—known as the “Three Commitments”—provide a treasure trove of wisdom for learning to step right into the unknown, to completely and fearlessly embrace the groundlessness of being human, for people of all faiths. When we do, we begin to see not only how much better it feels to live an openhearted life, but we find that we begin to naturally and more effectively reach out to help and heal all those around us.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
With her characteristic clarity, Buddhist nun Ch dr n (When Things Fall Apart) once again explores how Buddhist ideas can help individuals live joyful lives. Her framework is three traditional vows: refrain from harm, take care of others, and accept the world as it is. Commitment to these principles, she argues, can address the "fundamental ambiguity of being human" which includes fear of change and an unknown future. Drawing in particular from the wisdom of her teacher, the late Ch gyam Trungpa Rinpoche, the American-born nun and popular writer shows how the "real cause of suffering is not being able to tolerate uncertainty," with the resulting struggle to cling to a "fixed identity." Strategies to address impermanence and the fear it causes include refraining from acting on negative emotions; practicing compassion; and fully acknowledging the experience of the present moment, however painful. The text, adapted from talks, includes brief practices. Ch dr n's strength is her ability to communicate to a general audience that people are essentially good, that they can be free from fear, and that they can always try again when they fail.
