The Pocket Pema Chodron (Shambhala Pocket Classics)

Product Information

Whether we are violent, depressed, addicted or jealous, or even hate ourselves, these are good places to start – just where we are. It helps to remember that our spiritual practice is not about accomplishing anything—not about winning or losing—but about ceasing to struggle and relaxing as it is. In 1984, at the behest of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Ani Pema moved from Boulder, Colorado to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia to be the director of Gampo Abbey. If you’re not feeling particularly kind, compassionate, joyful, or equanimous at the moment, take heart: the Four Limitless Ones are there like seeds, waiting to be cultivated through practice—and, being limitless, they’re rich enough to be worked with for a lifetime.

I have previously read one of her books, “When Things Fall Apart” and, on the basis of that book I decided to read her summary of teachings as found in this pocket editions. Every day we could reflect on this and ask ourselves, "Am I going to add to the aggression in the world? A portable book of inspiration on how to remain wholeheartedly awake and use the abundant material of daily life as your primary teacher and guide.

Here, in her most beloved and acclaimed work, Pema shows that moving toward painful situations and becoming intimate with them can open up our hearts in ways we never before imagined. The good news is that once we start to see these patterns, we can begin to change our lives for the better. This book—Ani Pema's first—is about saying yes to life in all of its manifestations and embracing the potent mixture of joy, suffering, brilliance, and confusion that characterizes the human experience. Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche gave her explicit instructions on establishing this monastery for western monks and nuns.

Its emphasis on mindfulness, becoming friends with yourself, and learning to not cause suffering by trying to avoid pain and struggle, but rather to work with it and be in each moment as life comes, in every form.I am not preaching or trying to tell anyone else to read this, but it is doing wonders for me, because it is truthful for me. In this book Pema Chödrön presents the traditional Buddhist teachings that guide her own life: those of The Way of the Bodhisattva (Bodhicharyavatara), a text written by the eighth-century sage Shantideva.