When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times

by Pema Chodron, Pema Chodron (Read by)

Overview

How can we go on living when things fall apart—when we are overcome by pain, fear, and anxiety? Pema Chödrön’s answer to that question contains some spectacularly good news: there is a fundamental happiness readily available to each one of us, no matter how difficult things seem to be. To find it, according to traditional Buddhist teaching, we must learn to stop running from suffering and instead actually learn to approach it—fearlessly, compassionately, and with curiosity. This radical practice enables us to use all situations, even very painful ones, as means for discovering the truth and love that are utterly indestructible.

2 CDs, 2 1/2 hours, abridged

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781590305454
Publisher:	Shambhala
Publication date:	12/26/2007
Edition description:	Abridged
Pages:	2
Sales rank:	287,166
Product dimensions:	5.19(w) x 5.76(h) x 0.78(d)

About the Author

Pema Chödrön is an American Buddhist nun in the lineage of Chögyam Trungpa. She is resident teacher at Gampo Abbey in Nova Scotia, the first Tibetan monastery in North America established for Westerners. She is the author of many books and audiobooks, including the best-selling When Things Fall Apart and Don't Bite the Hook.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Pema Chodron is one of those spiritual teachers who brings ancient wisdom to bear upon our daily triumphs and tragedies. . . . Incredibly wise and poignantly practical."—Spirituality & Health

"Chödrön's book is filled with useful advice about how Buddhism helps readers to cope with the grim realities of modern life, including fear, despair, rage and the feeling that we are not in control of our lives . . . Chödrön demonstrates how effective the Buddhist point of view can be in bringing order into disordered lives."—Publishers Weekly

"This is a book that could serve you for a lifetime."—Natural Health

"As one of Pema Chödrön's grateful students, I have been learning the most pressing and necessary lesson of all: how to keep opening wider my own heart."—Alice Walker

Editorial Reviews

"Pema Chödrön is one of those spiritual teachers who brings ancient wisdom to bear upon our daily triumphs and tragedies. . . . Incredibly wise and poignantly practical."—Spirituality & Health

"Chödrön's book is filled with useful advice about how Buddhism helps readers to cope with the grim realities of modern life, including fear, despair, rage and the feeling that we are not in control of our lives . . . Chödrön demonstrates how effective the Buddhist point of view can be in bringing order into disordered lives."—Publishers Weekly

"The advice Chödrön offers is radically different from other self-help prescriptions on the market. This book could serve you for a lifetime."—Natural Health

"As one of Pema Chödrön's grateful students, I have been learning the most pressing and necessary lesson of all: how to keep opening wider my own heart."—Alice Walker

From the Publisher

Tibetan Buddhist Pema Chodron believes that by attending ourselves, we heal ourselves. Her clear call for this root serenity has already won this book over one hundred thousand readers.

Barnes & Noble, Inc.

Pema Chodron, a student of Chogyam Trunpa Rinpoche and Abbot of Gampo Abbey, has written the Tibetan Buddhist equivalent of Harold Kushner's famous book, When Bad Things Happen to Good People. As the author indicates in the postscript to her book: "We live in difficult times. One senses a possibility they may get worse." Consequently, Chodron's book is filled with useful advice about how Buddhism helps readers to cope with the grim realities of modern life, including fear, despair, rage and the feeling that we are not in control of our lives. Through reflections on the central Buddhist teaching of right mindfulness, Chodron orients readers and gives them language with which to shape their thinking about the ordinary and extraordinary traumas of modern life. But most importantly, Chodron demonstrates how effective the Buddhist point of view can be in bringing order into disordered lives. (Sept.) Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Pema Chodron, a student of Chogyam Trunpa Rinpoche and Abbot of Gampo Abbey, has written the Tibetan Buddhist equivalent of Harold Kushner's famous book, When Bad Things Happen to Good People. As the author indicates in the postscript to her book: "We live in difficult times. One senses a possibility they may get worse." Consequently, Chodron's book is filled with useful advice about how Buddhism helps readers to cope with the grim realities of modern life, including fear, despair, rage and the feeling that we are not in control of our lives. Through reflections on the central Buddhist teaching of right mindfulness, Chodron orients readers and gives them language with which to shape their thinking about the ordinary and extraordinary traumas of modern life. But, most importantly, Chodron demonstrates how effective the Buddhist point of view can be in bringing order into disordered lives. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

An American Buddhist nun and author (Start Where You Are, LJ 6/1/94), Chdrn here passes on the teachings of the Venerable Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, advising a loving kindness toward oneself and awakening a compassionate attitude toward our pain and the pain of others. The readings allow us to reconnect with a truth already known or to find a new way of looking at everyday chaos. Throughout, we are shown basic Buddhist beliefs and given instructions in discovering one's true nature through asking questions, facing one's fears, and dealing with the present. The instructions can be taken as meditations, affirmations, or simple reminders of how to transform our minds and actions into nonaggression, which benefits ourselves and society. Popular reading recommended for all libraries; Chodron is donating the proceeds of this book to the Gampo Abbey in Nova Scotia, Canada.-Leo Kritz, West Des Moines P.L., Ia.

Library Journal

There are few Dharma voices as clear as Pema Chodron's, and few people who know more about things falling apart than mothers.

Tricycle Magazine