I've had my fair share of exploring mindfulness and meditation, but meditation has always felt intangible and elusive. This book gives structure and concrete approaches to meditation, making it easier to understand.
What sets Chödrön's writing apart is her raw style. She directly tackles the less glamorous aspects of life, making her book very relatable. She touches on topics that people often avoid discussing, but frequently ponder. In fact, as Chödrön notes, in Western civilizations people put a lot of effort into hiding the realities of life.
Chödrön's perspective on meditation and spirituality was completely new to me. I used to think that meditation was a way for people to climb above their problems and find happiness, but I never imagined it was about falling deeper and exposing oneself to more problems!
One thing is for sure, a good book is a valuable companion during challenging times :)
Pema Chodron writes about pain without trying to perfume it. That alone makes the book feel unusually respectful.
The central move is not escape, but staying present when the mind wants to sprint into drama, control, or a very convincing personal documentary.
I liked the humility of it. No grand self-improvement fireworks, just attention, compassion, and the difficult art of not declaring war on your own experience.
It is a quiet book, but it has teeth. The kind that bite gently until you notice where you have been clenching.