Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living (Shambhala Classics) by Pema Chodron

Product Details

Synopsis

Start Where You Are is an indispensable handbook for cultivating fearlessness and awakening a compassionate heart. With insight and humor, Pema Chödrön presents down-to-earth guidance on how we can "start where we are"—embracing rather than denying the painful aspects of our lives. Pema Chödrön frames her teachings on compassion around fifty-nine traditional Tibetan Buddhist maxims, or slogans, such as: "Always apply only a joyful state of mind," "Don't seek others' pain as the limbs of your own happiness," and "Always meditate on whatever provokes resentment." Working with these slogans and through the practice of meditation, Start Where You Are shows how we can all develop the courage to work with our inner pain and discover joy, well-being, and confidence.

Annotation

With insight and humor, the author of The Wisdom of No Escape presents down-to-earth teachings on how we can work with our own suffering as well as with the suffering of others. This is only possible, says the author, if we "start where we are" and embrace the painful aspects of our lives.

Library Journal

American Buddhist nun Chdrn, who was trained in the Tibetan tradition by the late Chgyam Trungpa, provides a book of meditative insights and instructions based on the 59 Tibetan Buddhist slogans for developing compassion, e.g., ``When we find that we are holding back, here is instruction on how to give.'' While some of the slogans depend on Buddhist teaching, many-such as ``be grateful to everyone''-are widely applicable. Chdrn's teachings are supported by personal reflections, clear explanations, and an attention to how one may achieve the goal of compassion. Useful both for Buddhist meditators and those wanting to understand Buddhist spirituality, this is recommended for large public and academic libraries.

Biography

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 also the author of many books and audiobooks, including the best-selling When Things Fall Apart and Don't Bite the Hook.