Taking the Leap: Freeing Ourselves from Old Habits and Fears by Pema Chodron, Sandy Boucher (Editor)

From Barnes & Noble

Getting enmeshed in destructive patterns or problems is universal, but the Buddhists have an almost uniquely apt word for it: shenpa, which translates colloquially as "getting stuck" or "getting hooked." Pema Chödrön's Taking the Leap shows by example after example that Buddhist teachings also offer ways to free ourselves from these moments of disappointment or malaise. Transformational teachings and practices.

From the Publisher

In this pithy, inspiring book, Pema Chödrön presents the Buddhist concept of shenpa—which can be translated as “getting stuck” or “getting hooked”—and shows us how we can liberate ourselves from it. Shenpa is that irritating sensation that arises in moments when life suddenly becomes disappointing, difficult, or painful. Perhaps someone criticizes your work, your appearance, or your child. Something within you tightens, shuts down. That’s shenpa. After we tighten, we instinctively start to blame ourselves or others. We might get angry and lash out in words or actions. Or we might reach for a cigarette, a drink, or some other addictive substance to numb our pain. Chödrön shows us the way out of these habitual reactions that keep us locked in cycles of suffering.

In Taking the Leap she introduces a new way of responding to moments of shenpa: learning to stay present. Rather than running from life’s hurts, you can actually stop and open your heart, and therein discover courage and compassion. This book presents the “four R’s” of working with shenpa: recognizing it, refraining from acting out against ourselves or others, relaxing with the underlying feelings, and resolving to make this our way of life. With her characteristic warmth and encouragement, Pema Chödrön offers transformational teachings and practices that readers can immediately put to use in their daily lives.

Publishers Weekly

This gently encouraging book by popular teacher Chödrön (When Things Fall Apart; The Places That Scare You) applies Buddhist wisdom to the problems of deeply ingrained reactions. An American Buddhist nun in the lineage of Tibetan master Chogyam Trungpa, she writes that “we already have what we need” to change and heal. Chödrön focuses on the preverbal moment—called shenpa in Tibetan—in which individuals are “hooked” into harmful stories, emotions and actions within the flux of their experiences. Clear descriptions of how this process works are accompanied by simple techniques to begin to break the cycle. Her suggestions can be easily practiced by anyone at any time without meditation training, although she presents the benefits of sitting meditation. With anecdotes from her teachers and examples from her own and others' lives, Chödrön demonstrates that people can stop their suffering and access their natural intelligence, warmth and openness. Throughout, she emphasizes the global implications of personal change. Among her strengths are compassion for the difficulty of human existence and her willingness to acknowledge her own failings. This short guide provides valuable tools for change in uncertain times. (Sept. 8)

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