No matter your philosophy of life or your spiritual path, it is helpful to have an emergency first-aid kit for the heart. Pema Chodron’s When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times is just that. This book was given to me by a therapist at a time in my life when I felt as if my world was falling apart. That wasn’t merely a thinking error on my part: it really was falling apart.
Chodron, an American-born Buddhist nun and teacher, tells it like it is. We are who we are; we can’t be anything else than. There are no quick fixes and the things we commonly do to make ourselves feel better — drink, have sex, watch television — may ease the pain but they don’t change anything. And we lose the opportunity to grow as the result of embracing the difficulty and darkness in our life. Surrendering control over the world and the actions of others; having compassion and kindness for ourselves and for others in our lives; these are the source of growth, strength and — ultimately — contentment.
Chodron writes “This very moment is the perfect teacher and, lucky for us, it is with us wherever we go.” Clearly this work is coming from the Buddhist tradition. However, one does not need to subscribe to any particular teaching to benefit from its message. This slim volume could change your life. It did mine.
When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times (Amazon.com)
Pema Chodron On Compassion
