When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult TimesThere is a fundamental opportunity for happiness right within our reach, yet we usually miss it—ironically, while we are caught up in attempts to escape pain and suffering. Drawn from traditional Buddhist wisdom, Pema Chödrön's radical and compassionate advice for what to do when things fall apart in our lives goes against the grain of our usual habits and expectations. There is only one approach to suffering that is of lasting benefit, Pema teaches, and that approach involves movingtowardpainful situations with friendliness and curiosity, relaxing into the essential groundlessness of our entire situation. It is there, in the midst of chaos, that we can discover the truth and love that are indestructible. Included in the book are: • Ways to use painful emotions to cultivate wisdom, compassion, and courage • Methods of communicating that lead to openness and true intimacy with others • Practices for reversing negative habitual patterns • Techniques for working with chaotic situations • Tools for cultivating compassionate, energetic social action |
Contents
Intimacy with Fear | 1 |
When Things Fall Apart | 7 |
91 | 73 |
Nonaggression and the Four Maras | 80 |
Widening the Circle of Compassion | 97 |
The Love That Will Not | 106 |
Going against the Grain | 114 |
Opinions | 133 |
Three Methods for Working with Chaos | 147 |
Reversing the Wheel of Samsara | 168 |
Bibliography | 181 |
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Common terms and phrases
aggression arises awake awakening become begin blame bodhichitta Bodhidharma bodhisattva breathe Buddha buddha nature Buddhist called cause harm charnel ground compassion compassionate completely cool loneliness death discipline discover dissolve egolessness eight worldly dharmas emotions encourage everyday everything experience feel find ourselves fundamental Gampo Abbey give groundlessness habitual heart hope and fear hopelessness hurt impermanence inspiration instruction journey kind let go lives look loving-kindness Machig Labdrön maitri mara Marpa means meditation Milarepa Naropa Naropa University ness never nonaggression Nontheism notice opinions out-breath pain paramitas path PEMA CHÖDRÖN practice prajna reach our limit reality realize relax resentment rience samaya samsara seeking pleasure sense shunyata simply situation someone sometimes space spiritual stuck student suffering talking teacher teachings tenderness there's thoughts Tibet tion tonglen touch trick Trungpa Rinpoche truth unconditional vajrayana wake what's happening wrong