How to love yourself and your world - The Wisdom of No Escape

“Holding on to beliefs limits our experience of life … the stubborn attitude of having to have things a particular way, grasping on to our beliefs and thoughts all cause problems,” says Pema Chodron. She adds that our clinging to our beliefs “make us blind and deaf instead of alive and awake." Chapter 8’s essay on this kind of wisdom is worth the price of the book right there. When we blame others to justify ourselves, this action “imprisons us into a limited perspective of this world” thus causing more pain. The idea here is that our own personal interpretation of reality is short-sighted and cheats us out of true happiness and peace.
These 18 essays are about becoming whole in a fractured world. How can we realize our unity and completeness? How do we even find a balance of the good and bad? Are we too rigid or too casual? This path to awakening seems to hinge on “Sending and Taking,” Chapter 12, which instructs how to share pain and share healing. A breathing technique (very simply done) that helps yourself at the same time you help others. Balance!
Pema touches on the neurosis of worry, fear, bias and judgement, ego vs. heart. She emphasizes the value of ritual and symbolism to cleanse and renew mind/body/spirit. Listen to the wind, she suggests, connect to the weather and hold the beauty within.
A question comes up in Chapter 15. Do you want to “make the world into love and light or make it a resentful harsh place”? Finding the true meaning of life is not easy. Readers will go deep here to explore. At the end of this 100-page book, I was left with a thought: Can an ordinary person living an ordinary life ever pull all this together in one lifetime? There is an answer and a good one. Highly Recommended. Read this via my local library.

The Wisdom of No Escape may rock everything you think about and everything you think you know about Buddhism and meditation to the core. It did for me. More it does the same for spiritual enlightenment beyond the religious doctrines of Buddhism or any other religion. You don't have to be Buddhist to read this book, nor must you be looking for lessons on how to meditate. Because this book, a selection of daily talks the author Pema Chodron gave to attendees of a meditation retreat in Gumpo Abbey, the Buddhist monastery she directs, is not even about Buddhism or meditation.

It's about the principles of Buddhism and meditation. Precision. Gentleness. Openness. About the ideas behind and underlying the religion and its practices, not the religion and practices themselves. Principles to which we can all relate, no matter our creed, and from which we can all benefit, no matter our path.

I caught myself about to describe in greater detail what this book says that Buddhism, meditation, and life are and are not, but that would be spoiling the surprise. One thing that I can say without spoiling anything, however, is that this book is filled with as many surprises as any good novel I've read.

Chodron's voice is as down to earth and conversationally easy-reading as it is commanding and inspired. And this perspective she shares is a refreshing change from so much of the standard self-help and spirituality fare out there, which is all about becoming something more and better than the perfect being you already are.

Enlightenment may not be what you think it is. It's certainly not what we're generally being taught in schools, what most religious institutions seem to be preaching (which isn't to say anything about the sanctity of the foundations of those religions, but I digress).

Read The Wisdom of No Escape and, like I did, (re-)discover the liberating paradox in this hard and precious mortal life.

Pema Chodron has written a modern day Buddhist classic in "The Wisdom of No Escape and the Path of Loving-Kindness". The book was originally compiled from a series of talks that Pema gave during a month long meditation retreat in Gampo Abbey. The basic premise is there is "no exit", no where to hide so you might as well make the best of it and be here now. The no where to go except where you are right now can be also be applied in terms of working with our own mind and the minds of others. One of the main points and practices of the book seems to be to "be open and accept all situations and people". Easier said then done, but Pema actual talks about some practical and worthwhile practices to do just that. I originally read "The Wisdom of no escape" during a meditation retreat. It was perfect to read during retreat and it is perfect just to pick up and re-read from time to time. I highly recommend this classic book as a great introduction to tonglen practice, Pema's work and as a reminder to apply loving kindness in whatever situation we find ourselves in.

i have read many books on spirituality over the years, and this has been one of my top two that most memorably changed my life. (the other one being 'autobiography of a yogi'. it is not that others have not shaped me, but this one was a dramatic shift in thinking for me. i have referred several people to it, quoted from it at times, and would love to see this being read by more, and it is already fairly well known and is in a new cover.

i call pema the goddess of hard times. this book for me was everything i wished that 'when things fall apart' would have been for me. thankfully i didn't stop at that book, and found this one. when things fall apart was forgettable for me. this one was my favorite, and 'start where you are' i found to be good, but i don't seem to quote from it, nor have the fond memories like i do of wisdom of no escape.

pema is a great asset to buddhists and people all around the world seeking more compassion and a greater sense of humanity in their souls. this book is her greatest work as far as i am concerned. well worth a read, well worth 'practicing' not just reading. the concepts are best experienced, not just intellectualized. intellectually they are counter intuitive, and a few friends have reacted without really getting the essence of it which is the practice and inner transformation available.

As human beings and Americans living in the 21st century, we are taught to be constantly striving for something better: a better job, a better body, a better mate, a better life, etc, etc, etc. This book challenges that way of thinking and encourages us to see this moment in the life we have right now as the best possible teacher. Instead of always running toward something "better", what if we learned to really look at ourselves the way we are right now?

"The Wisdom of No Escape" is the second book I've read by Pema Chodron, and she continues to provoke, fascinate, and inspire me.

This book is a collection of talks given during a month-long meditation retreat, by an American teacher of Tibetan Buddhism. She emphasizes the cultivation of loving-kindness toward everything, including ourselves and our busy, crazy brains.

When I picked this book up a number of years ago, the first sentence was just what I needed to hear: "There's a common misunderstanding among all the human beings who have ever been born on the earth that the best way to live is to try to avoid pain and just try to get comfortable."

(I also highly recommend "The Myth of Freedom" and "Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism" by Chodron's teacher, Chogyam Trungpa.)

The wisdom of no escape describes the central practice of mindfulness - to open the heart and mind to be fully present with what is, rather than how we wish things would be. The central opening that is mindfulness naturally opens the way to loving-kindness, or metta, because we open our awareness to everything we encounter, including suffering. It is in this spacious awareness that true healing and transformation take place. I also recommend ASIN:1432736884 The Path of Mindfulness Meditation for an in-depth study of mindfulness meditation.

This book came to me after suffering a severe Gout attack. My life was a mess, manifesting itself in my poor dietary habits. After limping home from the hospital, I scanned my bookshelves for something to read, as I convalesced. The Wisdom of No Escape sat on my bookshelf for a few years. Everytime I would see the title, I'd think, "sounds depressing". Well, it's not. It is a very honest and straight forward guide book for the human creature. It basically tells you that life is hard and it's that hardness that makes it worth living. I also got the impression that the author believes that Heaven and Hell and reincarnation are all part of everyone's daily experience. Everytime something repeats itself in your life, you are experiencing a living reincarnation. The key seems to be in keeping it all new and fresh.

The Wisdom of No Escape gives a clear introduction to shamatha-vipashyana meditation (shi-nè and lhatong). Pema Chödrön has a warm and encouraging style with touches of gentle humour. It is an excellent book for those who are new to meditation, or for experienced meditators who would like to experience new vigour in their practice. The book encourages us to make friends with ourselves using the practice of meditation. It is who we are right now that counts. We do not need to purge our neuroses - we simply have to be here and now in order to be fully awake. The practice of meditation helps us to get to know ourselves, without judgements or expectations. Pema Chödrön teaches that the Path of Loving-Kindness begins with ourselves. Only when we like ourselves can we possibly hope to like others - and thus help them.

This is my favorite Pema Chodron book! You can open its pages anywhere, any time, in any frame of mind, and receive wide benefit to mind and heart. It is spiritual teaching of the only useful kind, practical teaching deliberately intended not to implant, but rather to unsheathe what is already native, but hidden. Pema Chodron leaves one to oneself -the very best teaching!- and by the faintest strokes of wisdom, insight, and practiced sensibilities leaves one higher, deeper, and more able to live freely within oneself. I think she is an extraordinary teacher, in the very best tradition of Western Buddhist training. If Gampo Abbey in Nova Scotia is fortunate indeed to be gifted with this extraordinary woman, likewise are we. It seems I open that amazing turquoise cover (a more illustrious blue than even the fine photo on this page indicates!) several times a week. It is a book one gratefully lives with. I have given it to friends, family, and even a few strangers! I recommend it with confidence, compassionate purpose, and indeed a great deal of joy.

This is the best book from any spiritual tradition that I've ever read, especially as it applies to everyday life. It brought me kindness, joy, and enormous inspiration, entirely without judgment. Pema Chodron believes we are all essentially good people, here to offer kindness to ourselves and others as a way of life. She invites us to learn to open to ever more challenging situations as a way of living life more fully, and she shows us how. She guides us to focus not on perfection, but the beauty of life lived just as it is. Pema Chodron is a great teacher and role model, and I am deeply grateful to her for writing this book. I will read it again and again.

This is the most clear minded, concise and thorough examination of Buddhism I have encountered, with the added benefit that it is incredibly readable and accessible. Anyone reading this book will gain great perspective, whether philosophical or spiritual, and regardless of one's personal spiritual bent. I have now purchased no fewer than a half-dozen copies as gifts for others and no one has failed to benefit from it. I can't recommend this book enough.

I initially purchased the book "The Wisdom of No Escape" I loved itttt! But not being familiar with some of the Buddhist terms & names, I chose to order the audio version so I could go through it again and this time be able to pronounce those names accurately. The audio version has been very helpful. The audio version is perfect for when my eyes are tired. You will enjoy!The Wisdom of No Escape and the Path of Loving Kindness (Paperback)The Wisdom of No Escape: And the Path of Loving-Kindness [WISDOM OF NO ESCAPE 4D]

The Wisdom of No Escape was my first introduction to Tibetan Buddhism. I found it by chance at a time of my life when it had become ludicrously clear that there was NO escape from human frailty. It makes one feel much better about that fact.

Great book

Simply a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful book. This book entered my life by accident (?) in the Tibetian colony of Sikkim, India, and has finally found its path to my bookshelf and coffee table. The gentlness of Tibetian buddhism revealed in a language accessable to anyone. A life changing book, as gentle as early morning breeze. The talk of a true warrior of the heart.

I found this book to be extraordinarily simple to ingest. I enjoyed reading it one short chapter at a time and contemplating that chapter until I had time to read another. Pema has an elegantly straightforward manner of writing, and she has a great deal of helpful information to convey.

This book serves as a constant inspiration to me in my own meditation practice; I have read it countless times. As a psychotherapist whose modality involves working with my clients in a state of mindfulness ([...] I also recommend this book as a clear, concise introduction to meditation.