IN 1995 I took a sabbatical. For twelve months I essentially did nothing:It was the most spiritually inspiring time of my life. Pretty much all I did was relax. I read and hiked and dept. I cooked-and ate, meditated and wrote. I had no schedule, no agenda, and no "shoulds7 A lot got digested during thiscom- pletely open, uncharted time. For onething, I began to read slowly through two cardboard boxes of, very raw, unedited transcriptions of talks I hadgiven from 1987 to 1994. Unlike the dathun talks that make up The Wisdom of No Escape and the lojong teachings that make up Start Where You Are, these talks seemed to have no unifying thread. Now and then I would look at a few transcripts.

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There 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 Chodron’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 moving toward painful 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 chaoyiv situations

Tools for cultivating compassionate,energetic social action

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. Intimacy with Fear

2. When Things Fall Apart

3. This Very Moment Is the Perfect Teacher

4. RelaxAs It Is

5. It’s Never Too Late

6. Not Causing Harm

7. Hopelessness and Death

8. Eight Worldly Dharmas

9. Six Kinds of Loneliness

10. Curious about Existence

11. Nonaggression and the Four Maras

12. Growing Up

13. Widening the Circle of Compassion

14. The Love That Will Not Die

15. Going against the Grain

16. Servants of Peace

17. Opinions

18. Secret Oral Instructions

19. Three Methods for Working with Chaos

20. The Trick of Choicelessness

21. Reversing the Wheel of Samsara

22. The Path Is the Goal

Resources