Meditation takes us just as we are, with our confusion and our sanity. This complete acceptance of ourselves as we are is called maitri, or unconditional friendliness, a simple, direct relationship with the way we are.” This is a treasury of 108 short selections from the best-selling books of Pema. Designed for on-the-go inspiration, this collection offers teachings on: The above will give you an impression of Pema’s teachings. This little book is well worth reading, but I admit I prefer to read the full versions of her books. I love small things, like coffee cups and little books and tiny bowls. Pema’s tiny book came home with me right then and there. I read it in a garden I love, amidst sunshine and vegetable beds and the sound of summer humming.

A collection of short inspirational readings by "one of the world's wisest women"— O, the Oprah Magazine. A portable collection of short inspirational readings by “one of the world's wisest women”—the American Buddhist teacher and author of When Things Fall Apart ( O, the Oprah Magazine)She’s one of the most influential voices in contemporary spirituality, the writer whose books are passed from friend to friend."

Pema tells us that we already have everything we need and are “one blink of an eye away from being fully awake.” Pema first met her root guru, the teacher with whom she had the most profound connection, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, in 1972, and she studied closely with him until his death in 1987. What is different about her writings is that she writes not as though she is enlightened but a person just like us with everyday problems and negative feelings. It helps to remember that our spiritual practice is not about accomplishing anything—not about winning or losing—but about ceasing to struggle and relaxing as it is.”

You want it your own way. You’d just like to have a little peace; you’d like to have a little happiness, you know, just “gimme a break!” But the more you think that way, the more you try to get life to come out so that it will always suit you, the more your fear of other people and what’s outside your room grows.” IMPERMANENCE means that the essence of life is fleeting. Some people are so skillful at their mindfulness practice that they can actually see each and every little movement of mind—changing, changing, changing.” The Path of the Bodhisattva Warrior; Wherever we are, we can train as a warrior. The practices of meditation, loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity are our tools. With the help of these practices, we can uncover the soft spot of bodhichitta, the tenderness of the awakened heart. We will find that tenderness in sorrow and in gratitude. We will find it behind the hardness of rage and in the shakiness of fear. We must allow ourselves to feel what we feel and not push it away. This means accepting every aspect of ourselves, even the parts we don’t like. We have two alternatives: either we question our beliefs - or we don't. Either we accept our fixed versions of reality- or we begin to challenge them. In Buddha's opinion, to train in staying open and curious - to train in dissolving our assumptions and beliefs - is the best use of our human lives.”

LIFE’S work is to wake up, to let the things that enter into your life wake you up rather than put you to sleep. The only way to do this is to open, be curious, and develop some sense of sympathy for everything that comes along, to get to know its nature and let it teach you what it will.” I’ve reviewed a couple of Pema’s previous books. The present book is a compendium of small extracts from her various works. I admire her forthrightness, her ability to distill Buddhist thought into bite-sized morsels and above all, the sense of humor that is evident from behind her words.So beautifully written that the reading is a pleasure…Chödrön's voice is gently humorous, always kind, and seemingly infinitely wise."

In 1984, at the behest of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Ani Pema moved from Boulder, Colorado to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia to be the director of Gampo Abbey. She currently teaches throughout the United States and Canada and continues her studies and meditative retreat under the guidance of Venerable Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche. I Love Pema Chadron. I really can't put my finger on it but whenever I read her I feel inspired to be a better person. She talks openly and honestly about how she fails at times to live you to the whole zen thing but she never makes you feel like you are an asshole if you are struggling to get to a higher plane of existence I guess is how I would put it.Difficulty is inevitable. We cannot escape the reality of death, and there are also the realities of “aging, of illness, of not getting what we want, and of getting what we don’t want”. We can learn to act and think in ways that sow seeds of our future well-being, gradually becoming more aware of what causes happiness as well as what causes distress.” When we feel” depressed, lonely, betrayed, or any unwanted feelings, this is an important moment on the spiritual path. This is when real transformation can take place.”