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Comfortable with Uncertainty: 108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion Kindle Edition

by Pema Chodron (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 1,348 ratings
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108 practical teachings for cultivating mindfulness and compassion in the face of fear and uncertainty, from the author of When Things Fall Apart 
 
Comfortable with Uncertainty offers short, stand-alone readings designed to help us cultivate compassion and awareness amid the challenges of daily living. More than a collection of thoughts for the day, it offers a progressive program of spiritual study, leading the reader through essential concepts, themes, and practices on the Buddhist path.

Readers do not need to have prior knowledge of Buddhist thought or practice, making Comfortable with Uncertainty a perfect introduction to Pema Chödrön's teaching. It features the most essential and stirring passages from Chödrön's previous books, exploring topics such as lovingkindness, meditation, mindfulness, "nowness," letting go, and working with fear and other painful emotions. Through the course of this book, readers will learn practical methods for heightening awareness and overcoming habitual patterns that block compassion.
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  1. Print length
    250 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Shambhala
  5. Publication date
    December 30, 2003
  6. File size
    1455 KB
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  1. Meditation practice isn’t about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better. It’s about befriending who we are already.
    Highlighted by 2,185 Kindle readers
  2. “Do I prefer to grow up and relate to life directly, or do I choose to live and die in fear?”
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  3. A warrior accepts that we can never know what will happen to us next. We can try to control the uncontrollable by looking for security and predictability, always hoping to be comfortable and safe. But the truth is that we can never avoid uncertainty. This not-knowing is part of the adventure. It’s also what makes us afraid.
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Comfortable with Uncertainty reads like a perfect companion guide to the traditional 108-day Buddhist retreat. In a day-by-day format, author Pema Chödrön dives into the soothing wisdom of Tibetan Buddhism, reminding us that groundlessness is the only ground we have to stand on. Each of her 108 teachings are brief (about two pages), and all of them are excerpted from longer discussions in Chödrön's previous bestselling books (The Places That Scare You and When Things Fall Apart). Nonetheless, newcomers as well as seasoned fans of Chödrön's writing will glean much from this training program for becoming a "warrior bodhisattva"--a term which, simply put, means one who aspires to act from an awakened heart.

Gradually, Chödrön guides readers beyond the tunnel vision of the self, expanding outward to include compassion for all of humanity. In the 12th teaching, "The Root of Suffering," Chödrön writes: "What keeps us unhappy and stuck in a limited view of reality is our tendency to seek pleasure and avoid pain, to seek security and avoid groundlessness, to seek comfort and avoid discomfort." In the 77th teaching, "Cool Loneliness," she suggests that the next time readers wake up in the morning feeling the "heartache of alienation" they try to "relax and touch the limitless space of the human heart." By the 101st teaching, Chödrön speaks to "taking refuge in the Sangha," meaning becoming warriors who are not only committed to taking off their own armors of self-pity, but are also committed to gently helping others do the same. Student warriors will also appreciate the glossary, bibliography, and resource guide in the back. --Gail Hudson

Review

"Gently, conversationally, and with humor, Comfortable with Uncertainty offers strategies for seeing and thinking differently. For many people the approach is nothing less than transformational."—Boston Globe

"Chödrön’s radical words of wisdom unlock doors and shine warm light into the darkness of human cynicism and despair."—Utne Reader

"Chödrön's voice is gently humorous, always kind, and seemingly infinitely wise."—L.A. Times

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00BBXJH68
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Shambhala (December 30, 2003)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 30, 2003
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1455 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 250 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 1,348 ratings

About the author

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Pema Chodron

Pema Chodron

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Pema Chödrön is an American Buddhist nun in the lineage of Chögyam Trungpa. She is resident teacher at Gampo Abbey in Nova Scotia, the first Tibetan monastery in North America established for Westerners. She is also the author of many books and audiobooks, including the best-selling When Things Fall Apart and Don't Bite the Hook.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
1,348 global ratings
This book will ground you in ways like nothing else does.
5 Stars
This book will ground you in ways like nothing else does.
This book literally changed my heart, in some way.I don’t think I can explain how much wisdom it contains and how healing it was to read every word.I found this book in the midst of, what felt, a huge uncertainty, I was feeling lost and unsure of pretty much everything in my life…and I couldn’t be more grateful. It was truly a blessing.I don’t think any book ever calmed me down so much, gave me hope & made me feel so grounded. I already recommended it to all my friends and I highly recommend it to anyone who’s struggling with feeling lost in life. It really helped me to get my happiness and contentment back. I’m so thankful.Absolute must read <3
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Top reviews from the United States

newcomer
5.0 out of 5 stars Buddhist in Training
Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2011
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This compendium of short pieces has been a mainstay of our local Rigpa group. Pema Chodron is an American Buddhist nun who has specialized in mystical essays in Buddhist practice. 108 Chapter titles include:"Loving Kindness and Meditation," "Not causing Harm," and "Lighten Up(and Do Something Different)." Each essay conveys the paradoxical aspects of the Buddha's teaching. This is a work that will sustain repeated reading; it's not an item to read through in a few days.

The volume editor writes:

"Relative bodhhichitta is the courage and compassion to investigate our tender heart, to stay with it as much as we can, and gradually to expand it, ... Learning to rest in openhearted is a lifelong process. Learning to rest in openhearted basic goodnesss is a lifelong process. These teachings offer gentle and precise techniques to help us along the way."

Chodron's style is full of ready American sentences, as well as classic Tibetan Buddhist theology, and down-home humor. Relatively inexpensive , it is a joy to read.
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Clover
5.0 out of 5 stars wisdom wisdom wisdom
Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2023
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i found out about this book at my meditation session where the leader shared some quotes from this book. its full of wisdom and i think people should read it to have a new way of looking at things. we are so stuck in our own thinking most times and choose to suffer when there are other ways. the power is within you. it is within the you who are mindful, peaceful and grateful for everything that happens to you. life is a blessing. read that again.
One person found this helpful
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R. Williams
5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful book designed for your heart.
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2020
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Well, you can pick up any one of Pema’s books, open to any page and feel a sense of lightness and joy. This is not to say things are easy, her books just are soft place to land. I especially loved Comfortable with Uncertainty, I highlighted a phrase on each page and enjoy re-reading the phrases each day. Self-kindness, self-compassion, and self-care a bit everyday. Wonderful! R. Williams, coauthor of The Mindfulness Workbook for Addiction and The Gift of Recovery.
4 people found this helpful
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Laura
4.0 out of 5 stars Great for discussion and contemplation, not so great for reading.
Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2016
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Great book for after weekly group practice sessions, as the chapters after very short, the language simple, and most are independent of the order you read them in. Nice tidbits that can produce lengthier discussions. Also would make a good chapter-a-day post meditation book to remind a skilled practitioner about various aspects of the practice.

However, for reading through from start to finish, those same qualities make this book great in those contexts make it seem disjointed. Pema Chodron also introduces many relatively advanced meditation practices without the context or specificity to truly guide someone new to the practice to perform them correctly.

This is less the coherent self-help tome you might expect and more a potpourri of various Buddhist principles to provoke and remind.
6 people found this helpful
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DIY Lover
5.0 out of 5 stars Life-affirming book
Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2019
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This book was given to me as a gift when I was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer at 39 years old. I cannot express how wonderful and comforting this book has been for me. The focus is on living in the present and being comfortable with who you are and where you are right now, while practicing Buddhist principles to achieve the ultimate goal of enlightenment, are practical to everyone in the world. I was raised catholic and am currently agnostic, I would not say this book comes across as religious in any way, and I think it can be enjoyed by anyone who might follow other religious beliefs. Ultimately, being kind to everyone, including yourself, if a message we could all learn to practice daily.
111 people found this helpful
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Colleen
5.0 out of 5 stars Daily inspirational reading
Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2023
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Each "chapter" is a single page, making it perfect for a daily reading of mindfulness and buddhist principles for the western mind.
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Richard Moffitt
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing
Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2023
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I have read several of her books and the basic Buddhist teachings resonate in a lasting way. Don’t we all need to achieve the title in these chaotic seeming times?
Welcoming the Unwelcome and When Things Fall Apart… could be a great box set for what seems to be a pandemic of anxiety.
2 people found this helpful
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MSTLB
5.0 out of 5 stars packed with so much simple wisdom
Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2022
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What a gift! To have a simple time that opens oneself to ‘being’ with uncertainty, groundless-ness and all the rejected parts of ourselves. It ‘dares’ us… if that seems appropriate given the gentle and compassionate path laid before us here, to allow every state we experience as a practice. To do ‘no harm’ to oneself as we practice.

Enjoy Ms Chodron’s wonderful simple and gentle style of presenting these concepts. I’m already researching my next read.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Meg
5.0 out of 5 stars Favourite
Reviewed in Canada on July 21, 2022
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This is my favourite Pema Chodron book. Quick bite sized chapters. She has a gift for making the point quickly.
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RADHEY
5.0 out of 5 stars Simple yet profound
Reviewed in India on April 5, 2024
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One of my favourite buddisht monk whose words I trust to alleviate darkness of my heart and put steady foundation in this modern time when I feel like drowning I look for some people's advise and Pema chodron is one of them.I can not appreciate enough wisdom shared in her writings.
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Me
5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful guide
Reviewed in Germany on November 12, 2021
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This book contains wonderful readings (not a guarantee) to gain serenity a live a peaceful life
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Monica Valentim
5.0 out of 5 stars Very inspiring
Reviewed in Brazil on June 6, 2015
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I haven't finished it yet. I'm reading it slowly, for savoring each word. Wonderful book! Very inspiring. I recommend it.
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Peter Ogudoro
5.0 out of 5 stars Waiting is Very Helpful
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 22, 2015
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The big lesson lesson one can learn from this book is that truly delay is not denial. It helps with ideas on how to develop the habit of thanks- SUCCESS MINDSET: The book that removes the scale from your eyes so you can see the solutions to those problems confronting you now. giving which has the capacity to enable us cope with difficult times.
One person found this helpful
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