The Wisdom of No Escape and the Path of Loving Kindness

The Wisdom of No Escape and the Path of Loving Kindness

This book is about saying yes to life in all its manifestations — embracing the potent mixture of joy, suffering, brilliance, and confusion that characterizes the human experience. Pema Chödrön shows us the profound value of our situation of "no escape" from the ups and downs of life.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars To become one with the world.
I love all Pema books. This one is as well written, and full of supportive spirit as the others.

5 Stars I highly recommend this book to my clients
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 (www.wisemenopause.com), I also recommend this book as a clear, concise introduction to meditation.

5 Stars So sweet, simple and direct.
I have an edition of this book that I picked up about 15 years ago. I keep returning to this book year after year and have never tired of it. It has survived many purges of my spiritual library over the years. This book is sweet, easy to understand, and helpful. It defines a meditation practice that is easy to apply to one's daily activities. It is helping me relate more gently to the world and my life and is helpful in learning to awaken to the spaciousness and freedom that are ever present.

3 Stars Good book but not as good as others
Don't get me wrong, this is a good book, but there are just a couple of things about it that make it not quite as good as I was hoping. First, her interpretation of the Four Noble Truths is problematic in my eyes. Basically she take Tibetan teachings on egolessness (which are great teachings in their own right) and superimposes them on the Four Noble Truths. Her interpretation does not ring true for me – she states that the 2nd Noble Truth is "resisting life causes suffering" and that the 3rd Noble Truth is learning to let go of our "selves"/ego. These are valuable teachings but do not represent the more usual (and probably academically correct, as well as more powerful, in my opinion) translations that I have read: that (very summarily put) the 2nd Noble Truth is that that craving/desire/grasping causes suffering and the 3rd Noble Truth is that ceasing to crave/desire/grasp results in the cessation of suffering. Her interpretation is not wrong, but it is a bit of a Chinese whispered version of the Four Noble Truths and I would have liked her book better had she not re-interpreted them like this. Secondly, she writes "from above" a little. I feel that she comes across like a lovely, cosy, caring and wise Aunty. For me this made her teachings have less impact. I preferred Tara Brach's "Radical Acceptance" (which deals with a similar subject – accepting life as it is) to "The Wisdom of No Escape": Brach's writing is a bit more raw and personal and she writes like one sister to another sister (or brother)).

5 Stars Very practical, accessible and well-written….
This is one of my favorite books by Pema Chodron. It not only does a very good job of describing the essence of Buddhism, but it goes beyond that in making Tibetan Buddhism more understandable and relevant to a Western audience without deveating from the tradition. In short, it contains the heart of the teachings of the Vajrayana. A nice complimentary book if you are interested in going deeper into Tibetan Buddhism is Fundamentals of Tibetan Buddhism. These books compliment each other and the latter puts all of the Buddhist traditions in historical context. Huston Smith's essay in The World's Religions: Our Great Wisdom Traditions or Buddhism: A Concise Introduction. You get more bang for your buck with the former Huston Smith book, however.

The fundamental teaching of the Buddha involves the following realizations: 1) Life is suffering; 2) The cause of suffering is selfish desire; 3) To get rid of selfish desire, follow the eightfold path. The essence of the eightfold path is a moral life grounded in a strong loving-kindness practice (A Mahayana emphasis, but true of all schools). This book provides precisely that — a path of loving-kindness that any person could follow and apply to their life. When asked what religion the Dalai was, he once said… "my religion is loving-kindess." While the Dalai Lama didn't officially endorse the book that I know of, certainly it is written in keeping with this spirit.

This book covers a LOT of ground in short volume of about 108 pages. It looks at the existential situation of not being able to escape our life and the human condition which is characterized by suffering. The Buddha said as his last words, "be a lamp unto yourselves." I believe the intent here was that no super mommy or daddy in the sky is going to come down and save you from the human condition. You must look deeply to see the truth and this will liberate you from samsara or the cycle of suffering. In this book, Pema Chodron describes the Buddha's teachings and more importantly practices to help you to arrive at a place of loving-kindness and equanimity.

What I most like about this book is that she keeps things simple. She also describes Tonglen practice and other forms of meditation and habits of thought that cultivate a mind that is not locked in conditioned thinking. Krishnamurti once said, "seeing the truth deeply is what liberates, not your efforts to be free." A corallary to this might be… yes… but what limits how deeply you can see is your depth of compassion for others, but primarily for yourself. This book is a manual about how to cultivate a loving-kindness that allows you to penetrate the insufficiency of living for things like money, sex, power and status. It is a good read for anyone.

If you are interested in a somewhat different Western perspective or something to contrast these writings with then try A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life. This book by Jack Kornfield emphasizes an earlier Buddhist tradition namely the Theravada (Way of the Elders). Mahayana Buddhism was an outgrowth of these teachings and Tibetan Buddism (Vajrayana) a further extension and elaboration. Jack Kornfield is a Western psychologist who spent a number of years in Thailand as a Buddhist monk and his perspective is accessible, entertaining, practical and complimentary to this book. If you are looking for a more integrative read that relates to Western Psychology directly try Toward a Psychology of Awakening: Buddhism, Psychotherapy, and the Path of Personal and Spiritual Transformation. This is a more difficult read, but extremely worthwhile. There are other recommendations on my listmania lists of this is your area of interest.

Buy/More Info

Sphere: Related Content

Related posts:

1. The Pema Chodron Audio Collection – Pure Meditation Good Medicine From Fear to Fearlessness
2. Awakening the Buddha Within – Tibetan Wisdom for the Western World
3. Pema Chodron 2010 Wall Calendar – Awakening the Heart
4. Loving What Is – Four Questions That Can Change Your Life
5. If the Buddha Dated – A Handbook for Finding Love on a Spiritual Path
6. The Heart of the Buddhas Teaching
7. Start Where You Are – A Guide to Compassionate Living, Shambhala Classics
8. Offerings – Buddhist Wisdom for Every Day Offerings for Humanity
9. Buddhas Brain – The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love and Wisdom
10. The Worlds Religions – Our Great Wisdom Traditions

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

2 Responses to “The Wisdom of No Escape and the Path of Loving Kindness”

1. Francis says:

   August 12, 2009 at 2:44 pm

   "The Hopi Declaration Of Peace"

   It is in the Power of the True Hopi People to unify the minds and
   spirits of all true peace-seeking peoples of the earth.

   "Hopi" means "Peaceful People" and the truest and greatest power
   is the strength of Peace because Peace is the Will of The Great Spirit.

   But do not think that just because the True Hopi People have been told by the Great Spirit never to take up arms that the True Hopi People will not fight and even die for what we know to be the right way of Life.

   The True Hopi People know how to fight without killing or hurting.

   The True Hopi People know how to fight with Truth and Positive Force In The Light of The Great Spirit.

   The True Hopi People know how to fight and educate by clear thoughts, good pictures, and by carefully chosen words.

   The True Hopi People know how to show to all the world's children the
   True Way of Life by setting an example and by working and communicating in a way that reaches the minds and hearts of all people who are truly seeking the methods of a Simple and Spiritual Life which is the only Life that will survive…….

   (The Hopi are an indigenous tribal people in Arizona)

   The above testimony i believe to be in perfect harmony with The Teachings and The Life example of the One called The Messiah. And The Messiah's Teachings and Life were given Him of Our Father(Creator), HE WHO is The Only True G-D.

   There is but one thing i would change in the Hopi testimony.

   I believe "the truest and greatest power" is The Only True G-D(Great Spirit), Father(Creator) of ALL, and The Spirit of Peace is but one of HIS Spiritual attributes, Light, Life, Truth, Love, Peace, Mercy, Grace, Wisdom,,,,,etc…….

   Simply, i believe all that is truly Good is Spirit and is of The Only True GOOD…….

   And i select "none of the above" when given a list of the religious systems of this world to select from, for i believe "religion", of any flavor, is anti-messiah…….

   Peace, in spite of the dis-ease(no-peace) that is of this world……. francis
2. Shellee says:

   August 14, 2009 at 12:49 pm

   Enjoyed…thank you and Blessings.

   My book, Suffering ~ A Path of Awakening: Dissolving the Pain of Incest, Abuse, Addiction and Depression, takes the reader on a 39-year journey of my life, from a victim of sexual abuse, drugs, alcohol, and depression to the doors of death, into 12-step recovery, many spiritual paths and finally to full embodied awakening to Consciousness in August of 2008 with almost eleven years of sobriety.

   'Suffering' was released this past May and is already touching the hearts of many people.

   This powerful little book is for anyone who has longed for more in their life, has been (or is) lost to their purpose, struggled on different spiritual paths or experienced suffering, abuse or addiction at any level.

   The raw truth and vulnerability of this incredible real-life story is inspiring hope and healing in the hearts of many who read it. A brave and heart-wrenching adventure, it will forever change the way one looks at suffering and enlightenment.

   Press release: http://www.pr.com/press-release/152365

   Please visit http://www.shelleerae.com for a link to Amazon and BN.com for reader's reviews.

   Only Love,
   shellee