Welcoming the Unwelcome: Wholehearted Living in a Brokenhearted World

by Pema Chödrön

Overview

From the bestselling author of When Things Fall Apart, an open-hearted call for human connection, compassion, and learning to love the world just as it is during these most challenging times.

In her first new book of spiritual teachings in over seven years, Pema Chödrön offers a combination of wisdom, heartfelt reflections, and the signature mix of humor and insight that have made her a beloved figure to turn to during times of change. In an increasingly polarized world, Pema shows us how to strengthen our abilities to find common ground, even when we disagree, and influence our environment in positive ways. Sharing never-before told personal stories from her remarkable life, simple and powerful everyday practices, and directly relatable advice, Pema encourages us all to become triumphant bodhisattvas—compassionate beings—in times of hardship.

Welcoming the Unwelcome includes teachings on the true meaning of karma, recognizing the basic goodness in ourselves and the people we share our lives with—even the most challenging ones, transforming adversity into opportunities for growth, and freeing ourselves from the empty and illusory labels that separate us. Pema also provides step-by-step guides to a basic sitting meditation and a compassion meditation that anyone can use to bring light to the darkness we face, wherever and whatever it may be.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781611805659
Publisher:	Shambhala
Publication date:	10/08/2019
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	208,616
Product dimensions:	5.47(w) x 8.55(h) x 0.77(d)

About the Author

Pema Chödrön is an American Buddhist nun and one of the foremost students of Chögyam Trungpa, the renowned meditation master. She is the author of The Wisdom of No Escape, Start Where You Are, and The Places That Scare You, and she is resident teacher at Gampo Abbey, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, the first Tibetan monastery in North America established for Westerners.

Table of Contents

1 Begin with a Broken Heart 1

2 Does It Matter? 11

3 Overcoming Polarization 20

4 The Fine Art of Failure 30

5 The Path of Non-Rejecting 35

6 Just as It Is 42

7 How Not to Lose Heart 48

8 Beyond the Comfort Zone 57

9 Speaking from Our Shared Humanity 66

10 How You Label It Is How It Appears 73

11 The Practice of Open Awareness 81

12 Life Changes in an Instant 87

13 Cool Emptiness 95

14 Experiencing Nowness 100

15 Birth and Death in Every Moment 106

16 Imagine Life without Ego 112

17 Our Wisdom Changes the World 118

18 Welcoming the Unwelcome with Laughter 124

19 Learning from Our Teachers 129

20 Mission Impossible 139

Practices for Welcoming the Unwelcome 149

Basic Sitting Meditation 151

Tonglen Practice 154

Locate, Embrace, Stop, Remain. 161

Acknowledgments 165

About the Author 167

Editorial Reviews

07/22/2019

Chodron (Practicing Peace), a Buddhist teacher and bestselling poet, asks readers in this exquisite meditation to consider distinctions between the self and the other that can lead to polarization and suffering. To do so, she writes, one must sublimate personal motivations in favor of bodhicitta; roughly translated as the “awakened heart-mind,” bodhicitta is an aspiration to help others and a commitment to know oneself. Chodron targets what she sees as growing animosity within modern society, and teaches that, because reality is impermanent, the ego must struggle and harden against the “brokenheartedness of suffering” by being “open to our own discomfort.” Rather than losing one’s awareness by being “hooked” by constant attention to one’s suffering, Chodron advises readers to “stay upright with... vulnerability” and to “connect with the unbiased open space” of basic goodness. She offers instructions for sitting meditation, tonglen meditation, and LESR (locate, embrace, stop, and remain) as concrete practices. While her only practical advice relates to meditation practices, Chodron asks readers throughout to remain with the fear and anxiety of groundlessness that is the very source of polarization. For her, such practice transforms the present moment from harmful habits to fresh opportunities. Though Chodron treads familiar territory, her trademark tenacity and wisdom provide meditative practices and convincing rationale for more empathetic living. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"[Chödrön's] trademark tenacity and wisdom provide meditative practices and convincing rationale for more empathetic living."—Publishers Weekly  

"Anyone seeking strategies for navigating and finding peace within an increasingly polarized world will find this text useful, as well as individuals seeking an accessible introduction to key principles of Buddhist thought."—Library Journal 

From the Publisher

07/01/2019

Core tenets of Buddhist philosophy, such as impermanence or emptiness, can often be difficult for individuals to understand, and are often falsely interpreted as nothingness or that life is devoid of meaning or substance. Chödrön, Buddhist nun and prolific author (When Things Fall Apart; The Places That Scare You; Living Beautifully), unpacks this erroneous interpretation to explain that these core tenets can help an individual to recognize and fully experience the complex, fluid, and dynamic nature of reality. Chödrön begins with a discussion of polarization, a topic that is particularly salient in the contemporary social and political context. Many of us are tempted to shy away from difficult conversations or uncomfortable situations. Chödrön argues that allowing ourselves to feel vulnerable and rejecting an us-vs.-them dichotomy will ultimately spark compassion and help us to realize the goodness and humanity in ourselves and others. Chödrön communicates using relatable examples from her own life through chapters that clearly build on one another. She also weaves practical strategies throughout the text and provides meditation guidance in an appendix. VERDICT Anyone seeking strategies for navigating and finding peace within an increasingly polarized world will likely find this text useful, as well as individuals seeking an accessible introduction to key principles of Buddhist thought.—Amanda Folk, Ohio State Univ. Libs., Columbus

Library Journal