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’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.
Reviews of When Things Fall Apart
The Tibetan Buddhist equivalent of Harold Kushner’s When Bad Things Happen to Good People. . . Chodron demonstrates how effective the Buddhist point of view can be in bringing order into disordered lives.” – Publishers Weekly.
