This is a truly lovely book that is impactful and important. I learned so much about change and focus through meditation and more. I think it is a very lovely book with a weighty subject that Chodron has perfected. ( )

Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change. Another masterful book by Pema Chodron. But not a book for me. In the opening section, she asks, “How can we relax and have a genuine passionate relationship with the fundamental uncertainty, the groundlessness of being human?” The rest of the book answers that question, by way of describing The Three Commitments, from Tibetan Buddhist tradition. At the time my spiritual book group read Living Beautifully, I wasn’t looking for a how-to. As always, she’s great with instruction. I wanted inspiration. I was ready for more of a communication from the other side. What does daily life look like after the illusion has been seen through? After it’s clear there’s no answer to how. I wanted music and this was a lecture. Still, I recommend Living Beautifully to anyone who loves Pema Chodron. She accomplishes what she sets out to do, in a style that’s informative and accessible. ( )

One of the clearest and most helpful books on mindful living that I have encountered. I intend to get a copy of my own, and to revisit this in the future. ( )

I’m biased because I’m a Chodron fan, but this one is really great. It challenged me to work with being open, despite my inclination to judge my reactions to life and to close down emotions and feelings and to shut down to people who make me uncomfortable. The book is based on a series of talks, it comes with a mini-guide at the end to some of her other works, including Start Where You Are and When Things Fall Apart.
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Ani Pema writes with clarity and compassion. Her work is such a joy to experience. Here she takes on the fear that uncertainty and change induces, sharing the wisdom of how to ride that fear.

In this section, she addresses a strong component of our fear...our attachment to praise and aversion to criticism:

"Finally, let’s consider our attachment to praise and blame. We want to be complimented and we don’t want to be criticized. Some people blossom when they receive kudos for a job well done but go to pieces when they receive criticism, even if it’s constructive. Young children, teenagers, and yes, even the most mature of adults can have their spirits lifted up by compliments and cast down by criticism. We are so easily blown about by the winds of praise and blame. This has been going on through the ages.

'They criticize the silent ones. They criticize the talkative ones. They criticize the moderate ones. There is no one in the world that escapes criticism. There never was and never will be, nor is there now, the wholly criticized or the wholly approved.'

Shakyamuni Buddha said that more than twenty-five hundred years ago, but it seems that some things never change." ( )