The Wisdom of No Escape: and the Path of Loving-Kindness [Paperback]

It's true, as they say, that we can only love others when we first love ourselves. And we can only experience real joy when we stop running from pain. The key to understanding these truisms is simple but not easy: learn to open ourselves up to life in all circumstances. In this guide to true kindness for self and others, Pema Chödrön presents a uniquely practical approach to doing just that. And she reveals that when we embrace the happiness and heartache, inspiration and confusion, and all the twists and turns that are a natural part of life, we can begin to discover a true wellspring of courageous love that's been within our hearts all along. Whatever your folly—anger or fear or jealousy or melancholy—Chödrön teaches that freedom from it lies in ‘getting to know it completely, with some kind of softness, and learning how, once you’ve experienced it fully, to let go.' —Brain Pickings

This deceptively straightforward book is an excellent introduction to the thinking of a major Western Buddhist leader who gracefully bridges contemporary life with traditional practices. —Publishers WeeklyPema 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 the author of many books and audiobooks, including the best-sellingWhen Things Fall ApartandDon't Bite the Hook.US