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Pema Chödrön: The wisdom of no escape (2001, London, Shambhala, Distributed in the United States by Random House)

Review of 'The wisdom of no escape' on 'Goodreads'

This book collects dharma talks that Pema Chodron gave during a month-long meditation retreat. They were probably a lot more inspiring in that context. Transcribed, they are at best uneven, and sometimes fall flat. The best of the talks address depression and anxiety from a Buddhist perspective. She also does a solid job synthesizing and citing teachings from a variety of Buddhist teachers familiar to American Buddhists. The worst are the talks that describe Chogyam Trungpa’s asshole behavior and try to make it hagiographic. I understand this is part of Pema Chodron’s approach (and possibly vow) to see everything the teacher does as a profound teaching. Given the later revelations of widespread abuse in Trungpa’s community, it’s hard not to see those lectures as spiritualizing behavior that at best lead to creating a toxic environment and paved the way for abuse. Honestly, I don’t know if the good parts are good enough to make reading the bad parts worthwhile. I would recommend reading this book if you want to get a feel for American Buddhism and possibly if you are an unhappy person trying to meditate but not actually depressed. If you are a happy person or actually depressed, then there are more appropriate sources for inspiration or solace, but that is beyond the scope of this review.