Reviews and Comments

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.