Comfortable with Uncertainty: 108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: bodhichitta practices, tonglen practice, joyful mind, Grand Canyon, The Zen, The Facts of Life

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Comfortable with Uncertainty reads like a perfect companion guide to the traditional 108-day Buddhist retreat. In a day-by-day format, author Pema Chödrön dives into the soothing wisdom of Tibetan Buddhism, reminding us that groundlessness is the only ground we have to stand on. Each of her 108 teachings are brief (about two pages), and all of them are excerpted from longer discussions in Chödrön's previous bestselling books (The Places That Scare You and When Things Fall Apart). Nonetheless, newcomers as well as seasoned fans of Chödrön's writing will glean much from this training program for becoming a "warrior bodhisattva"--a term which, simply put, means one who aspires to act from an awakened heart.

Gradually, Chödrön guides readers beyond the tunnel vision of the self, expanding outward to include compassion for all of humanity. In the 12th teaching, "The Root of Suffering," Chödrön writes: "What keeps us unhappy and stuck in a limited view of reality is our tendency to seek pleasure and avoid pain, to seek security and avoid groundlessness, to seek comfort and avoid discomfort." In the 77th teaching, "Cool Loneliness," she suggests that the next time readers wake up in the morning feeling the "heartache of alienation" they try to "relax and touch the limitless space of the human heart." By the 101st teaching, Chödrön speaks to "taking refuge in the Sangha," meaning becoming warriors who are not only committed to taking off their own armors of self-pity, but are also committed to gently helping others do the same. Student warriors will also appreciate the glossary, bibliography, and resource guide in the back. --Gail Hudson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Gently, conversationally, and with humor, Comfortable with Uncertainty offers strategies for seeing and thinking differently. For many people the approach is nothing less than transformational."— Boston Globe "Chödrön's voice is gently humorous, always kind, and seemingly infinitely wise."— L.A. Times

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala (December 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590300785
• ISBN-13: 978-1590300787
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #180,440 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 108 short teachings from her 4 main books--worth 4.5 stars, February 22, 2005

By	Neal J. Pollock (VA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This small book contains 108 short chapters taken from Pema's four main/prior books (The Wisdom of No Escape, Start Where You Are, The Places that Scare You, When Things Fall Apart). It includes her signature stories such as pp. 40-2: the 4 Maras-"turning arrows into flowers", pp. 61-2: the teaching of heaven & hell to a samurai, p. 103: the empty boat, p. 111: lions and the strawberry, and p. 115: the Demon of Now in the cave. It also some fine quotes such as: p. 25: "Resisting Life causes suffering," p. 62: "Only with equanimity can we see that everything that comes into our circle [of sacred space] has come to teach us what we need to know," and p. 91: "We cannot be in the present moment and run our story lines at the same time." Perhaps best of all, it addresses not only on-the-spot Tonglen but also on-the-spot compassion and equanimity. So, reading it may provide you with on-the-spot joy!

52 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book for everyone, March 30, 2005

By	Brett Shand (New Zealand) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

You either can read this book from beginning to end using it as a meditation guide for the warrior meditator, or you can drop into it and see what you get; also good.

It is unfailingly wise and compassionate in it's approach which is that meditation is not the path up the mountain but the path down into yourself and that accepting yourself as you are is what is important and difficult. This requires courage. The current ideas of changing yourself or self-improvement are yet another subtle attack on yourself.

The ironic miracle, of course, is that abandoning goals of self-improvement and accepting yourself leads to change, and you become someone you like better whether you like it or not.

Underneath all our fear of ourselves, way down deep, we find find our "wounded, softened hearts" and we discover that we, all of us, are compassionate loving beings. Now isn't that a hope for the world?

If you think this might be a good idea, then this book is a wonderful guide. It is not an answer, but it is a gentle helping hand along The Way.

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Daily meditations for compassionate warriors., September 13, 2002

By	G. Merritt (Boulder, CO) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Comfortable with Uncertainty: 108 Teachings (Hardcover)

Pema Chodron is a Buddhist teacher in the lineage of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, her teacher. In her previous book, THE PLACES THAT SCARE YOU (2001), she wrote that compassionate "warriors-in-training need someone to guide them, a master warrior, a teacher, a spiritual friend, someone who knows the territory well and can help them find their way" (p. 113). For many of us, Chodron is that "someone."

COMFORTABLE WITH UNCERTAINTY is a compilation of 108 excerpts from Chodron's previous books that may be read as a collection of short, daily meditations for compassionate warriors-in-training. These teachings will stick with you, and they will resonate throughout the day. Readers expecting to find something new here may be disappointed. But for others, this book will offer an excellent introduction to Pema Chodron.

G. Merritt