Title: Living Beautifully
Series: Standalone
Author’s Name: Pema Chodron
Publisher: Shambhala
Genre: Tibetan Buddhism
Page Count: 161 Pages
ISBN: 1590309634 (ISBN13: 9781590309636)
Author or Book Website: N/A
Link to Amazon purchase page: Living Beautifully
Link to Goodreads: Living Beautifully
Release Date: N/A
How I Got the Book: Review Copy
Summary of the Book:
Is it possible to live well when the very ground we stand on is shaky? Yes, says everyone’s favorite Buddhist nun, it’s even possible to live beautifully, compassionately, and happily on shaky ground—and the secret is: the ground is always shaky. Pema shows how using a traditional Buddhist practice called the Three Vows or Three Commitments is a way to relax into profound sanity in the midst of whatever non-sanity is happening around us. Just making these simple aspirations can change the way we look at the world and can provide us with a lifetime of material for spiritual practice.
The three commitments are three methods for embracing the chaotic, uncertain, dynamic, challenging nature of our situation as a path to awakening. The first of the commitments, traditionally called the Pratimoksha Vow, is the foundation for personal liberation. This is a commitment to doing our best to not cause harm with our actions or words or thoughts, a commitment to being good to each other. It provides a structure within which we learn to work with our thoughts and emotions, and to refrain from speaking or acting out of confusion. The next step toward being comfortable with groundlessness is a commitment to helping others, traditionally called the Bodhisattva Vow. It is a commitment to dedicate our lives to keeping our hearts and minds open, and nurturing our compassion with the longing to ease the suffering of the world. The last of the three commitments, traditionally known as the Samaya Vow, is a resolve to embrace the world just as it is, without bias; a resolve to see everything we encounter, good and bad, pleasant and painful, as a manifestation of awakened energy. It is a commitment to see everything and anything as a means by which we can awaken further.
My Personal Review: I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. It did not take me long to read this book. I did so in one setting. But I would not say that it was over at this point. It is the type of book that you would go back to over and over again. Some of the lines are very meaningful and lighten the spirit at trying times. That is not something that I always get from the non-fiction books very often. I used this book to make some entries in my journal.
My Rating of the Book: 4 Stars
From the Book Reviewer's Desk 