True Happiness by Pema Chodron Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of True Happiness
Book Review: Tapping into real joy
Summary: 5 Stars
Having read books by Pema Chodron and thoroughly enjoyed her clear and decisive style, it was a pleasure to listen to her on this CD - which is a live recording of an intensive retreat recorded at Gampo Abbey Monastery in Nova Scotia. Running to seven hours, this title puts us in touch with our own mortality and allows us to discover for ourselves true happiness.
Tapping into real joy comes form being in love with life and "knowing" deep within ourselves that each day is precious, that life is so short and that every moment is very special and precious; a constant cause for celebration.
That we are going to die is a truth that everyone knows deep within themselves, yet it takes constant awareness to realise it moment by moment and celebrate life fully, rather than living in a state of unconscious blind escapism - the natural human state imposed on us through years of conditioning.
It may sound like an idealistic way to live yet it is oh so close for all of us. It takes no effort to be happy and no outer circumstances are required - it simply comes from living in the now with an alert presence, living with love and compassion, living in alignment with life rather than fighting life and keeping our mortality high in our conscious awareness.
Ignorance and fear keep us trapped in unhappiness. It is an unconscious state that has been learnt and it can be unlearnt very simply. One of the keys to maintaining happiness is to be aware in the moments when we are going wrong; to "know" the times when we are not in line with our own true happiness. This vital conscious state can help us transform our daily lives and the beauty of it is it takes no effort! What takes effort and hard work is to be miserable, to be trapped in thought and to inflict suffering on ourselves through our erroneous reactions to life.
As with all great Spiritual Teachers, Pema Chodron invites us to find out for ourselves how accessible the truth is - rather than taking her word for it or following a set of rules or guidelines. There are suggestions and ideas on the CD's, yet the real work comes from within, by challenging our pre-existing ideas and notions and by "living" true happiness on a moment by moment basis; so that it becomes a way of life.
Pema Chodron takes the listener into true happiness and awakening, through personal experience and self investigation. This a brilliant CD set that draws on the wisdom of Buddhism and offers universal advice for everyone.
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