Comfortable with Uncertainty by Pema Chödrön

by Tracy Huddlestun
(Indiana)

The name of the book is "Comfortable with Uncertainty" by Pema Chödrön. She is an American Mahayana Buddhist nun. So it is more accessible for Americans.

What I like about this book is the approach. It approaches meditation to enlightenment from a Bodhisattva view. A Bodhisattva is one who has achieved enlightenment and chooses to stay behind to help everyone else.

This book contains things to meditate on. So it isn't just a step by step guide to meditation. It does include some of the basics of meditation such as posture, breathing and concentration. But it focuses on steadfastness. Clear seeing. How to experience our emotional distress. And how to hold attention on the present moment.

Pema teaches us about the Bodhichitta. The "noble or awakened heart". It is a very different path. It doesn't lead you to the sky. To the top of the mountain to transcend all things. It heads down into the suffering of humans and to compassion. To a lake of pure water at the very bottom. With this meditation you don't end up in a cave alone apart from the world.

This book really gets close to me. It has helped me figure out who I am. It gives me a meditation that suits me. Something I don't have to be enlightened to do! And it encourages a "do it now" attitude. It isn't just for special people. Anyone can do this.

Comfortable with Uncertainty? One Problem