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When Things Fall Apart
When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times.
Pema Chödrön reveals the vast potential for happiness, wisdom and courage even in the most painful circumstances.
Pema Chödrön teaches that there is a fundamental opportunity for happiness right within our reach, yet we usually miss it – ironically, while we are caught up in attempt to escape pain and suffering.
This accessible guide to compassionate living shows us how we can use painful emotions to cultivate wisdom, compassion and courage, ways of communication that lead to openness and true intimacy with others, practices for reversing our negative habitual patterns, methods for working with chaotic situations and ways to cultivate compassionate, energetic social action
Recently profiled in Oprah’s O magazine, Pema Chödrön is a spiritual teacher for anyone – whether they have a spiritual path or not. Her heartfelt advice and wisdom (developed in her 20 years of practice as a Tibetan Buddhist nun as well as her years previously as a normal ‘housewife and mother’) give her a wide appeal. This advice strikes just the right note, offering us comfort and challenging us to live deeply and contribute to creating a more loving world.
Pema Chödrön reveals the vast potential for happiness, wisdom and courage even in the most painful circumstances.
Pema Chödrön teaches that there is a fundamental opportunity for happiness right within our reach, yet we usually miss it – ironically, while we are caught up in attempt to escape pain and suffering.
This accessible guide to compassionate living shows us how we can use painful emotions to cultivate wisdom, compassion and courage, ways of communication that lead to openness and true intimacy with others, practices for reversing our negative habitual patterns, methods for working with chaotic situations and ways to cultivate compassionate, energetic social action
Recently profiled in Oprah’s O magazine, Pema Chödrön is a spiritual teacher for anyone – whether they have a spiritual path or not. Her heartfelt advice and wisdom (developed in her 20 years of practice as a Tibetan Buddhist nun as well as her years previously as a normal ‘housewife and mother’) give her a wide appeal. This advice strikes just the right note, offering us comfort and challenging us to live deeply and contribute to creating a more loving world.
170 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2018
36 people are currently reading
305 people want to read
About the author
Pema Chödrön
200 books5,502 followersAni Pema Chödrön (Deirdre Blomfield-Brown) is an American Buddhist nun in the Tibetan tradition, closely associated with the Kagyu school and the Shambhala lineage.
She attended Miss Porter's School in Connecticut and graduated from the University of California at Berkeley. She taught as an elementary school teacher for many years in both New Mexico and California. Pema has two children and three grandchildren.
While in her mid-thirties, she traveled to the French Alps and encountered Lama Chime Rinpoche, with whom she studied for several years. She became a novice nun in 1974 while studying with Lama Chime in London. His Holiness the Sixteenth Karmapa came to England at that time, and Ani Pema received her ordination from him.
Ani Pema first met her root guru, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, in 1972. Lama Chime encouraged her to work with Trungpa, and it was with him that she ultimately made her most profound connection, studying with him from 1974 until his death in 1987. At the request of the Sixteenth Karmapa, she received the full bikshuni ordination in the Chinese lineage of Buddhism in 1981 in Hong Kong.
Ani Pema served as the director of the Karma Dzong, in Boulder, CO, until moving in 1984 to rural Cape Breton, Nova Scotia to be the director of Gampo Abbey. Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche gave her explicit instructions on establishing this monastery for western monks and nuns.
Ani Pema currently teaches in the United States and Canada and plans for an increased amount of time in solitary retreat under the guidance of Venerable Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche.
She attended Miss Porter's School in Connecticut and graduated from the University of California at Berkeley. She taught as an elementary school teacher for many years in both New Mexico and California. Pema has two children and three grandchildren.
While in her mid-thirties, she traveled to the French Alps and encountered Lama Chime Rinpoche, with whom she studied for several years. She became a novice nun in 1974 while studying with Lama Chime in London. His Holiness the Sixteenth Karmapa came to England at that time, and Ani Pema received her ordination from him.
Ani Pema first met her root guru, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, in 1972. Lama Chime encouraged her to work with Trungpa, and it was with him that she ultimately made her most profound connection, studying with him from 1974 until his death in 1987. At the request of the Sixteenth Karmapa, she received the full bikshuni ordination in the Chinese lineage of Buddhism in 1981 in Hong Kong.
Ani Pema served as the director of the Karma Dzong, in Boulder, CO, until moving in 1984 to rural Cape Breton, Nova Scotia to be the director of Gampo Abbey. Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche gave her explicit instructions on establishing this monastery for western monks and nuns.
Ani Pema currently teaches in the United States and Canada and plans for an increased amount of time in solitary retreat under the guidance of Venerable Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 6, 2025
Like other books of Pema Chodron's, this contains several of the main ideas and principles of the spiritual Buddhist path, completed by specific teachings (essays) about the fundamentally joyful nature of the human condition, especially in times of crisis, uncertainty, turmoil. The author presents some concepts that may sound counterintuitive to the Western way of thinking, such as: groundlessness, egolessness, choicelessness, and so on, all of them clearly and beautifully explained.
A challenging book, for every wanderer on any spiritual path.
A challenging book, for every wanderer on any spiritual path.
June 20, 2025
The book has a lot of the great koans that Chodran is know for, and it is very quotable. The overall idea is quite good and motivational. But the book is put together from essays by Chodran. And it feels that way. As meditation has more and more research behind it; as it gains traction; as we need it in our daily living more and more, there are more books written about it. And the bar gets higher. But these essays, though coherent and complete don’t hold together as many books do nowadays. They feel less cohesive and I found myself longing for a stronger guiding hand with more step by step advice. Maybe the writer wasn’t setting out to do that, but that had been my hope.
3.75 stars
3.75 stars
January 5, 2026
Pema Chödrön's perennially best-selling classic on overcoming life's difficulties cuts to the heart of spirituality and personal growth.
How can we live our lives when everything seems to fall apart—when we are continually overcome by fear, anxiety, and pain? The answer, might be just the opposite of what you expect. Here, in her most beloved and acclaimed work, Pema shows that moving toward painful situations and becoming intimate with them can open up our hearts in ways we never before imagined. Drawing from traditional Buddhist wisdom, she offers life-changing tools for transforming suffering and negative patterns into habitual ease and boundless joy.
How can we live our lives when everything seems to fall apart—when we are continually overcome by fear, anxiety, and pain? The answer, might be just the opposite of what you expect. Here, in her most beloved and acclaimed work, Pema shows that moving toward painful situations and becoming intimate with them can open up our hearts in ways we never before imagined. Drawing from traditional Buddhist wisdom, she offers life-changing tools for transforming suffering and negative patterns into habitual ease and boundless joy.
January 25, 2026
A beautiful, unique read. Challenging at times, for good reason. The challenge was internal, helping me think about my own actions, thoughts, and feelings. Each chapter left me in a state of reflection. It is definitely a book I would love to pick up and visit many more times throughout my life. If you have the ability, pick up this book and approach it with an open heart.
April 18, 2024
Found this was a good book! The idea of Buddhism in your life is a better way to look at things! I loved this book for its compassion and the directness! This says a lot about live 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
January 24, 2025
The books is good. You don't have to be into Buddhism to find value in this book. Personally, I'm not religious, but the ideas proposed in the book have shifted my perspective on many things in life.
October 28, 2025
overall very good and gave me a lot to think about, felt a little repetitive at moments for me
December 20, 2025
read, then read again, then again and repeat
January 15, 2026
Almost poetic in a sense going through Buddhism practices and spirituality. I enjoyed it and read slowly to savor concepts.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews