Was given this book by a friend and co-worker for Christmas this year. Was wonderful to read so shortly after reading The Heart of the Buddha's teaching. Absolutely recommend for anyone interested in reading further about Buddhism and practice. Calls attention to habitual responses in situations and suggests sitting with discomfort instead of trying to outrun it, consciously letting things fall apart in order to go against habits and create new energy. One practice I particularly identified with and have begun using is tonglen, "a practice of creating space, ventilating the atmosphere of our lives so that people can breathe freely and relax. Whenever we encounter suffering in any form, the tonglen instruction is to breathe it in with the wish that everyone could be free of pain. Whenever we encounter happiness in any form, the instruction is to breathe it out, send it out, with the wish that everyone could feel joy."

One chapter I have still not fully formed my thoughts about is Chapter 7: Hopelessness and Death. In it, Chodron says that we must release hope that things will change or get better in order to gain the fullness of the present moment. I agree that hope for lasting security will not provide relief because death (in many ways and forms) is part of life. However, I am unsure that totally abandoning hope is always the right thing to do in every situation. In my experience there are some situations in which hope is the only thing that helps us make it through. Still willing to explore this concept further.