Product Description

In this pithy, inspiring book, Pema Chödrön presents the Buddhist concept of shenpa—which can be translated as “getting stuck” or “getting hooked”—and shows us how we can liberate ourselves from it. Shenpa is that irritating sensation that arises in moments when life suddenly becomes disappointing, difficult, or painful. Perhaps someone criticizes your work, your appearance, or your child. Something within you tightens, shuts down. That’s shenpa. After we tighten, we instinctively start to blame ourselves or others. We might get angry and lash out in words or actions. Or we might reach for a cigarette, a drink, or some other addictive substance to numb our pain. Chödrön shows us the way out of these habitual reactions that keep us locked in cycles of suffering.

In Taking the Leap she introduces a new way of responding to moments of shenpa: learning to stay present. Rather than running from life’s hurts, you can actually stop and open your heart, and therein discover courage and compassion. This book presents the “four R’s” of working with shenpa: recognizing it, refraining from acting out against ourselves or others, relaxing with the underlying feelings, and resolving to make this our way of life. With her characteristic warmth and encouragement, Pema Chödrön offers transformational teachings and practices that readers can immediately put to use in their daily lives.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1237 in Books
• Published on: 2009-09-08
• Released on: 2009-09-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 128 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781590306345
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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From Publishers Weekly
This gently encouraging book by popular teacher Chödrön (When Things Fall Apart; The Places That Scare You) applies Buddhist wisdom to the problems of deeply ingrained reactions. An American Buddhist nun in the lineage of Tibetan master Chogyam Trungpa, she writes that we already have what we need to change and heal. Chödrön focuses on the preverbal moment—called shenpa in Tibetan—in which individuals are hooked into harmful stories, emotions and actions within the flux of their experiences. Clear descriptions of how this process works are accompanied by simple techniques to begin to break the cycle. Her suggestions can be easily practiced by anyone at any time without meditation training, although she presents the benefits of sitting meditation. With anecdotes from her teachers and examples from her own and others' lives, Chödrön demonstrates that people can stop their suffering and access their natural intelligence, warmth and openness. Throughout, she emphasizes the global implications of personal change. Among her strengths are compassion for the difficulty of human existence and her willingness to acknowledge her own failings. This short guide provides valuable tools for change in uncertain times. (Sept. 8)
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About the Author
Pema Chödrön is an American Buddhist nun in the lineage of Chögyam Trungpa. She is resident teacher at Gampo Abbey in Nova Scotia, the first Tibetan monastery in North America established for Westerners. She is also the author of many books and audiobooks, including the best-selling When Things Fall Apart and Don't Bite the Hook.

Customer Reviews

Straightforward and Powerful, Accessible to Anyone, Buddhist or Non-Buddhist
I have long admired the writings of Pema Chodron, and I think she has done it again with this book. She excels at making teachings from the Vajrayana or Tantric Buddhist tradition of her root teacher Chogyam Trungpa accessible to anyone and relevant to daily life. In this book she presents teachings on 'shenpa', which is often translated as 'attachment' but which she suggests might better be understood as "what it feels like to get hooked." As she puts it:

"Somebody says a harsh word and something in you tightens: instantly you're hooked. That tightness quickly spirals into blaming the person or denigrating yourself. The chain reaction of speaking or acting or obsessing happens fast. Maybe if you have strong addictions, you go right for your addiction to cover over the uncomfortable feelings."

The focus of Taking the Leap is how we can learn to recognize when we are hooked, and how we can work with and transform the energy generated when this occurs. Instead of judging or battling within ourselves, we can learn to see each occurrence of shenpa as an opportunity - an opportunity for awakening. This process is about more than just our personal happiness, for shenpa is the source of bigotry and violence in our world. Ani Pema says:

"Each of us can be an active participant in creating a nonviolent future simply by how we work with shenpa when it arises. How individuals like you and I relate to being hooked, these days, has global implications."

The key to working with shenpa in a different way is to remain open and even curious about the energy that arises when we are 'hooked', instead of acting out or seeking to distract ourselves. Pema Chodron references a Tibetan metaphor of a peacock, whose feathers become more brilliant and glowing when it eats certain plants that are poisonous to other animals. If we can learn to simply accept the energies that arise in us, without judgment, we can explore them, and ultimately transmute them. This is the true essence of the Tantric Buddhist approach.

Pema Chodron always keep her writings straightforward and personal, referencing stories from her own life and those of people she has known. One particularly powerful story for me was about a Jewish couple who befriend an elderly Ku Klux Clan member who has been harassing them, and transform the situation, the man, and themselves in the process. She describes several specific techniques for working with shenpa, including some sitting meditations, but an individual certainly does not need to be Buddhist or even be familiar with Buddhist writings to understand this book. In fact, if I have any criticism (and it's not really a criticism) it's that I find her writings are always deceptively simple - they are so digestible it's easy to underestimate the transformative power of the teachings within them.

So I highly recommend Taking the Leap: Freeing Ourselves from Old Habits and Fears, and suggest working with it for some time. It is a small book, and appropriate for both non-Buddhists and Buddhists of any lineage.

Freeing ourselves from old habits and fears
This is another important book by Pema. I have heard the story of the two wolves before and always find it moving: A Native American grandfather and his grandson talk of two wolves fighting in our hearts, one is vengeful, hateful and angry, the other is kind, understanding and compassionate. The grandson asks "who will win the fight"? .... and grandfather answers "the one that we feed" . Clearly Pema's message is that we have a choice in how we live, we have a choice in which wolf we feed. We can honesty face what's happening in our lives "by looking compassionately and honestly at our own minds". Time to stop blaming others and look into our own habitual thoughts. Pema talks of "shempa" or "being hooked" similar to Tolle and the "pain body" and states "how we relate moment to moment is all there really is" . "Can we learn to drop those limiting story lines and narrow perspectives and see what is happening with new clarity, wisdom and compassion"? This book, and others by Pema, teach that this is day to day, hour by hour training. It doesn't end once we step off the meditation cushion -
I am a big fan of Pema and her teachings. I have had a couple of similar experiences she discusses in this book and undoubtedly that's made her someone I closely relate to. One being the death of her mother, for me it was the death of an Aunt. All these possessions we treasure .... will be just boxes of "stuff" to someone else one day. Similarly as Pema states, "all the labels, judgments, values, likes and dislikes we hold so tightly are - all much to do about nothing... and we suffer from it".
I highly recommend this book -

A true self work book!
Like the reviewer above, I have long admired Pema Chodron's books. She has the ability of using simple language to explain profound meanings of Buddhism. A lot of Buddhism books are poetic or translations which requires one's own interpretations and sometimes loses the precision. This is a short and kinda expensive book which focuses on the work of oneself, the first step to walk on the Buddha path. A general term of Buddhims like attachment is reworded to 'hooked' or 'stuck'. I like her views and writing from a western's point of view, a more mondern approach to the religion that is ancient. BTW, a person with some psychology background like me will find it very psychological and insightful. It writes about self blind spot, feeling for others begins with acceptance of ourselves without deception and etc! I love the fact that she's the author offers to a borader audience than just Buddhists. Congrats Pema! I am waiting for you next book already! May Buddha be with you!