Pema, a popular Buddhist nun, teaches that it is possible to live well on shaky ground, even when the ground is always shaky. She uses the Three Vows or Three Commitments to help us relax into profound sanity amidst non-sanity.
These three methods offer a way to embrace the chaotic, uncertain, dynamic, and challenging nature of our situation as a path to awakening. The Pratimoksha Vow is the foundation for personal liberation, focusing on not causing harm with our actions or words.
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About the Author
Pema Chödrön is a Buddhist nun from the United States who is descended from Chögyam Trungpa. At Gampo Abbey in Nova Scotia, the first Tibetan monastery in North America founded for Westerners, she serves as a resident instructor. The best-selling novels When Things Fall Apart and Don’t Bite the Hook are among the several books and CDs she has written.
Review
This part begins with Pema Chödrön outlining the first of the Three Commitments, which is the basis for individual liberation and is commonly referred to as the Pratimoksha Vow. We pledge to treat one another with kindness and to try our best to avoid hurting one another by our words, deeds, or thoughts.
It offers a framework that teaches us to control our thoughts and feelings and to silence our confused speech or behaviour. She teaches the reader that the precepts are meant to be a tool for achieving outward renunciation, which is a deeper goal.
She goes on to explain that “ego clinging” or fixed identity is the root of our suffering and offers techniques for developing mindfulness, such as paying attention to every aspect of your life.
“The first pledge is to be aware of your triggers and to compassionately recognise when you are drawn to the eight worldly concerns—or, for that matter, anything at all.” She emphasises in closing the first part that waking is a process of letting go rather than a process of uplifting oneself.
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The second commitment, which is to look out for one another, is covered in Part Two.
The author outlines the second commitment, which is commonly referred to as the Bodhisattva Vow, in the next section. This commitment entails committing our life to maintaining an open mind and heart and to cultivating compassion with the desire to alleviate the suffering of others.
According to Ani Pema, the second commitment is a step farther into groundlessness that is a source of awakening rather than dread, a way to become fearless rather than a threat to one’s existence.
She teaches the four phases of Tonglen meditation in this segment, which is a fundamental technique for developing compassion and bravery and gaining access to our oneness with all living things.
Section Three: The Third Commitment: Making the Decision to Accept the World as It Is
What is commonly referred to as the Samaya Vow—the determination to accept life as it is and not reject anything—is presented by Pema Chödrön in part three. At this point, the author says, “The practice is to turn toward your experience, all of it, and never turn away.”
The development of the first two vows is followed by the Samaya Vow, which engages with life’s simplicity as it is. A large part of this entails reducing our propensity to attach labels, assumptions, attitudes, and viewpoints to everything we see.
Section 4: Final Remarks
The question that Pema Chödrön poses to the reader at the end of the book is “Are you ready to make a commitment?” For the benefit of our loved ones, our adversaries, and ourselves, we are urged to uphold these pledges and set off on the path of accepting life’s positive groundlessness.
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Summary
According to Chodron, our fundamental nature is characterised by ongoing change and unpredictability. Chodron argues that we can achieve freedom and pleasure by accepting the transience of our existence.
The book examines how discomfort might result from our rigid conception of ourselves and life’s unpredictability in this part. We may nevertheless engage with life more deeply and freely if we accept the lack of a firm foundation.