Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: 50th Anniversary Edition Paperback – June 2, 2020

My initial reaction to a title like "The Wisdom of No Escape" was, let's just say, a little apprehensive. "No escape"? In this economy? In this chaotic world? My instinct is usually to find the nearest exit, the quickest distraction, the most comfortable hiding spot. I thought this book might be a stern lecture on toughing it out.Instead, Pema Chödrön offered something far more radical and, ultimately, incredibly liberating: a gentle, compassionate invitation to stay. To stay with the discomfort, the fear, the awkwardness, the heartbreak – all the messy bits of being human that we spend so much energy trying to outrun.Reading this book felt like a wise friend taking my hand and saying, "It's okay. You don't have to fix it or run from it right now. Just... be here." Chödrön's writing is so warm, so honest, and so deeply human. She doesn't pretend to be above the struggle; she shares her own vulnerabilities and insights gained from facing her own "no escape" moments. This made the wisdom she shared feel not just believable, but deeply relatable.The core message, that our difficulties are not obstacles to our spiritual path but the path itself, was a complete paradigm shift for me. It transformed my view of challenging emotions from enemies to be vanquished into teachers with valuable lessons. The "path of loving-kindness" woven throughout isn't about forced positivity, but about cultivating a genuine softness and acceptance towards ourselves and our experiences, even the painful ones.This book didn't give me a list of things to do to feel better. It gave me permission to be with what is, and in that being, I found a surprising sense of peace and resilience I hadn't accessed before. It's impactful because it doesn't offer a way out, but a way through, and that feels far more sustainable and true.If you're tired of running, if you're yearning for a deeper way to engage with your life, or if you simply need a reminder that you are fundamentally okay, exactly as you are, even in the midst of difficulty, pick up this book. It's a profound and tender guide to finding freedom not by escaping the cage, but by realizing the door was never locked.

This is the first review I have ever written on any of the 2,000+ books I have read on Kindle and in print. This changed when the early effects of this book hit me between the eyes. I acknowledge that this is not “the” book on Buddhist practices ... it’s only one of many. But it is (so far) the one that made the most impression on me. (And I have read many informative ones.)Since the closest Buddhist temple/meditation center to me is a 2 1/2-hour drive one-way using highways (which I don’t drive on), I have been doing my best to study Buddhism on my own. Since about 1968 or so, I have been reading Buddhist history, information on the various Buddhist traditions, books by the various teachers of the many traditions, Sutras, and other texts, books that tell me to empty my mind to meditate while others tell me to examine my thoughts to do so, books and videos on guided meditation ... and so forth. My education has been a hodge-podge, cherry-picking what resonates with me.And, then, I purchased “Zen Mind Beginner’s Mind: 50th Anniversary Edition,” and things started to click for me. I’m sure that there are many other books by various masters -- I’ve read more than a few, but this is the first one that explains to me how to meditate, what you are attempting to do, and how to examine things in actively in meditation; and then, when you have exhausted the examination, switching to quiet-mind meditation to come to an Ah! Hah! Moment.I have not finished the book, but I couldn’t wait to share what I found “talked to me.” I have liked the book so much on my Kindle, I have ordered the book in print. I generally read my books on Kindle cover-to-cover. When I want to go back and read specific sections, etc., I want a book in my hands.

I read this whole book and gave it to a family member for Xmas to read. I want the book back at some point to remember all the points it made. What I like about it is it takes away the “magic” and esotericism that often pollute Zen Buddhism. It shows you that in the repetition of zen meditation and also in the completion of day chores and responsibilities, we can too be like Buddhist monks if we just trust the process. Be sure you read the forward and afterward for more info on how the book came to be.