April 29, 2013
American Buddhist nun Chödrön provides commentary and insights as she presents the wisdom and words of eighth-century Indian Buddhist scholar Shantideva. Narrator Joanna Rotte is also a student of Buddhism, and puts her experience to good use here, capturing crucial nuances of the text and clearly presenting them to listeners. Rotte’s performance projects calm, but possess enough energy to convey the author’s calls to action, as well as a motherly tone that evokes nurturing and balance. Rotte—with touches of both whimsy and reverence—is especially adept in performing the evocative passages that explore the contrasts between human nature’s obsession with physical beauty and sensuality and the realities of aging and mortality. Granted, this challenging material may not be an obvious fit for audiences not steeped in Eastern traditions, but Rotte does her part, making for an accessible listening experience. A Shambhala paperback.
August 29, 2005
Popular Buddhist teacher Chödrön has a surprise for her many readers and students: textual commentary. Her newest book comments at length on an eighth-century text by the Indian Buddhist sage Shantideva. It's a guidebook for developing bodhichitta
, an awakened mind that expresses itself in compassionate action to alleviate suffering. The lengthy text will certainly be unfamiliar to beginners, but Chödrön is a wise choice for an escort. She is a clear teacher, explaining key terms (the Sanskrit term klesha
, for example, may be translated as neurosis or affliction) and making things simple and characteristically plainspoken ("When we are distracted, we can't remember anything we've studied or read"). She is also the right kind of motivator, telling readers immediately what's in it for them: this book can inspire those who want to make the world a better place. Readers will need a helpful teacher and patience to take up the challenge offered by the long Buddhist text, which has been important in Chödrön's own study. It's not a book for beginners or a good introduction to Chödrön's own body of accessible work. But for those wanting depth and greater awareness of the Buddhist canon, this book opens a door.