55 pages • 1 hour read
Pema ChödrönWhen Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1997A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
During meditation, many thoughts arise. Explain how ritually naming each of these thoughts as “thinking” might help meditators to experience less anxiety, stress, or discontentment.
Think of something you struggle with in your life and imagine accepting it completely. Describe how this would feel. Would your life be better or worse for accepting it, and why?
What does the author mean by groundlessness, or “no ground under our feet”? How is that idea connected to the concept of acceptance?
Pick one of the four maras—the one that troubles you the most—and explain why it bothers you. Would welcoming this mara as an ally help you become more serene? Why or why not?
Explain how accepting one’s own suffering could lead to compassion for others.
Imagine practicing tonglen. Describe one way in which it might benefit you and describe a way it might help others. List any ways in which you may fear the practice might cause you discomfort. Could those side effects benefit you instead? Why or why not?
The author describes the emptiness that arises after one accepts themself as “spaciousness” and also as “intelligence.” Explain why those two words describe the same thing.
Describe how the decision to commit to a teacher of Buddhist awakening is not a choice at all, but a pedagogical strategy. Would you be willing to undertake such a commitment? Why or why not?
Would you want to be a bodhisattva? Why or why not?
Pick a current world problem and describe how you might take action to resolve it in a loving and kindhearted way. How might you use the paramita of patience to respond to opponents who try to stop you?
