Ohhh, this was good. Pema Chodron has long been my favorite teacher, and she covers some new territory here, after the past couple of talks she's published as audiobooks were very worthwhile, but a bit more familiar territory for longtime followers of her work.

In "Embracing the Unknown", Ani Pema talks about that always-uncomfortable subject of death and how to face it with equanimity and even courage. Recorded at a recent retreat, the recording features a series of pithy talks, taking the listener through the Tibetan understanding of the Bardo, that tenuous place between death and rebirth. She also, right up front, reminds listeners that she doesn't expect anyone to buy into the Tibetan Buddhist notion of death/rebirth. She is only sharing a teaching and hopes people can apply it to whatever faith/reason journey they are on. I appreciate this as it allows listeners to let their guard down a bit and not feel like they are having dogma prescribed, but instead having dharma offered.

And rich dharma it is. She talks about how we can become more comfortable with impermanence, how rebirth is actually a daily choice, how we can better recognize moments to awaken to our nature and to what matters most, and how we can cultivate our propensities toward love and compassion for others and our selves.

It's some rich stuff, but delivered in a clear, warm manner that has become Pema's trademark. No preaching, just teaching.

A physical book titled "Welcoming the Unwelcomed" is coming out this fall, and I believe it is based on the same general topics, around facing death, working with grief, and the nature of the Bardo. As this was a more casual talk and that will be a more precisely edited and wordsmithed book, I look forward to reading it as a supplement to this audiobook, or perhaps vice versa.

Pema's teachings always resonate with me. This one was particularly meaningful, and as it clocks in at only about 3 1/2 hours, it's an 'easy listen'. ( )