Showing results by author "Pema Chödrön" in All Categories

For over 800 years, Tibetan Buddhists have used lojong (literally, "mind training") to transform difficulties into insights, and conflict into genuine communication. Lojong practice uses a special meditation technique and 59 written maxims - a treasury of practical wisdom that inspires everyday awareness. Awakening Compassion is the first audio retreat on the practice of lojong taught by Pema Chödrön, the American-born Tibetan Buddhist nun and best-selling author.

As a child, did you ever sit under a favorite tree, immersed in the wonder of a single, precious leaf? As our days grow more complex, teaches Pema Chödrön, these vibrant and wholehearted moments may begin to elude even seasoned meditators. But it doesn't have to be that way. Buddhism’s Four Foundations of Mindfulness lead us on a journey back to the unabashed presence and delight of the “Child Mind” that lies within all of us.

Pema Chodron, one of the West's most beloved teachers of Buddhism, makes the Tibetan vajrayana tradition accessible in today's world. Now three of her most popular teachings are available in one audiobook set.

Learn how to use the gift of pain with Pema Chödrön, a Buddhist nun in the Tibetan Vajrayana tradition. She teaches that it is in suffering where you will find the seeds of your awakening and that vulnerability is actually your greatest spiritual resource. You'll learn how to create your own spiritual retreat, the key teachings necessary for cultivating your own "soft spot" - the gateway to your own noble heart, the promise of the Four Limitless Ones, and the teachings on the Six Paramitas: the Buddha's own map of the journey to enlightenment. This program was recorded within the peaceful shrine room of Gampo Abbey, Chödrön's home on the cliffs of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.

In challenging times, why do so many of us turn to Pema Chödrön for guidance? Many say that it’s her honest and caring way of communicating the core teachings of Buddhism - not just conceptually, but directly from her heart to ours. In these inspiring sessions, she teaches us how to give that compassion to the person we neglect most often - ourselves.

In this recorded retreat, based on the program Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change held at Omega Institute, Pema Chödrön and her teaching assistant, Meg Wheatley, provide a wealth of wisdom for learning to step right into the river: to be completely, fearlessly present even in the hardest times, the most difficult situations. It's the secret of being fully alive.

Tibetan Buddhism describes three gates that everyone must pass through on the road to spiritual liberation. With the Three Commitments, Pema Chodron brings her unique blend of insight and gentle instruction to guide practitioners through each of these thresholds as they seek the source of true happiness. As Pema explains, suffering arises when we resist the laws of impermenance-the fact that everything we know, including ourselves, will one day die.

Pema Chödrön presents her first live talk on the Tibetan Book of the Dead. With Embracing the Unknown, she reveals how one of Buddhism’s most revered texts contains essential guidance not only for understanding the mysteries of life, death, and rebirth - but also profound wisdom for living fearlessly in “the bardo of this life”. Experience one of today’s most beloved spiritual teachers at her best as she helps us navigate fear, doubt, and uncertainty with a compassionate and open heart.

In True Happiness, Pema Chödrön guides us through simple yet effective practices that show us how to recognize and nurture these moments of delight, cultivating them until they become more and more frequent, accessible, and real. Recorded at Gampo Abbey Monastery in Nova Scotia, True Happiness features highlights from Sounds True's full-length audio learning course of the same title and gives you the opportunity to absorb the teachings of Pema Chödrön at your own pace.

Strengthening, calming, and stabilizing the mind is the essential first step in accomplishing nearly any goal. Growing up American with a Tibetan twist, Sakyong Mipham talks to Westerners as no one can: in idiomatic English with stories and wisdom from American culture and the great Buddhist teachers. Turning the Mind Into an Ally makes it possible for anyone to achieve peace and clarity in their lives.

The reason we meditate, teaches Pema Chodron, is because something is bothering us. Yet the root of suffering and the root of happiness are one and the same: the mind. On Working Directly with the Mind, she offers pithy instructions on taming a wild mind, and becoming fully present with all of our experiences.

We all have fears, but when we look closely at them, we discover that behind each fear resides a basic fear of ourselves. We're afraid to look at our habitual styles of thinking and behaving because we might not always like what we see. Ironically it is this fear of honest self-reflection that keeps us trapped in patterns of stress and discontentment. Here is a vision for moving beyond this most basic fear to discover the innate bravery, trust, and joy that reside at the core of our being.

Of the many Eastern wisdom teachings to have found their way westward, the notion of karma may be the most misunderstood - and most transformative. American-born teacher Pema Chödrön is renowned for making the wisdom of Tibetan Buddhism accessible, practical, and relevant for Westerners from all walks of life. But to bring us an understanding of the fundamental concept of karma, Ani Pema called on one of her own guides.

Pain, loss, shame, sadness - suffering is an unavoidable part of being human. The practice of tonglen offers us a way to transform our relationship with suffering - our own and that which is all around us. In The Courage to Love the World, beloved teacher Pema Chödrön shares insightful and heartfelt stories about tonglen, along with direct instruction and guided practice.

As a child, did you ever sit under a favortie tree, immersed in the wonder of a single, precious leaf? As our days grow more complex, teaches Pema Chodron, these vibrant and wholehearted moments may begin to elude even seasoned meditators. But it doesn't have to be that way. With Natural Awareness, this celebrated teacher guides us through Buddhism's Four Foundations of Mindfulness to a surprising destination: that effortless state of presence known as known as "non-meditation". It's a journey back to the unabashed presence and delight of the "Child Mind"....

Where will we look when we are afraid? How do we find strength? In what can we place our trust? According to Tibetan Buddhism, there are four noble aspirations, known as the Four Great Catalysts of Awakening, which we can call on to cultivate strength and openness in any situation. From Fear to Fearlessnessbrings us into the company of beloved teacher Pema Chödrön to discover and cultivate these four immeasurables: maitri (loving-kindness), compassion, joy, and equanimity.

We live in difficult times. Life so often seems like a turbulent river threatening to drown us and destroy our world. Why, then, shouldn’t we cling to the certainty of the comfortable - to our deep-seated habits and familiar ways? Because, Pema Chödrön teaches, that kind of fear-based clinging keeps us from the infinitely more powerful experience of being fully alive.

We reinforce addictions by giving into them, but what is there to do when we get that "itchy" feeling? Learning to Stay Present shares insights for peacefully refraining from the "urge to scratch." In this recording from a live event with Pema Chodron, she discusses the ineffable quality known in the Buddhist tradition as shenpam a pre-emotional feeling that arises in us, brings discomfort, and often leads to unskillful, habitual reactions.

By reflecting on the Buddhist teachings of right and wrong, Chodron imparts valuable wisdom on how to cope with the grim reality that life is not always fair, and you don't always get what you deserve - bad or good.

When her granddaughter was accepted to Naropa University, the celebrated author Pema Chödrön promised that she'd speak at the commencement ceremony. Fail, Fail Again, Fail Better contains the wisdom shared on that day. "What do we do when life doesn't go the way we hoped?" begins Pema. "We say 'I'm a failure.'" But what if failing wasn't just "okay"... but the most direct way to becoming a more complete, loving, and fulfilled human being?