Customer Reviews

Awakening Compassion

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I was at the Dharmadhatu Center in Los Angeles in 1980. I had listened to some Tibetan nun lecturing. That was fine. I was talking to the guy at the desk. Asking him if I could only pay half on some seminar. It was a hassle. Suddenly, I turned around. There was the Tibetan nun standing in the doorway. She was looking at me with such intense love that I felt embarrassed. Just open love beaming at me. I don't know if the reader has ever felt that. Someone not loving YOU in a grasping way. But just total love. From the top of your head to the bottom of your feet. I suddenly turned away. It was a weird experience. Anyway, that was Pema Chodren. I have bought these tapes. You will do something called "Tonglen". You will also do Shamatha Meditation. And have 59 Lojungs (items to practice). I would like to simplify this if I may. You will learn a simple breathing technique (Buy "Start Where You Are" by Pema Chodren where she will tell you how to do this very simple technique of just following your outbreath). Then Tonglen. Another very simple meditation technique which you can also use during difficult times during the day. And then the slogans. I would like to share with you my experience with one of the slogans. "Drive All Blames into One". In this slogan, your focus is not on the person who is irritaing you, or the situation, but the focus is switched to paying attention to your anger. No matter what the situation. You are taking responsiblity for your emotions. Pema explains how this will enable you to be even more assertive! Because the anger is gone. You will eventually find yourself responding accurately to the person or situation. No back-talking in one of the slogans. No putting others down. It's a whole journey. I have only one question. Where will Bill Butler go?

Years ago I first bought these tapes. Since then I have recommended them to many from beginning seeker to long time student. Pema Chodron teaches mind training in a warm and humorous way to help us learn to become compassionate toward ourselves and others.

I sent these tapes to my brother. They were intercepted by my mother who had had a difficult life. She listened to them night and day until the day she died. She constantly told me on the phone how wonderful they were and how often she listened to them. They enabled her to die a peaceful death. I don't think that there can be a more powerful recommendation than that.

This set of 6 cassette tapes simulates being at her Gompa in Nova Scotia with your eyes closed. She is a Western Tibetan Buddhist nun who studied with Trungpa Rinpoche. She's published several lovely books (e.g. "Places that Scare You" and "Start Where You Are") as well as videos (e.g. "Good Medicine") and tape sets (e.g. "Noble Heart"). This particular item addresses her two main topics of the Lojong mind training and the practice of Tonglen (sending & receiving). The many techniques, meditations, explanations, etc. are VERY useful in daily life even if you don't do regular, daily, spiritual practices. Some Lojong items are: "Make friends with yourself," finding the soft spot within (sometimes hard to do!), resistence to capacitence, "how to do your best when you feel your worst," and "when you ask a question wholeheartedly, you begin to get the answer everywhere." Tonglen means taking in (mentally) other person's suffering and sending them your own happiness instead. Not easy at first, but she provides ways to ease into it and, best of all, a terrific "on-the-spot" method which is FAR easier to employ. This is simply a super set of tapes by a fantastic teacher.

This is a profound and interesting tape set on the tibeatan"lojong" teachings. These tapes are about useful methods to cultivate a compassionate attitude towards others.Pema is great and speaks in a jargon-free and clear style. These tapes changed my life!

Pema Chodron is a true Spiritual Warrior. She is genuine and speaks from the heart. Her teaching style is simple, practical,inspiring and entertaining.

WATCH OUT: lo-jong practice opens the heart, tranforms the mind and makes you real. It's that great!

What more can I say? I stumbled unto Ms. Pema several years ago. I was searching for something that spoke deeply to me about how to frame my life/my struggles/my lingering past. I have done many years of traditional therapy/women's groups/etc....and I have had many wonderful teachers over my 54 years....each bringing something fresh and scary and real to the picture...but Pema and her body of tapes/CD's/books, has become the frosting on the cake for me. Somehow falling to sleep at night listening to her sweet and oh-so-knowledgeable voice...well, it seems like the cares of the world fall into place. Don't get me wrong, once you listen to this humorous little Buddhist nun you will be in for one helluva lot of work. She gets under your skin in a good way....and you find yourself opening up to your life as it is...and working with WHATEVER is on your plate. All I can say is, it works. A day at a time....listen to her when you are on the computer/or washing the dishes...or my favorite, trying to fall asleep (made difficult by hormones for some of us..). If there is a light in this world to help illuminate us along the way without dogma or perfectionism, Pema is that light. "Awakening Compassion" is my fav of her CD sets....."Getting Unstuck" is excellent as well....but hey, they are ALL worth listening to....and listening to...and listening to.....for I am quick to forget her words of wisdom, so I have to keep it going. Hope you enjoy her as much as I do. If you have the chance to see her in person as I have been lucky enough to, GO FOR IT. She doesn't tour much anymore as she has just turned 70, but if the opportunity presents itself...take it!

I've taken several classes from Pema Chodron and I agree with all the other reviewers that she's a wonderful teacher. I don't think she's a pure sweetie though, fortunately. Sometimes the best teachers are those who have struggled most with the subject. I think she's a very strong-willed and possibly hot-tempered woman. She uses these qualities to work on herself and to help others. She's a lot of fun, too, and very funny.

I particularly love her work, and this class particularly, because it penetrates to the heart of spiritual practice. It doesn't dwell on Buddhist doctrine, which, lord knows, can be dry. I really think you couldn't have a better chance at a genuine spiritual awakening than from these talks.

Years ago I first bought these tapes. Since then I have recommended them to many from beginning seeker to long time student. Pema Chodron teaches mind training in a warm and humorous way to help us learn to become compassionate toward ourselves and others.

I sent these tapes to my brother. They were intercepted by my mother who had had a difficult life. She listened to them night and day until the day she died. She constantly told me on the phone how wonderful they were and how often she listened to them. They enabled her to die a peaceful death. I don't think that there can be a more powerful recommendation than that.

Have completely enjoyed Pema Chodron's work on these cd's. It's really nice to hear her voice and to be part of the question and answer sessions with retreat participants. Well worth it.

I got this audio series on tape several years ago after getting into Tibetan Buddhism from Zen and other spiritual practices. I'm not a huge Pema Chodron fan or even a dyed-in-wool "Buddhist." No matter what Buddhists say, there are other paths that are less dogmatic, less passive, more positive and just as "realistic." All that said, to me, Awakening Compassion is a masterpiece, Pema Chodron's Magnum Opus. The Gurdjieffians talk about transmuting negative emotions but don't really explain how. This is it. When asked why it works, Pema says that the dark and light energies don't really exist. I think a better explanation is that dark energies are just light that is compressed and confused light, just as matter can be considered to literally be condensed energy. You can develop the ability to transmute dark energy into light by doing Tong Len. Anyone who does an energy practice, whether Chi Kung, Shamanism, Magic, Witchcraft, etc. will find Tong Len to powerfully enhance their other practices. I haven't done Kundalini but it would prabably help that too. This is pure gold.