Product Details

• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 2
• Studio: Sounds True Video
• VHS Release Date: October 12, 1999
• Run Time: 99 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6305642842
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #335,750 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "News we can use!", December 31, 2000

By 

Jean Jickling (Calgary, Alberta Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Good Medicine [VHS] (VHS Tape)

In today's stress-filled environment this video Good Medicine offers a valuable way of confronting any aggression. This video offers a release from suffering. Anger, fear, or grief arise from our unskilful response to pain. When we try to escape suffering by avoiding, we find that avoidance doesn't diffuse the suffering. Often, instead, the amount of suffering escalates. Through the practice of Tonglen, Pema Chodrin shows us a way to confront suffering directly so it vanishes. In her words, "This is news we can use."

Tonglen changes the environment by replacing the dynamics of anger, fear, or grief with compassion. The exchange takes place on the medium of the breath. Visualization is part of the process. Through this video Pema Chodrin gives clear instructions, includes personal experiences, and frames her instructions with a sense of humour.

Learning Tonglen can not only improve our individual health, but also can help create peace on the spot in explosive situations. I highly recommend this video.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great to see her and hear her!, December 7, 2004

By 

Neal J. Pollock (VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Good Medicine [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Wonderful to see & hear her. Good video, but sound a bit low. Pema Chodron is a disciple of Trungpa Rinpoche and heads an Abbey in Eastern Canada. She discusses Mindfulness meditation, Bodhichitta, and especially Tonglen (sending and receiving) meditation. She points out that we all share humanity and the human condition despite our having varied storylines. Reminds one of Shakespeare's famous life's a stage and all the men and women merely players. She explores the Slogans of Atisha (delineated in her book, Start Where You Are). Also describes Lojong = mind training. The objective is to turn obstacles into your practice, thus transforming the poisons into Maitri = loving kindness and Bodhichitta = compassion. She also discusses the four stages of Tonglen practice (taking in suffering and sending out joy, starting with our own, proceeding to our loved ones, and ending with the entire world). But, though others do describe Tonglen (and Pema Chodron describes it in some of her books as well), here she talks about on-the-spot Tonglen as well. In this technique you receive and send at the very moment that suffering appears. Thus, you need not artificially generate feelings of compassion, they are right there in front of you. Therefore, this additional technique can be incredibly powerful and effective in your practice. Of course, it does not at all detract from a regular practice of Tonglen. Tonglen is an extremely powerful technique to subdue one's egocentricity, to develop Bodhichitta and Maitri, and to proceed rapidly on the Buddhist path to enlightenment.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, April 25, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Good Medicine [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is one of the most wonderful, healing videos I've ever seen.