Pema Chodron is an American Buddhist nun and one of the foremost students of Chogyam Trungpa, the renowned meditation master. She is director of Gampo Abbey, Nova Scotia, the first Tibetan monastery in North America established for Westerners. This CD program consists of a five-hour talk on five CDs.
She begins with "We live in a culture of fear and guilt, always feeling that we are not good enough." We gain a passport out of this impasse by cultivating a fearless self-acceptance. This is not easy given the cultural roadblocks that keep us in constant self-doubt and self-denigration. When we try to compare ourselves to celebrities, we always come up short. Advertising and the media constantly make us anxious that we are lacking something, that we do not have enough. And then, of course, financial stress hangs over us like a dark cloud, causing us to live in a state of fear.
Chodron presents five aphorisms for developing fearlessness from Machig Lapdromma, one of Tibetan Buddhism's greatest female teachers. They are printed out on a special card:
1. Reveal your hidden faults.
2. Approach what you find repulsive.
3. Help those you think you cannot help.
4. Anything you are attached to, give that.
5. Go to the places that scare you.
In her commentary on these wisdom gems, Chodron discusses the need to accept our imperfections, to face suffering with an open heart, to awaken compassion, to develop generosity, and to discover courage in all dimensions of life. Two other treats are a question-and-answer session and guided meditation practices on warding off guilt and shame, remaining open under the burden of pain, handling difficult people, and reinforcing our feelings of generosity.
