Pema Chodron is the director of the Gampo Abbey in Nova Scotia and a master teacher in the lineage of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. On this wonderful audio presentation taped before a live audience, she lays out the basics of Tibetan meditation practice. Here you will find commentary on the posture for relaxing your mind, using your breath as a way of residing in the present moment, and techniques for working with the monkey mind that jumps from one thing to another.
Chodron delineates five qualities that are cultivated in us as a result of Tibetan meditation. The first is steadfastness, being able to stay with our practice and to roll with the punches. Second is the quality of clear seeing, which helps us in working with old habits. Third is the ability to experience our emotional lostness. Or as Chodron puts it: "Meditation is a transformative process rather than a magical makeover." Fourth is learning to give all of our attention to the present moment. And fifth is living with flexibility and humor or practicing "no big deal."
Chodron points out that the overarching goal of meditation is to become loving people. That means being friendly toward ourselves and toward the world in which we live. Chodron's trademark teaching style is relaxed, humorous, and eminently down-to-earth. She remains one of the greatest living spiritual masters in the world.