Product Description

Click here to listen to an audio excerpt online in MP3 format.

Lojong is a powerful Tibetan Buddhist practice created especially for training the mind to work with the challenges of everyday living. It teaches our hearts to soften, reframes our attitude toward difficulty, and allows us to discover a wellspring of inner strength. In this recorded retreat, Pema Chödrön introduces the lojong teachings and explains how we can apply them to any situation in our life—because, as Pema says, "every moment is an opportunity for awakening." In addition, Pema also leads a guided tonglen meditation, a practice aimed at developing courage and cultivating compassion for ourselves and others.

4 CDs, 4 1/2 hours, unabridged.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12256 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-22
• Released on: 2008-04-22
• Formats: Audiobook, Unabridged
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Audio CD

Features

• ISBN13: 9781590304938
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

About the Author
Pema Chödrön is an American Buddhist nun in the lineage of Chögyam Trungpa. She is resident teacher at Gampo Abbey in Nova Scotia, the first Tibetan monastery in North America established for Westerners. She is also the author of many books and audiobooks, including the best-selling When Things Fall Apart and Don't Bite the Hook.

Customer Reviews

4.5* Warm practicality
This short (almost 4 hours in 35 tracks--CD#1: 42:46 in 8 tracks, CD#2: 76:49 in 10 tracks, CD#3: 58:45 in 8 tracks, CD#4: 55:33 in 9 tracks) set builds on Pema's book Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living (Shambhala Classics) addressing some of the 49 Lojong mind training slogans. These implement the general approach of Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana) of turning poison into elixir--esp. transforming the 3 Poisons of aggression, craving, & ignorance into Relative Bodhichitta=Maitri ("unconditional friendliness" or lovingkindness) & compassion. Pema notes the parallels to homeopathy in her practical method of "using difficult circumstances as a path of awakening" based on the teachings of her master Trungpa Rinpoche.

But, she also addresses Absolute Bodhichitta ("openness"), familiar to students of Mahamudra and Dzogchen, in a more concrete way--rather than only in theory or even in exercises. Further, she points out the dreamlike nature of reality (using shopping malls, airports, & lucid dreaming=waking up inside a dream to demonstrate this). There's heavy emphasis on Tonglen (see Tonglen, the Path of Transformation) including a guided sitting Tonglen session, description of "traffic Tonglen"--a type of on-the-spot Tonglen in which one connects to other folks in the same "boat" as one is experiencing at the moment, and using Tonglen to deal with difficult people & circumstances. As usual she includes both her own and others' actual experiences to explicate her teachings.

These sessions are similar to much of her other work, but she notes the value of repetition--per the student who heard the same thing over & over but finally "got it" on the 25th time! But this set has even more humor than her prior works--I actually laughed out loud! Her gently compassionate, spiritual warrior approach is esp. evident in the Q&A sessions, her depiction of the 3 Courages (king, ferryman, shepherd), & her mindfulness of pain approach. Overall, implementation of these techniques dissolves one's dichotomizing, denial, & dissociation. As she states: "You're getting somewhere with your students when they begin to get terrified." But, that's what it may take when facing one's addictions & ignorance so that one can "Live so you can die without regrets." You won't regret listening to her IMHO.

select lojong slogans
I practice in the Zen tradition and very much enjoy Pema Chodron's teachings. Her warm spirit and the funny stories that go right to the heart of the matter are easy to listen to. And sometimes very hard to do.

On these audio CDs, Pema Chodron speaks about Atisha's Lojong slogans. She also responds to questions that are "real life:" How to relate to family, deal with anger about an ornery neighbor, how to work with addiction ...

I appreciate that she does not try to cram through all the slogans but selects a few and relates the quality and spirit of the Lojong slogans. Some of them can be misunderstood, or there are different takes: I truly liked her interpretation of "Drive all blame into one."

Gassho

just breathe
pema offers so much to consider and practice in a such a welcoming and accessable way.