What is "the root of happiness"? Pema Chödrön--American Buddhist nun and author of the bestselling When Things Fall Apart (Shambhala, 2000)--examines this question in her new, full-length audio retreat True Happiness. "Our desire to be happy and our methods of going about it are not in synch," she explains. "We do the very things that are going to make matters worse." Chödrön unmasks the mystery of this paradox, and reveals the difficult emotions hidden beneath all the many ways we seek to avoid feeling them. Here, she guides us through effective meditations and practices to face these feelings with courage, patience, and compassion, dissolve the barriers to our hearts, and cultivate a sense of happiness-- if only to touch upon it for moments at a time. Recorded at Gampo Abbey monastery in Nova Scotia, True Happiness gives listeners the opportunity to spend Yarne --winter retreat--at home with their beloved teacher.
There are many ways to think about happiness. This recording from a retreat with Chodron offers a perspective on happiness that many will find meaningful to explore. Chodron is un-self-conscious and open as she stays with her message of mindfulness and awareness. With clarity, a sprinkling of humor, and insight, she makes her ideas easily accessible. Each disc is a separate session centered on a part of the overall theme and is presented clearly and directly. For those who practice meditation, Chodron presents new ways of thinking about basic ideas. For those new to meditation or Buddhist teaching, Chodron is an excellent first teacher. J.E.M. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine
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A live audience at a monastery in Nova Scotia hears the author describe how anyone can cultivate satisfaction and contentment. To access our ultimate wisdom, she offers simple advice: Pursue what brings happiness and refrain from doing things that bring harm. Be kind to yourself--not by pampering or protecting yourself from life's harshness, but by always respecting and valuing yourself even when you screw up and have grief, heartbreak, or black moods. It's not easy advice to follow, but it's made more attainable by Chödrön's warm and genuine speaking style. Her voice radiates enough kindness that almost any listener will feel supported and emotionally lifted. An immensely calming and therapeutic experience for anyone prone to self-criticism and doubting. T.W. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine
About the Author
Pema Chödrön is a bhikshuni, or Buddhist nun in the Tibetan Vajrayana tradition. Since her ordination in 1974, Ane Pema ("Ane" is a Tibetan honorific for a nun) has conducted workshops, seminars, and meditation re-treats in Europe, Australia, and throughout North America. She is the director of Gampo Abbey, the first Tibetan Buddhist monastery for monks and nuns in North America. Pema Chödrön is also an acharya (master teacher) in the lineage of Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche.
