Always Maintain a Joyful Mind (Book and CD): And Other Lojong Teachings on Awakening Compassion and Fearlessness

For centuries Tibetan Buddhists have relied on a collection of fifty-nine pith teachings (called lojong in Tibetan) to help them develop wisdom and compassion amid the challenges of daily living. In this book Pema ChOdrOn introduces these transformative teachings and offers guidance on how to make them part of our everyday lives. The lojong teachings include: "Always maintain only a joyful mind," "Don't be swayed by external circumstances," "Don't be so predictable," and "Be grateful to everyone." Each slogan is followed by Pema ChOdrOn's accessible and succinct commentary on how to understand and apply it. This book also features a forty-five-minute audio program entitled "Opening the Heart," in which Pema ChOdrOn offers in-depth instruction on tonglen meditation, a powerful practice that anyone can undertake to awaken compassion for oneself and others. Read more... Abstract: For centuries Tibetan Buddhists have relied on a collection of fifty-nine pith teachings (called lojong in Tibetan) to help them develop wisdom and compassion amid the challenges of daily living. In this book Pema ChOdrOn introduces these transformative teachings and offers guidance on how to make them part of our everyday lives. The lojong teachings include: "Always maintain only a joyful mind," "Don't be swayed by external circumstances," "Don't be so predictable," and "Be grateful to everyone." Each slogan is followed by Pema ChOdrOn's accessible and succinct commentary on how to understand and apply it. This book also features a forty-five-minute audio program entitled "Opening the Heart," in which Pema ChOdrOn offers in-depth instruction on tonglen meditation, a powerful practice that anyone can undertake to awaken compassion for oneself and others The perennially helpful guide to transforming our pains and difficulties into opportunities for genuine joy and personal growth, from the beloved Buddhist nun and author of When Things Fall Apart We all want to be fearless, joyful, and fully alive. And we all know that it’s not so easy. We’re bombarded every day with false promises of ways to make our lives better—buy this, go here, eat this, don’t do that; the list goes on and on. But Pema Chödrön shows that, until we get to the heart of who we are and really make friends with ourselves, everything we do will always be superficial. In this perennial self-help bestseller, Pema offers down-to-earth guidance on how we can go beyond the fleeting attempts to “fix” our pain and, instead, to take our lives as they are as the only path to achieve what we all yearn for most deeply—to embrace rather than deny the difficulties of our lives. These teachings, framed around fifty-nine traditional Tibetan Buddhist maxims, point us directly to our own hearts and minds, such as “Always meditate on whatever provokes resentment,” “Be grateful to everyone,” and “Don’t expect applause.” By working with these slogans as everyday meditations, Start Where You Are shows how we can all develop the courage to work with our own inner pain and discover true joy, holistic well-being, and unshakeable confidence. The author of When Things Fall Apart reveals the meaning behind 59 Buddhist teachings and how you can use them as touchstones for daily living For centuries Tibetan Buddhists have relied on a collection of 59 pithy teachings—called lojong in Tibetan—to help them develop wisdom and compassion amid the challenges of daily living. In this book, Pema Chödrön introduces these transformative teachings and offers guidance on how to make them part of our everyday lives. Each lojong, or slogan, is followed by Pema Chödrön's accessible and succinct commentary on how to understand and apply it. The lojong teachings include: · "Always maintain only a joyful mind." · "Don't be swayed by external circumstances.” · "Don't be so predictable." · "Be grateful to everyone." Inside Always Maintain a Joyful Mind readers will also find a link to an online audio program entitled "Opening the Heart.” Here, Pema Chödrön offers in-depth instruction on tonglen meditation—a powerful practice that anyone can undertake to awaken compassion for oneself and others. Start Where You Are is an indispensable handbook for cultivating fearlessness and awakening a compassionate heart. With insight and humor, Pema Chodron, author of The Wisdom of No Escape and When Things Fall Apart, presents down-to-earth guidance on how to make friends with ourselves and develop genuine compassion toward others. The author shows how we can "start where we are" by embracing rather than denying the painful aspects of our lives. Pema Chodron frames her teachings on compassion around fifty-nine traditional Tibetan Buddhist maxims, or slogans, such as: - Always apply a joyful state of mind; -Don't seek others' pain as the limbs of your own happiness; -Always meditate on whatever provokes resentment; - Be grateful to everyone. Working with these slogans and through the practice of meditation, Start Where You Are shows how we can all develop the courage to work with our own inner pain and discover joy, well-being, and confidence "For centuries Tibetan Buddhists have relied on a collection of fifty-nine pith teachings (called lojong in Tibetan) to help them develop wisdom and compassion amid the challenges of daily living. In this book Pema Chodron introduces these transformative teachings and offers guidance on how to make them part of our everyday lives." "The lojong teachings include: "Always maintain only a joyful mind, " "Don't be swayed by external circumstance, " "Don't be so predictable, " and "Be grateful to everyone." Each slogan is followed by Pema Chodron's commentary on how to understand and apply it." "This book also features a forty-five minute audio program entitled "Opening the Heart, " in which Pema Chodron offers in-depth instruction on tonglen meditation, a powerful practice that anyone can undertake to awaken compassion for oneself and others."--BOOK JACKET.