Pema tells us that we already have everything we need and are “one blink of an eye away from being fully awake.” I admire her forthrightness, her ability to distill Buddhist thought into bite-sized morsels and above all, the sense of humor that is evident from behind her words. Pema first met her root guru, the teacher with whom she had the most profound connection, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, in 1972, and she studied closely with him until his death in 1987.

Gloriousness and Wretchedness; Life is glorious but life is also wretched. It is both. Appreciating the gloriousness inspires us, encourages us, cheers us up, gives us a bigger perspective, energizes us. But if that’s all that’s happening, we get arrogant and start to look down on others, and there is a sense of making ourselves a big deal, and being really serious about it, wanting it to be like that forever. The gloriousness becomes tinged by craving and addiction. Pre-prepped mindful meals brought to you? Yup! The recipes are awesome and so are the meal options, we are big fans of the chefs and recipe-makers and 16 free meals >> In this book Pema Chödrön presents the traditional Buddhist teachings that guide her own life: those of The Way of the Bodhisattva (Bodhicharyavatara), a text written by the eighth-century sage Shantideva. This treasured Buddhist work is remarkably relevant for our times, describing the steps we can take to cultivate courage, caring, and joy—the keys to healing ourselves and our troubled world. I’m not a person who gathers gurus lightly. Although I adore quite a few and quote them liberally, the only thing I do religiously is to not do anything religiously.The above will give you an impression of Pema’s teachings. This little book is well worth reading, but I admit I prefer to read the full versions of her books. And clearly you appreciate mindfulness with a sense of humor and integrity! Why not join the Elephant community, become an Elephriend?

A portable collection of short inspirational readings by “one of the world’s wisest women”—the American Buddhist teacher and author of When Things Fall Apart ( O, the Oprah Magazine)A portable collection of short inspirational readings by “one of the world's wisest women”—the American Buddhist teacher and author of When Things Fall Apart ( O, the Oprah Magazine) Pema seems very focused on suffering and becoming okay with it. In many ways, there's a lot of great advice. I just personally felt she focused a bit too much on getting your mental state right with suffering, as opposed to actually working towards fixing the aspects of your life that cause you to suffer. I think there's a push and pull. On the one hand, you need mental resilience and acceptance to live through the pain life puts your through, but on the other hand, I think it's incredibly important to take life by the reins and change the things that make you unhappy. Pema seems much more focused on the first, and not at all focused on the second. She is a very privileged woman who's been able to travel the world and study with monks around the globe. There isn't anything wrong with that, but sometimes I feel like she doesn't really get what life is like for a lot of people. I Love Pema Chadron. I really can't put my finger on it but whenever I read her I feel inspired to be a better person. She talks openly and honestly about how she fails at times to live you to the whole zen thing but she never makes you feel like you are an asshole if you are struggling to get to a higher plane of existence I guess is how I would put it. In Buddha’s opinion, to train in staying open and curious—to train in dissolving our assumptions and beliefs—is the best use of our human lives.”

LIFE’S work is to wake up, to let the things that enter into your life wake you up rather than put you to sleep. The only way to do this is to open, be curious, and develop some sense of sympathy for everything that comes along, to get to know its nature and let it teach you what it will.” She’s one of the most influential voices in contemporary spirituality, the writer whose books are passed from friend to friend." As her theme for the course, Pema uses a short Buddhist text especially close to her heart, Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva. This classic text, which could be said to summarize the major themes of Pema’s teachings over the years, presents ways that we can work with our own hearts and minds. Life is both glorious and wretched. Wretchedness softens us up considerably. "Knowing pain is a very important ingredient of being there for another person.”What is different about her writings is that she writes not as though she is enlightened but a person just like us with everyday problems and negative feelings. PATIENCE is the antidote to anger, a way to learn to love and care for whatever we meet on the path.” Here is a treasury of 108 short selections from the best-selling books of Pema Chödrön, the beloved Buddhist nun. Designed for on-the-go inspiration, this collection offers teachings on:

Every day we could reflect on this and ask ourselves, "Am I going to add to the aggression in the world?" Pema Chodron is an American Buddhist nun, born Deidre Bloomfield-Brown in New York, who studied intensively under the Tibetan meditation master, Chogyam Trungpa. Looking beyond religion, Pema’s interpretation of Buddhism can enrich any walk of faith. In cultivating loving-kindness, we train first to be honest, loving and compassionate toward ourselves.” Every day we could think about the aggression in the world, in New York, Los Angeles, Darfur, Iraq, everywhere. When you heart, comment or share, the article's "Ecosystem" score goes up—helping it to be seen by more readers & helping the author to get paid.A collection of short inspirational readings by “one of the world’s wisest women”– O, the Oprah Magazine. Ani Pema Chödrön was born Deirdre Blomfield-Brown in 1936, in New York City. She graduated from the University of California at Berkeley and was an elementary school teacher for many years in New Mexico and California. She attended Miss Porter's School in Connecticut and graduated from the University of California at Berkeley. She taught as an elementary school teacher for many years in both New Mexico and California. Pema has two children and three grandchildren. Oft-quoted, much beloved, and radiating kindness, Chödrön remains a guiding light for those seeking spiritual growth.” As we train in opening our hearts, “we gradually feel more joy, the joy that comes from a growing appreciation of our basic goodness”.