Pema Chodron

I love Pema Chodron. And, although I rank among the worst of her students, I try in my own way to implement the practices she teaches. These practices, along with a good slug of Cymbalta, help me to persevere. So I wanted to share something of Pema with my fellow PC'ers.

There are many videos, on YouTube, of portions of talks Pema has given. I've selected this one to link here because, although it is not as new as some others, it seems the most directly applicable to our mental health struggles. I hope you enjoy it. Please do leave a reply.

that was very enlightening. thanks for sharing.

Thank you, The Skeezyks. So much of a worthy life involves mastery of our perceptions.

The being with the "ember" of the way we feel is very tough for me. I'm not sure right now that I can feel grief without it flaring into depression. And right now I have some things to grieve.

Dear Skeezyks,
I love Pema Chodron too. I have read several of her books. I practice meditation daily because it sometimes lifts me out of the heavyness of the world. It is like going into an air conditioned room on a hot humid day.
I don't know how to judge myself as good or bad student. My teachers may not know the peculiarities of my life, but I know when I fall short and try to do better at living the way I believe life should be.
A very inspiring teacher (unknown person) said that any progress during a life is success. Maybe we sell ourselves short. I know I do sometime.
When I was going through a deep depression I kept a sign on the wall
"What did I do right?"
That seemed to focus my attention temporarily to the correct living practice and away from self destructive judgments that just tore me down. It helped by persisting and finding a little light in every day.
Thank you for sharing Pema Chodron. Just mentioning her name brought a little light into my life!

She is new to me. Thanks

"How I relate to my current circumstances no matter what they are is key"

That resonated with me. Maybe I am powerless over the depression I am currently experiencing but I am not powerless in how I choose to relate to it or my attitude about it.

I like the middle road and holding your seat. Owning your current moment and not viewing it as good or bad but what is.

Staying with the ember I do not know about. I guess this is what CBT is all about. I sometimes feel totally powerless to keep that ember from turning into a forest fire. It is biological in nature and how do I stop it? How I view the forest fire is one thing but preventing it is totally another.