Two days ago I wrote a post about anger and about nurturing compassion instead.
One of the comments was from Jules, recommending a book called Start Where You Are by Buddhist nun Pema Chodron.
I’d never heard of Pema Chodron, but such is my growing confidence in our interconnectedness as human beings that I wasn’t even surprised at the apparent coincidence of finding an e-newsletter in my in-box this morning about dealing with anger and blame by the deliberate cultivation of different ways to view a situation. It ends with the following quote by… (you guessed it):
Compassionate action starts with seeing yourself when you start to make yourself right and when you start to make yourself wrong. At that point you could just contemplate the fact that there is a larger alternative to either of those, a more tender, shaky kind of place where you could live.
Pema Chodron
“A more tender, shaky kind of place…” something both challenging and soothing about those words.
The newsletter, (recommended to me by my friend L) arrives every Monday morning and carries a few words of wisdom for the week ahead. It is by an English writer called Fiona Robyn; you can find her website, with links to her blogs and the newsletter, if you click here. Well worth reading. (Anyone with cats called Fatty and Silver is alright in my book!)
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Tess,
I first learned of Chadron from Bill Moyers’ Faith and Reason. Here’s the link:
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/faithandreason/portraits_chodron.html
Peace,
Milton
Thanks Milton, I’ve listened to some of this and am finding it really interesting and true.
By the way I’m sorry you had to make several attempts to post your comment. I had full comment moderation on. I’ve changed my comments options now so that as long as someone has a previously approved comment, the comment should go straight through.
“A more tender, shaky kind of place…” That’s sure where I’m at this week…
Towanda, I left a comment at your place. I had just started to read your post this lunchtime and had to stop because it would have been inappropriate to blub at my desk. But I read enough to realise your tender shakiness right now. Hugs.
I came to know of Pema Chadron through the Yoga Journal magazine I subscribe to. Then I saw her on Bill Moyer’s Journal on tv. Her road to buddhism is very interesting…
A friend told me about Pema several years ago. I read When Things Fall Apart and have given it to others. This lead to reading the quaterly Shambala Sun which frequently features articles of hers. Her way of discussing Buddhism is very resonnate with my feelings which may or may not be Buddhist.