The Gentle Power of Tonglen

I was first attracted to Pema Chodron's writing after seeing a beautiful photograph on the cover of one of her books. Note: I was not judging, just appreciating the artwork. The photograph was black and white of a steep wooden stairwell that led to the moody, wavy ocean below, appropriately titled; Comfortable with Uncertainty. Now I must admit, I have not read the book in it's entirity so if you are expecting a synopsis of the helpful information that has dramatically changed my life as well as lessons in how to change your own without spending $14.95 plus tax and hours of reading, you may be disappointed. However, if you are interested in the roundabout way in which a simple decision led to a gradual transformation of my ability to consciously turn pain into compassion, read on...

On this particular day I was playing the game that I often play with the Universe of, "flip the pages of a book and whatever sentence I land on is the Divine message that I am supposed to acknowledge." I also used to play this game as a kid with the omniscient Yellow Pages to find my true profession, although, so far the prophecy of me becoming a plumber has yet to fully take seat. So I flipped through the pages of the book whose content I was not judging based on the well designed cover and the profound message that was brought to me was, well, honestly I can't remember. However, I do remember that I loved everything about the cover of that book, so much so that I made a mental note to research the author.

I Asked Jeeves about(not quite as catchy as "Googel'd" but with my level of curiosity it makes since to save four letters' typing time with "aj.com" vs. "google.com") Pema Chodron and found out that she is a is a Buddhist nun and the director of Gampo Abbey, a monastery in Nova Scotia. I also found an audio set of cd's that I bought as I find it's easiest to find enlightenment while in trying situations such as a traffic jam. I began to listen to the cd's, Good Medicine in which Chodron talks about the power of
Tonglen Meditation

This meditation practice fits in beautifully with the teachings of Yogi Amrit Desai. In fact, Yogi Desai states that "we are all born with the urge to merge..." beyond the dualities which in this case Chodron uses, "pleasure and pain." By removing the isolation we feel in times of pain, we are able to once again connect with humanity into a feeling of comfort with uncertainty. The same goes with the separation we may feel in the pride of pleasure. Instead of pride, Chodron teaches us to share the feeling of pleasure through awareness and compassion which once again connects us into the wholeness of Divine spirit that is beyond pleasure and pain.

"Practice, practice, practice.
But even deeper than that;
Trust. Trust. Trust."-Yogi Amrit Desai