This Moment Is the Perfect Teacher: Ten Buddhist Teachings on Cultivating Inner Strength and Compassion

by Pema Chödrön

Lojong is a powerful Tibetan Buddhist practice created especially for training the mind to work with the challenges of everyday living. It teaches our hearts to soften, reframes our attitude toward difficulty, and allows us to discover a wellspring of inner strength. In this recorded retreat, Pema Chödrön introduces the lojong teachings and explains how we can apply them to any situation in our life—because, as Pema says, "every moment is an opportunity for awakening." In addition, Pema also leads a guided tonglen meditation, a practice aimed at developing courage and cultivating compassion for ourselves and others.

4 CDs, 4 1/2 hours, unabridged.

Genres: Buddhism, Spirituality, Audiobook, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Meditation, Religion

4 pages, Audio CD

First published April 22, 2008

About the author

Ani Pema Chödrön (Deirdre Blomfield-Brown) is an American Buddhist nun in the Tibetan tradition, closely associated with the Kagyu school and the Shambhala lineage.

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.

While in her mid-thirties, she traveled to the French Alps and encountered Lama Chime Rinpoche, with whom she studied for several years. She became a novice nun in 1974 while studying with Lama Chime in London. His Holiness the Sixteenth Karmapa came to England at that time, and Ani Pema received her ordination from him.

Ani Pema first met her root guru, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, in 1972. Lama Chime encouraged her to work with Trungpa, and it was with him that she ultimately made her most profound connection, studying with him from 1974 until his death in 1987. At the request of the Sixteenth Karmapa, she received the full bikshuni ordination in the Chinese lineage of Buddhism in 1981 in Hong Kong.

Ani Pema served as the director of the Karma Dzong, in Boulder, CO, until moving in 1984 to rural Cape Breton, Nova Scotia to be the director of Gampo Abbey. Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche gave her explicit instructions on establishing this monastery for western monks and nuns.

Ani Pema currently teaches in the United States and Canada and plans for an increased amount of time in solitary retreat under the guidance of Venerable Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche.

Reviews

[Suze · Rating 4 out of 5]

This audio book kept me company in the car – several repetitions – as I digested in short bites Pema Chodrin’s demystification of a few Buddhist teachings. Her focus was on *sitting* with uncomfortable situations and painful emotions rather than covering them up with distractions. It’s not about solving the problem, but about using the problem to identify and change some deep seated patterns in oneself – quite a tall order in our Western culture. Her light-hearted examples amidst her earnestness make for enjoyable learning.

[KJ Grow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pema is my new companion on morning walks. Her calm voice, warmth, grace and sense of humor all help me begin each day with an open heart.

[Miss Syreena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always wonderful to have reminders to breathe.

[Jesy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised when I first started listening to this book, as it is appears to be a recording from a retreat or other speaking engagement (lower audio quality, audience interaction, etc.)-- not your typical studio-recorded audio book.

That said, I really enjoyed hearing the teachings directly from Pema Chodron. She is straight-forward, gentle and has a sense of humor about her that is engaging and lends credibility to her teachings. Each CD can be listened to as a stand-alone lesson or they can be listened to one after the other, as you would a standard audio book.

This is a great book for those just getting their feet wet in the realm of Buddhist teachings.

[Corinna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the first thing I read of Chodron's (well, listened to since it's only available as an audio book) and I was tickled by her humor and down-to-earthness. She's just lovely and makes you feel at home right away. Some of the concepts were difficult to keep track of in this format so I had to playback a lot of the material. It's not the kind of audio book you can easily listen to while navigating a busy NYC sidewalk, but it's good for when you're cooking or folding laundry. Overall I walked away with a general understanding of the lojong teachings and it left me eager to read more of Chodron's work. I'd like to return to this at some point for another listen.

[Mara Vernon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really enjoying listening to Pema Chödrön's workshops. The reminders on mindfulness and to sit in our pain as part of our learning and journey are powerful. Her humor continues to transform the learning experience, even with the hardest of topics. I appreciate her willingness to talk directly to the hardest of topics with compassion and ease.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Halfway through the first CD, I understood Pain and Compassion. By the third CD I was a Buddhist. By tomorrow I'll probably forget everything, but I am glad that at least while I was listening to Pema's steady voice through her remarkably followable lecture I got it.

[Musonda Kambikambi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always known that I have restless mind. I'd go as far as saying my mind is a tenured professor and highly renowned speaker for minds that want to up their restlessness. So, this naturally led me to meditation and eventually Buddhist teachings.

In 'This Moment Is the Perfect Teacher' Pema Chödrön took me on a very simple and hilarious journey on how to sit with pain, difficulty and fear. How to breath it in completely and use that as a path to a fuller life.

It should be noted that she does use a lot of Buddhist principles. But I think anyone who wants to learn how to be in the moment, especially with difficult thoughts and feelings, would greatly benefit from this book.

[Dani Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pema is a riot and it helps the medicine of these teachings go down. I'm very grateful that I stumbled upon this audiobook and even more grateful that my local library offered it to me free of charge. Long live libraries!

[Mer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great work session with Pema on several great topics.

[Sandra The Old Woman in a Van · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, but not my favorite Pema Chodron. I guess this moment wasn’t the right one for this audio.

[Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tong Lin- tricks to "stay there" instead of running instead and putting up the walls. Working with Mytri means compassion to yourself. Unconditional friendship with all the parts of yourself

[Teo · Rating 3 out of 5]

2019.10.29–2019.10.30

Contents

Chödrön P (2008) (03:53) This Moment Is the Perfect Teacher - 10 Buddhist Teachings on Cultivating Inner Strength and Compassion

• Everything Is Part of the Path to Awakening
• All Dharmas Agree at One Point
• Relative and Ultimate Bodhicitta
• Three Objects, Three Poisons, Three Seeds of Virtue
• Traffic-Jam Tonglen

• Regard All Dharmas As Dreams
• Examine the Nature of Unborn Awareness
• Self-Liberate Even the Antidote
• Rest in the Nature of Alaya, The Essence
• In Post-Meditation Remain a Child of Illusion
• Q and A

• The Limitless Spring of Bodhichitta
• The King and Queen's Courage
• The Ferryman's Courage
• The Sheepherder's Courage
• Tonglen Overview and Instructions
• Guided Tonglen Practice

• Drive All Blames into One
• Be Grateful to Everyone
• Q and A

[The Cute Little Brown-haired girl]

Any book on Buddism is a good book. This one teaches that the idea of the present moment and choosing to be in it, feel it, and not be attached to it is the best teacher. To be void of ego is nirvana in its purest sense and to be in nirvana in the "now" is I think even better, as if that were possible.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not done yet "The only reason we don't open our hearts and minds to other people is that they trigger confusion in us that we don't feel brave enough or sane enough to deal with. To the degree that we look clearly and compassionately at ourselves, we feel confident and fearless about looking into someone else's eyes. "
— Pema Chödrön

[Happyreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes I feel like Pema is psychic because I would start to listen to this and it would be exactly what I needed to hear at that moment. My only complaint is that the sound quality on this recording is not so hot but other than that a great talk on tonglen practice.

[Bea Elwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best audio book, it breaks things up by time so it bounces around a lot. Still some really good teaches and I'm always interested in how to be a better buddha.

[Jill]

was listening to this and just couldn't concentrate good enough...might have to give the book version a try.

[Rennie Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very instructive on Lojong slogans. I always seem to pick up the perfect Pema teaching for what's going on in my life. I highly recommend this one.

[Lois · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I really loved this. I listened to the different teachings, let them marinate, worked with the meditations. I will return to these teachings again and again. With a deep bow _/\_

[Angela]

Audiobook category

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and eye opening. If you read/listen with an open mind (I'm not Buddhist), the teachings are spot on with how to deal with pain and life's difficulties.

[Lori M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audio

[Sandra Sabic]

Love Pema.

Such a wise, compassionate and gentle teacher.

Extra cool points for the sense of humor.

[Steven Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the presentation thoroughly. This is the first time I have heard of the author. Being from her same culture, I found her explanations of the Lojong teachings to be very relatable. She approached the stark teachings with a compassionate basting of practical and personal examples, always placing the onus of understanding onto the listeners' own practice. After hearing her introduction to this philosophy, I felt inspired to search deeper into the teachings.