The Pema Chodron Audio Collection: Pure Meditation / Good Medicine / From Fear to Fearlessness

by Pema Chödrön

Pema Chödrön, one of the West's most beloved teachers of Buddhism, makes the Tibetan vajrayana tradition accessible in today's world. Now three of her most popular teachings are available in one boxed set, The Pema Chödrön Collection, which

Pure Meditation ―Step-by-step instruction in Tibetan Buddhism's pinnacle practice for transformation and letting go;

Good Medicine ―Teachings in tonglen, an elegant meditation that allows us to use our troubles to befriend ourselves and widen our circle of compassion; and

From Fear to Fearlessness ―Antidote to fear in the four noble maitri (loving-kindness), compassion, joy, and equanimity.

For the first time, enjoy over seven hours of Ani Pema's trademark humor and a down-to-earth style in one collectors edition.

Runtime: 7 hours, 4 minutes

Genres: Buddhism, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Spirituality, Meditation, Self Help, Psychology

8 pages, Audio CD

First published October 1, 2004

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

[Margarete · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just awesome:) She has such a wonderful way of teaching.

[Magen - Inquiring Professional Dog Trainer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars This collection centers around tonglen, or loving kindness towards oneself and humanity. The first two books in the collection are strong and provide solid understanding of the practice as well as well done guided meditations. They are not the best lectures Chodron has given and show that they are early lectures in her career, but they are worth listening to nonetheless. The last book was poorly done, partly from editing and partly from Chodron's discussion. In the audiobook, Chodron explains how to do a particular meditation, then rings the beginning bell, and then the book immediately goes into a lecture. I wanted to practice this meditation, like we did in the previous books, but that didn't happen. In addition, Chodron makes a suicide joke, which is in incredibly poor taste and very distracting.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

In her own voice.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always, good. Because it's a collection, there are different focuses but also some repetition. After reading some of her focused books, I find those more useful as she goes into more depth in each idea. Nevertheless, as I am experiencing for all of what she says, I find nuggets of gold to hold on to and it is always a pleasure to hear her voice and equanimity.

[Jude · Rating 5 out of 5]

pema waits and is always ready and given that it's a recording always says exactly the same thing and of course each time it is different because i tend to listen again when i am most willing to change and what i hear is new and deeper every time.

[Noreen · Rating 3 out of 5]

How can I dislike Alice Walker somuch and yet find Pema Chodron so riveting. I owe it all to Bill Moyers, I'm sure . . .

[Kylene · Rating 4 out of 5]

she is so wise. so brave.

[K M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Learning a lot, and learning that I have a lot to learn :-)

[Lore BonMD · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opening ourselves by cultivating our fearlessness. A fully enlightened being is having a direct complete experience of reality. She starts off with the Three lords of materialism by Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism, by Chögyam Trungpa. That entails the lord of form, speech and mind and how by attaching to them we get farther from true nature of our being.

Trust and inner strength is gained from mindfulness. The four limitless ones are: Maitri, compassion, joy, equanimity. Maitri in Sanskrit is “ to place the fearful mind in a cradle of loving kindness.” Maitri is the limitless and unconditional friendship and acceptance of ourselves. These serve as catalysts of awakening. It’s based on honesty and making friends with our own emotions. The root cause of happiness is dissolving of ignorance. Suffering exists where there is ignorance of true nature of things.

Gratitude practice “may I enjoy happiness and the root of happiness” as well as “my I be free of suffering and the root of suffering” extended to ourselves then closed ones and then to our neutral people. When we talk our true nature is unlimited, open and being trained to be in the present moment with our emotions, vulnerability and situations.

She mentioned Journey to Enlightenment: The Life of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche where he points out to the metaphor of ice and melted ice is just water and to use as melting practice.

Tonglen practice involves taking the suffering and sending joy to others. In tonglen practice, we visualize taking in the pain of others with every in-breath and sending out healing on the out-breath. Eyes can be open or closed and you may associate a dark color on the in breath and cool color on the out breath. The practice involves four stages: flashing on absolute bodhichitta, awakened heart-mind, visualization is synchronized with your in- and out-breaths, Focus on any painful situation and how others feel this like you do, expand your compassion in breathing out.

Tonglen practice and Lojong teachings we learn to lean into pain and touching the center of pain at our own pace. Lojong teachings means training the mind with 49 slogans. The images of peacock that eat poison result in the beauty of the colorful of feathers. She notes the six paramitas of Buddhism which are concerned with the effort to step out of the egocentric mentality. The six are translated as generosity, discipline, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, and wisdom.

Shunyata means emptiness and refers to relaxing and letting go. The sitting practice of meditation is about relaxing your grip and opening and letting go and as part of unconditional loving kindness of ourselves.

I enjoyed the teaching of Buddhism and different ways of using meditation to lean into suffering rather then running away. I was left with a sense of personal strength and as we take time to exercise to help our bodies we can also dedicate time to help our minds and spiritual development.

[DK · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am sickened to learn that Pema Chodron has been complicit to the sexual abuse in the lineage. Many women reported abuse to her, Judith Simmer-Brown and Judy Leaf. They did nothing. Pema never stepped down as a teacher. She never retired. She gave up her title. Everyone gave up their titles. This isn’t a virtuous gesture.

Before you lay into me with your defense for this woman, I strongly suggest you Google Shambhala sexual abuse. The history of rape, child molestation and abuse is endless and g continues to this day. Her head monk was just charged with voyeurism at her monastery - Gampo Abbey. The money from the books we buy goes to continue supporting this sick organization. It is absolutely heartbreaking to me she has become an apologist and has never come to support the victims.

https://matthewremski.medium.com/the-...

https://www.gurumag.com/pema-chodron-...

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-s...

I have more esteem for my spiritual development than to follow a sham.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

My notes as I listen:

Heard good things. But quite conventional, and dull. . . don’t object to orthodoxy. But give me something particularly useful in how to apply it.

I don’t get it. Perhaps she starts out slow to dull us out. It is starting bc finally it is starting to get applicable. The people she is speaking to laugh at too little. Far from me critiquing then, I am saying almost the opposite: clearly they are in sync with her. Receptive. And assuming it was not mere reputation as well, she has done something with her presence. And the community in the room, to justify this. And create this confidence.

As it gets more applicable, I have added stars.

[Aurora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Pema Chodron's books brings such wisdom into the heart and mind, but to bring her into your soul there's just nothing quite like her voice speaking her truths with more dimension. Her voice has that accepting-it-all, peaceful, Buddhist chuckle just beneath her words. I've had these so long, I have them on cassette and used to listen to them over and over on a long commute during trying times. I'm fairly sure these include the teachings on the Maras, which were helpful to have broken down in detail.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pema is one of the world’s greatest storytellers. She explains the art of meditation, of maitri, of tonglen, all with humor and simplicity and kinship. I think the Good Medicine segment should have gone before From Fear to Fearlessness because it really grabs you and doesn’t let go. Nevertheless, this is a wonderful, deeply informative collection of her teachings on being here now. A bonus: She’s got one of the best voices out there, too!

[Scott Maclellan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and it caused me to reflect a great deal. I loved Pema's sense of humour throughout.

This is the type of book you can jump around and pull out a lesson or teaching based on where your life finds you. Perhaps this time my heart is a little harder and less open to something new. I look forward to trying it again in another season.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love listening to Pema's soothing and calm voice and I very much enjoy her humour and light-hearted "real-life" examples. She inspires me to want to meditate and learn more about the Buddhist teachings: so simple, yet so profound. In this series, she focuses a lot on the concept of maitri and the tonglen meditation practice.

[slp · Rating 4 out of 5]

as these are recordings of retreats and actual meditation sessions, there are benefits and drawbacks to these recordings--from getting to have some practical application in guided meditation to a good deal of repetition that is not always expansive. I don't know that I'll return to this as often as I might, say, Bodhisattva Mind, but I am always glad for pema's work in the world.

[Denny Troncoso · Rating 4 out of 5]

Identify when thinking when meditating by saying; Thinking. Enlightenment is fearlessness. Meditate to feel others pain to remove others pain. Enlightenment is knowing there is suffering but not letting it make you suffer.

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found learning of maitri was insightful and grief-relieving, most meditations included helpful, and especially appreciated listening while walking through the Humboldt Botanical Gardens in Eureka, CA.

[Karen Berlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Embedding humor and personal experience, this collection of teaching sessions recorded across varied retreats provide practical lessons on meditation, "staying," letting go, and "good medicine," (using troubles to awaken compassion) and antidotes to fear.

[Laura Siegel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pema Chodron makes the principles and practice of Buddhism and meditation easy, accessible, funny, and real. This audiobook consists of three of her talks.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm going to try an actual book next vs a seminar recording. Founds it difficult to keep listening through the entire audiobook.

[MountainAshleah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short but fulfilling collection.

[A.V. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few shreds of wisdom before dozing off every time. In-person is definitely preferable.

[Allie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, useful, and a little mind-bending

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy listening to her speak, she has a lot of wisdom and a good sense of humor. There are a few actual meditation sittings, nice additions to the lectures.

[Apryl Wassaykeesic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very portable. Fantastic to take out on a walk. Love the audio collection.

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

That's not your tree - it's maitrī!

[Tracy Meszaros · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pema Chodron gives a lucid explanation of Tibetan Buddhist meditation practices

[Brittany Castilow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know these are older recordings but the joke about suicide really took me out of it. Yikes. Everything else was relatable and with Pema’s lovely sense of humor.

[Clayton Chase · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 star meditation