Noble Heart: A Self-Guided Retreat on Befriending Your Obstacles

by Pema Chödrön

You can't get away from suffering. That's the good news, teaches Pema Chödrön. For at the core of your most painful experiences, perhaps more than anywhere else, you will find the seeds of your awakening.

On Noble Heart , this beloved American-born Buddhist nun shows you how vulnerability is your greatest spiritual resource on the path through life's difficulties. The noble heart, Ane Pema teaches, is one that sheds its armor, opening itself fearlessly to both heartache and delight. Using special meditations and traditional teachings, Pema Chödrön leads you, step-by-step, toward a full realization of your true strength, the strength that can come only through embracing the pain of your own experience.

Noble Heart was recorded as it happened, within the peaceful shrine room of Gampo Abbey, Ane Pema's home on the cliffs of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Structured so that you can create your own retreat at home or at your meditation center, this complete curriculum brings you key teachings about how to recognize and cultivate the soft spot that is the gateway to your own noble heart.

Here is the promise of the Four Limitless Ones― maitri (loving-kindness), compassion, joy, and equanimity―and down-to-earth advice about how to draw strength from them every day, in any situation. Here, too, are the treasured teachings about the Six the Buddha's own map of the journey to enlightenment. Learn how to connect with your innately unlimited friendliness, and how it can grow big enough to contain the entire world.

With four complete meditations, unique heart teachings, and Ane Pema's trademark humor, Noble Heart invites you to discover for yourself the compassion and wisdom that have established her as a leading voice in American Buddhism. Includes more than nine hours of direct teachings from this revered acharya (master teacher), as well as a 48-page study guide.

The four great catalysts of awakening, and how to begin integrating them into your life today
• The basic goodness that nothing can take away from you
• Authentic Tibetan Buddhist chants for generating gratitude and compassion
• Where to find and how to build your inner strength and trust
• The maitri meditation that multiplies love
• How the Three Noble Principles can enrich everything you do
• Why you need your soft spot to awaken spiritually
• When "don't know" mind is wiser than all the teachings in the world
• The Three Lords of Materialism―and how to diffuse their power
• The antidote to aggression
• A melting practice you can use to undo isolation and anxiety

Runtime: 9 hours, 30 minutes.

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

10 pages, Audio CD

First published January 1, 1998

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

[Danielle Morrill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guided meditation and teachings combining lessons from Buddhism and Zen. I used the chapters for morning sessions, and this is the most I've ever learned about these lessons and traditions. Combined with journaling, it was like my own private retreat. Will go back to these again, way deeper than what you get from a meditation app.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most comprehensive series of Pema Chodron's lectures that I've heard so far. So much is covered that I am ready to start at the beginning again. Loved it.

[Miss Syreena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like spending time with a wise old friend.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and found some pieces of insight. I feel like the more I listen to the dharma the more I learn or just different thoughts hit me at different times.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pema Chodron is awesome because I find her relatable as a Westerner (I'm American), unlike some Buddhist authors like Thich Nhat Hanh or the Dalai Lama who grew up in an Eastern culture and who were raised in a monastic tradition. Pema grew up in the US. She has married, divorced, worked as a school teacher, and she has children and grandchildren. When she talks about the struggles she has experienced -- the distractions, the angers, and the self-critical thoughts -- they are things I can relate to. I have read her excellent "The Places That Scare You," which is about cultivating bodhicitta as a way of courageously and soberly facing the reality of a difficult world. I think of "Noble Heart" as a wonderful companion to that book. It focuses on putting the principles of "The Places That Scare You" into practice.

"Noble Heart" is a translation of the word "bodhicitta." This audio CD is a series of recorded talk taking place at a retreat -- thus, it is called a "self-guided retreat." Some of the talks are dharma talks, and some are guided meditations -- thus, there is a lot of silence during some of the tracks. One of the tracks, for instance, has 4 guided meditations that are each about 15 minutes long and consist mostly of silence. "Minimally guided," you could say.

If you want an audiobook to simply give you an overview of Buddhist thought or of bodhicitta, this isn't your best bet. You'd be better off with an audio version of "The Places That Scare You," or maybe another of Pema's works. ("When Things Fall Apart" is on my to-read list, but I haven't gotten it yet.) I also don't recommend this for passive listening, like while driving or doing something else requiring your concentration. But this is a great book to use as a self-guided retreat or self-guided meditation study. If you can devote the time to sitting still to listen to the lectures like you would listen to a dharma talk at a meditation center, and to meditate along with the guided meditations, you will find that this book is a great resource.

I have listened to "Noble Heart" once, and I plan to re-listen to it again in a couple of months. It has the feel of a work that I can get deeper and deeper into on subsequent re-listens as I get to know the dharma and my own mental / emotional states and processes better and better.

[MaryJohanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great series of talks by Pema Chodron in 12 parts, including guided meditation practice.

[Dominic Gadoury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pema is an amazing speaker and writer who gives lots of great down to earth and meaningful lessons to consider. I could listen to her all day.

[ΛNNΞ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect audiobook ... at the perfect time. I tend to say that a lot about Pema Chödrön's audiobooks which is a testament to how timeless and poignant they are. This one in particular came at a low and hopeless time for me. I didn't think anything would be able to break through all the dark emotions and difficulties I was facing. This audiobook breezed through with a soothing new perspective that literally changed everything for me. Granted, my situation is personal to me but it also speaks to how this audiobook is profound and has the potential to be life-changing. I also like that it is accessible and in-depth knowledge of Buddhism is not required to get something out of these teachings and exercises. I feel like I am rambling because it is hard to put into words what this audiobook has come to mean to me -- except that this is without a doubt my most memorable book of the year and one that I know I will return to often for a long, long time to come.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Pema Chodron and this is a very comprehensive set of lectures. This was likely a recording at a retreat so the format is: lessons/learnings and then meditation over multiple days. It's not ideal for listening to in one shot while running errands, etc. But to be honest, I can and will listen to Pema anytime, anywhere, under any condition.

Her ability to take concepts and make them human, add a layer of humor and a layer of personal touch is unparalleled. She is such a good teacher because she's fallible and the audience can relate to her so well because it's clear she understands why we all seek these learnings because she clearly does, too.

There is such a density of content here that I can listen to it again and again and appreciate it deeply each time. So grateful for teachers like her.

[Dr. Lillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn’t realize initially this audiobook is the recording of in person sessions of a workshop. Really enjoyed listening to the teaching but wasn’t prepared for some of the meditations (at least not with respect to sitting in stillness). I will be revisiting portions of these teachings at another time when I am not so vulnerable because I wasn’t able to easily accept/invite some of the suggestions about need for suffering, because I certainly don’t believe I have a need for suffering all that I am right now (it’s not making me a better person, etc etc).

[slp · Rating 5 out of 5]

there is small overlap between this and the Pema Chodron audio collection but mostly not. this is a wonderful set of lectures and guided meditation; not all of Pema's audio work includes significant practice, and there is also in depth discussion of paramitas and bodicitta. saving for future use.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this, especially the practices on compassion. Taking off one star for the long pauses for meditation--an odd editing choice for an audiobook.

[Letecia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good stuff

[Tina Panik · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive exploration of these teachings that allows students to immerse and re-immerse themselves as necessary.

[Krista · Rating 3 out of 5]

Huge Pema Chodron fan but this is not one of her better retreats. If you are new to her work, I would recommend trying Getting unstuck, Coming closer to ourselves or Bodhisattva Mind.

[Vibhu · Rating 5 out of 5]

the collection is a gift that keeps on giving

[eb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is set up as a "self-guided retreat," so Pema's teaching narration is interspersed with mostly-silent guided meditations. Not an ideal set up for how I consume audiobooks, but still an interesting (and quick) listen. It's the first Pema Chodron book I've read, and I liked her humor and accessibility.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

from the library
I managed to listed to this even thought the tapes were beyond listening to. I will have to get this some other way.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Can't really get into this thru the audio book version. Too much explaining, qualifying, etc. The message may be there, but I can't sycn with her on the delivery.

[Wilma Rebstock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pema Chodron makes difficult concepts attainable (I hope). At least they are much easier to understand. Even so, one feels the need to read and reread!

[Paul Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insight like a flashlight beam through fog. Non rigid, helpful guidance toward better awareness. There is more in it each time I hear it. Cant recommend highly enough.

[Loretta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear and profound. I will be listening to this one again, and I suspect again and again after that. A lot of wisdom here.

[Misty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Precious. I've listened to the Audible version at least 4 times. Permanent Chodron's voice is so soothing, so non judgmental. Her teachings have made me a better person.

[Fred · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply brilliant!

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this during my commutes. It's fine, but not as good as Things Fall Apart.

[Debbe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love to read Pema Chodron.

[Alexi Parizeau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great commentary and practice. Also found the insights to be very well explained.

[Xavier · Rating 5 out of 5]

"No big deal. About the one who's doing it.
No big deal about the action.
And no big deal about the outcome."

[Sonia Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ch. 7
Tonglen instructions confronted by white man doing angry sobs.

[Carrie LeAnne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pema Chodrun's voice is so calming. I enjoyed this book.