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The happiness of an open-hearted life

The happiness of an open-hearted life

A talk given in Medan, Indonesia, organized by Vihara Borobodur Medan

  • Seeing the kindness of sentient beings who are doing all the things that help us in this life
  • Seeing the special kindness of those we see as enemies and how they challenge us to grow
  • Our self-centeredness has a long list of “rules of the universe” and it wants the world to conform to the rules
  • If we see the benefits of cherishing others and the disadvantages of self-centeredness we transform our lives to correspond with that
  • Why Lama Yeshe thanked Mao Zedong
  • We are the one who suffers when we hold a grudge, not the one we hold the grudge against
  • When we forgive we are letting go of our anger not approving the other’s behavior

An open-hearted life (download)

Venerable Thubten Chodron

Venerable Chodron emphasizes the practical application of Buddha’s teachings in our daily lives and is especially skilled at explaining them in ways easily understood and practiced by Westerners. She is well known for her warm, humorous, and lucid teachings. She was ordained as a Buddhist nun in 1977 by Kyabje Ling Rinpoche in Dharamsala, India, and in 1986 she received bhikshuni (full) ordination in Taiwan. Read her full bio.