Working with unfulfilled expectations
When things just don’t go the way we want them to
Venerable Thubten Chodron 
Contentment and Happiness 
Nov 20, 2003 A talk given at the Tai Pei Buddhist Center in Singapore on Nov 20, 2003. (Note: Due to a change of tapes during the recording, parts of the teachings were lost.)
Our expectations are a set-up for disappointment
- The ways we react when things don’t go the way we want
- How expectations are a set-up for being disappointed and unhappy
- How we can enlarge our perspective on the events of our lives
Me and I 01 (download)
Discovering the source of lasting happiness
- How to let go of our self-centeredness and rigid opinions in order to be happy
- Why we should rejoice in the talents and skills of others
- How to be thankful for the many opportunities this life provides
Me and I 02 (download)
Questions and answers
- Expectations in the workplace
- Dealing with a control freak
- When a teacher acts in ways you don’t understand
- The difference between expectation and aspiration
- When others don’t follow our advice
- Appreciating parents
- What happens after death
- Helping those who are suffering
Me and I 03: Q&A (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.
