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Chenrezig retreat discussion: Part 1

Chenrezig retreat discussion: Part 1

Part of a series of talks given during a two-day retreat on Cultivating a Compassionate Heart: The Yoga Method of Chenrezig at Menla Center in Phoenicia, New York, April 21-22, 2007.

  • What happens when we meet somebody who is doing something that makes us fearful? Is there any kind of valuable judgment that could come from there?
  • How do you translate what you are saying to a situation of domestic violence, especially women who are most often the victims of domestic violence?
  • If you’re a bodhisattva, you want to help everybody, but practically, it’s difficult. For example, in India, how do you go help every beggar?
  • Is there a vibrational tone in Buddhism?
  • Tonglen (taking and giving) practice
    • Can we really change people’s situations through this practice?
  • Virginia Tech incident
    • How can we look at Virginia Tech with compassion but also understand it as having a purpose or as some kind of karmic manifestation?
    • Is there any place for randomness?

Menla 02: 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.

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