Compassion in action
Venerable Thubten Chodron 
Engaged Buddhism 
Apr 13, 2015 A talk based on the book An Open-Hearted Life given at Jewel Heart in Chicago, Illinois. The center has just started a new hospital chaplaincy program.
- The importance of cultivating a good motivation
- This is usually not taught in a society that values appearances
- Checking whether we are motivated to help others out of fear
- Knowing our own mind helps us to cultivate internal sensitivity of others
- How our self-centered thought hinders us from tuning in to others
- Sharing on prison work and seeing inmates as human beings
- Staying open to being challenged, especially when doing hospice work
- How attachment is a hindrance when helping someone who is dying
- To be effective in helping others, we have to work on our own fear and attachment
- Doing the meditation on death and applying Dharma antidotes
- How non-violent communication can support our efforts
- About the book An Open-Hearted Life
- Note: The question and answer session was not recorded
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.
