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The power of optimism and types of emotion

Chapters 11 and 12

A series of talks based on An Open-Hearted Life given at Sravasti Abbey’s monthly Sharing the Dharma Day starting in April 2017. Co-written with clinical psychologist Dr. Russell Kolts, the book offers practical Buddhist and Western psychological approaches to developing compassion.

  • The importance of an optimistic attitude
  • Optimism is a choice of perspective
  • With compassion we feel connected to others
  • What it means to have compassion for ourselves
  • Three categories of emotions and what happens when they are imbalanced
  • Compassion and understanding our emotions
  • Compassionately understanding others
  • Questions
    • What are the boundries on caring too much?
    • How can you let go of grudges?

An 0pen-Hearted Life 14: The power of optimism and three types of emotions (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.