Reaching out with compassion
Chapter 38
Venerable Thubten Chodron 
An Open-Hearted Life 
Apr 4, 2021 Part of 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.
- When we try to connect with others in counterproductive ways
- The benefit of connecting with others
- Reaching out to help others when we are suffering
- Caring about others frees us from the pain of self-centeredness
- Reflection: A compassionate homework assignment
- Questions and answers
- Emotional habits that are counterproductive
- Caring for others versus people pleasing
- Helping others with similar experiences
An Open-Hearted Life 37: Reaching out with compassion (download)
A guided meditation led prior to the talk can be found here.
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.
