Compassion as the antidote to the critical, judgmental mind
Chapter 63
Venerable Sangye Khadro 
An Open-Hearted Life 
Nov 19, 2023 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.
- How the Abbey is using the Dharma to deal with the disappearance of Geshe Tenzin Chodrak (Geshe Dadul Namgyal)
- Avoiding despondency in negative situations
- The disadvantages of a judgmental, critical attitude
- We tend to see faults in others that we have
- How we can use compassion as an antidote to the critical mind
- Reflection: Replacing the judgmental attitude with compassion
- Questions and comments
- Is it okay to allow yourself to be sad?
- Finding healthy ways to work with emotions
- How does being judgmental relate to belittling?
- How can I avoid projecting critical stories onto others?
- Avoiding harsh words on political issues
- Are difficult situations the result of negative karma?
- Staying silent or neutral on controversial issues
An Open-Hearted Life 59: Compassion as the antidote to the critical, judgmental mind (download)
A guided meditation led prior to the talk can be found here.
Venerable Sangye Khadro
California-born, Venerable Sangye Khadro ordained as a Buddhist nun at Kopan Monastery in 1974 and is a longtime friend and colleague of Abbey founder Venerable Thubten Chodron. She took bhikshuni (full) ordination in 1988. While studying at Nalanda Monastery in France in the 1980s, she helped to start the Dorje Pamo Nunnery, along with Venerable Chodron. Venerable Sangye Khadro has studied with many Buddhist masters including Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Lama Yeshe, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey, and Khensur Jampa Tegchok. At her teachers’ request, she began teaching in 1980 and has since taught in countries around the world, occasionally taking time off for personal retreats. She served as resident teacher in Buddha House, Australia, Amitabha Buddhist Centre in Singapore, and the FPMT centre in Denmark. From 2008-2015, she followed the Masters Program at the Lama Tsong Khapa Institute in Italy. Venerable has authored a number books found here, including the best-selling How to Meditate. She has taught at Sravasti Abbey since 2017 and is now a full-time resident.
