Compassion as an antidote to low-self esteem
Chapter 62
Venerable Thubten Chodron 
An Open-Hearted Life 
Aug 27, 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.
- The Dalai Lama’s puzzlement about low self-esteem
- Do we have to love ourselves before we can love others?
- How compassion works as an antidote to low self-esteem
- Everything that happens is interpreted through the filter of how it relates to me
- We benefit from having compassion for others
- Reflection: From self-criticism to compassion
An Open-Hearted Life 58: Compassion as an antidote to low-self esteem (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.
