Compassion, uncertainty, and listening to uncomfortable truths
Chapter 66
Venerable Thubten Chodron 
An Open-Hearted Life 
Jun 9, 2024 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.
- Dreading uncertainty and ambiguity
- Life is complex and filled with uncertainty
- Questioning our beliefs and emotions
- Accepting uncomfortable truths
- Expanding our range of understanding by connecting with others
- Becoming comfortable with not knowing
- Reflection: Learning to listen
- Questions and comments
An Open-Hearted Life 62: Compassion, uncertainty, and listening to uncomfortable truths (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.
