As a 24-year-old experiencing many of these "panicked gasps" at the thought of the crazy transience of my youth, Pema's reminder is much appreciated. She is so grounding and uplifting and absolutely indispensable, always, always.
I'm Brazilian, living in a very violent city, that is, Rio de Janeiro and thanks to mindfulness, to Buddhism I can cope with the daily shootings, crossfires without getting into despair.
what neighbourhood? I visited Rio a few times and am intrigued about the beauty and violence that go together. It's hard to grasp. I always stayed in Zona Sul
Happy 80th Birthday Venerable Pema Chodron, 2 years too late. You were one of my gateways into buddhism when I read 'The Wisdom of No Escape' in the 90s. A joy to find you on YT. Blessings to you and all beings ❤️_/\_
As i was flipping through music videos I saw this! I have never heard of her before but upon watching this I cannot wait to watch all others. This is really something I need, some introspection. At the age of 68 it is never too late to learn. Thank you!
@@BelfastBuddhist Her books are gifts to humankind. I have read her 'Living Beautifully With Uncertainty and Change' four times - it is a great textbook for life. Pema Chodron really gets it, and really knows how to teach and share her true, authentic heart.
I wish I could experience just a teaspoon of her fearlessness. We are always trying to control and we think we can be free if we are in control but, it is in fact the other way around. The moment we realize we are not in control is the moment that we can experience freedom. Thank you for this beautiful video. Pema is such a blessing for all of us truth seekers.
Pema is not fearless. She wouldn't confront rapists in her organization for decades and when a teenage rape victim came to her she blamed the victim. I am sure you are a far far stronger and more fearless person than she is!
I live in Vermont and she has been my mentor since 1998 when I discovered her by accident. I bought every single book she wrote over the years and then did a lot of traveling. I’ve come back to her time and time again. I loaned my books out to someone who never returned them and felt devastated so it’s nice to find her on RUclips and to figure out if I will re-acquire all her books again because she does not have a weekly presence on RUclips. Thank you for posting this
Pema has been a shining light in my life and in the lives of so many others. I discovered her not even 2yrs ago, but since finding her I have followed her work, and teachings. I don't know what it is about her, but there is an ease, a sense of humor, an overall lightness that just compels me to aspire to such heights myself...I'm working on it. Thank you so much for posting this.
Thank you ! Belfast Buddhist! for sharing light in this world ! This is so beautiful !! it brought tears to my eyes! When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. "When the appearances of this life dissolve may I with ease and great happiness let go of all attachments to this life like a son or daughter returning home... Wow! "Namaste"
Thank you For this talk. I am now 83 years old so it resonates. I am so grateful to b e able to heat your talks yes I am ready and relaxed also now grateful for a difficult life full of mistakes it has taught me compassion
I've been working on feeling my emotions, as opposed to finding ways to soothe my emotions recently. So I love the advice Pema gives here about just relaxing into the groundless feelings. Thank you for sharing ☺️
Feeling emotions vs soothing emotions❤ I just heard a dhamma sermon which said the latter is Samatha and the first is Vipassana... and that in vipassana we watch them in a non interfering manner, trying to understand their characteristics. Found it very refreshing. For me, trying to sooth emotions was very exhausting but repeated efforts helped to observe the pattern of the turmoil and slowly the devils are getting unmasked. Now it's almost fun to watch the show
I'm one of those people who died and came back. I remember everything so clearly even though it was 36 years ago so death doesn't frighten me. I look forward to it. But life and how I'm going to do something or what's happening now, that's what scares the hell out of me. I make an effort to listen to teachers like Pema because their wisdom, compassion and kindness help me with the "living" part.
Did anything happen after you died? Is there something else or is there nothing? I used to be very religious and always thought there was something else. But now that I'm an Atheist it's hard for me to believe there is anything else.
There's definitely something after we die. We go to a place and in my experience, there were no pearly gates or hell fire. It was beautiful. When I died, all the things that make me "Melissa" like my love for green teas and knitting and my dislikes and faults, that all fell away and it was like getting back to the business of being myself and also like growing up in an instant. The Buddhist descriptions of what happens after death were spot on and I was not raised to be a Buddhist. My religious training up to that point had been christian, although my mother was quite open minded. But I saw nothing that could be defined solely as "Christian". Being Buddhist is not about what happens after death. It's about how to live. I wish I could be a nun but I'm too old and the monasteries here in the USA are so new with few young nuns o care for the older nuns. That's what I'm told. So I study and practice kindness and compassion. It's alright to be unsure about what comes after. Being the best person you can here, is worth focusing on.
Thanks for messaging me back, Melissa. Thats good to know. Maybe with this practice of impermanence I can get over a fear of death and of never seeing my fiance again after we die.
Pema. Your book: comfortable with uncertainty, is the best book I have ever read! It has taught me to be fearless and I am so grateful for your teachings and I thank you 🙏🏻 for sharing your gifts with all of humanity 🌸🌹🌷
Om swasti! This is from another of my teachers. His name was Michael. Pema saved my life years ago when I read some of her work when I was in a bad place and I am profoundly grateful. “ You walk toward your fear. You embrace your fear. You don’t try to hedge it. That a part of real living as a human being, as a spiritual being, is to embrace it- encompass your fear, your love, and not run away from anything, because that’s the life experience. And it’s in that richness I think we find the most beautiful art, the most beautiful music. We find the richness of what the human soul can offer. And I see all that richness buried under such bullshit. -Michael Ruppert Ningje Gyamtso
Dearest Ani Pema, I am deeply grateful for your teaching heart. Thanks to all you’ve recorded and made available so that I and others can practice learning to stay and developing friendliness with self and with groundlessness. Blessings to you.
Pema.... você é uma nascente.... quanta sabedoria, quantas verdades nesse vídeo. Obrigada por tanto... só em ouvir a tua voz, algo se transforma dentro de mim, parece que entro instantaneamente em outra vibração, mais calma, mais real. With all our love. Kisses from Brazil.
Below, I refer to myself in the third person... It is a transcription of a real-life encounter/experience... A waking-dream. One I had with Jesus... Jesus will lead the way; she doesn’t need to do anything. Jesus, what would you like to do next? Going to sit with her on the sand... She sees the word 'pure' written in the sand. It is confusing for her. What does it feel like to go out on the water with Jesus? It feels like a crazy ride! Feels happy, magical, miraculous, confusing etc. She feels secure with him, but fears that Jesus won’t be here forever and she’ll be alone. Jesus what would you like to say in response? He knows how alone she feels, but she’s never alone, Jesus is always with her; will never leave her; they are a part of each other. We are one and she is never, ever alone. There has been someone who has been a source of pain. I’m going to take him to see her; to unite them. She sees Bryan who was her best friend and they are embracing. Bryan is all in black and his hair is down and they are embracing. There is an innocence to him and he didn’t mean any harm, even though he harmed her so much; he didn’t mean it. There is a connection that goes beyond their bodies; their souls are connected. Bryan is just trying to calm her and to let her know it is okay. Jesus loves him just as much as he loves her. Bryan is as much his son and she is his daughter. Now they are transported into a courtroom; Jesus is the judge; they are on opposite sides; Bryan and she are on trial. Bryan is pleading his case. She is just sobbing. She is being shown the victim she has been; she keeps carrying that, while Bryan pleads his case... She can’t bear the pain so she just sobs. She is perpetually in victim mode. Jesus is smiling; watching the way you might watch a TV show. He is detached. There is no right or wrong. Beaming smile; tells Bryan to come over to her; She can see light around him like he is an angel in disguise. He is sorry for her pain. This is all part of a greater plan. Bryan embraces her and she looks into his eyes. Clarity beams. But her mind can’t catch up and she is confused. Now they sit down on her side of the courtroom next to each other; now they are on the same side of the trial; holding hands. Jesus is just loving this - getting a kick out of it; he is excited and happy; but she hasn’t fully caught up. It is perfectly okay; he sees her pain - what her soul knows but her mind can’t catch up... And in between the two: there is panic. She hears him saying, "I am in the waves." What movie are you and Jesus going to go see? She sees Bryan running toward the theatre to catch up... She sees what Jesus wants to show her; scenes that come up; memories that pop up - some terrify her; they cause her panic. Bryan is excited to watch as if it is an interesting movie. She’s in the middle of the two of them and she is paralyzed with fear.
She sees Jesus getting her all propped up; massaged; favorite drink, favorite food; calm relaxed comfortable; Bryan is okay; She is not watching this alone. It's all perfectly okay. She is seeing memories that terrify her; She is constantly scared of her past; it haunts her and it paralyzes her; She sees Bryan loving it. Jesus wants her to see all these things in a different way. They are moving to the back of the theatre where it will be less overwhelming. Bryan is staying at the front. He wants her to see the scenes of her life that terrify her and that Jesus and the angels were/are always with her. It's too much. She feels overwhelmed. It's confusing. She wants to see but she’s feeling overwhelmed. She sees that Bryan comes to the back of the theatre and sits on the other side of her; Jesus holds her hand and looks at Bryan with a look of knowing. She sees herself getting smaller, child-size. She is getting bigger now and she is sitting cross-legged. He loves her prayer - about lifting the veil of fear - she will see things differently. She sees Bryan enjoying the movie because he is detached. Jesus wants her to learn detachment. She gets so sucked into the memories and she gets panicked. Good or bad memory doesn’t matter. She is seeing clear that she can just watch memories like a movie. 'None of it is real'; that’s the title of the movie; dragons across the screen. And Jesus is just getting a kick out of it; He is watching her catch up to it. She hugs Jesus and she cries in her arms. She’s telling him that she is so scared; she doesn’t want to be here anymore. Jesus responds; "it is not your time baby girl; so much more to see and more to do." He is going to helps her emerge from this cocoon phase into a butterfly. She wants Jesus to explain why he let Bryan hurt her; to explain all the traumas in her life; she is sobbing. He feels so much love and compassion but doesn’t get sucked into the story. He sees her as perfect. Now there are so many angels in the movie theatre; full bright, white amazing wings. The whole theatre is lined with these angels. God says that they are all here for you. Bryan is still eating his popcorn and enthralled with the movie. Jesus is so happy watching her watch the angels. Jesus is tuning her voice - he wants her to use her voice and to stop repressing and suppressing it. The angels are going to help her to release her voice. The attachment to the memories is because her voice hasn’t been released. Angelic music is coming out of her voice as it gets finely tuned; now Bryan is noticing her, not just the movie. She is being lifted higher and higher as she sings: angelic sounds coming from her voice; God is showing her it is time to use her voice. She feels panic because she is the one who must do what has never been done before; a blessing and opportunity; a burden; it is so big. Now he is showing her with her sister; needs to have a conversation with her sister; so much of it starts there - how much love there is between them. Jesus will be there for both of them 100%. So much will be released once this conversation has happened. She keeps praying - that whoever God has ordained as her husband that they be united. Once she has a conversation, that her voice isn’t suppressed; the gifts will be released including this ordained husband. It is confusing. God still has work for her to do. She is so tired and cannot do anymore, but God is showing her the pathway forward... She sees this man waiting for her in the wings. The bridge between there and here are the things she needs to do - this conversation; angels are there; divinely orchestrated. She needs to surrender to God more and more; hanging on is keeping her panicked. What is Jesus doing now? He is leaving - he is ascending into the sky; He is physically leaving but the sense of him is deep in her heart; a small version of himself is in her heart. She wants Bryan to stay but he has to go too. He kisses her on the cheek and he ascends. Bryan has his own path. Time to release her voice; to release Bryan; to have a conversation with her sister. Jesus is lifting something out of her; he is pulling it out of her - she is carrying stuff that isn’t even hers and is centuries old and he is lifting it all out of her. What is Jesus doing now? She was feeling panic and an immediate desire to reach for Bryan. God is carrying a corkscrew; He is showing her a tool. Flooded with panic and memories and a desire to reach for Bryan... Jesus has the tools and he can fix anything, all the time. Turn back to him when she wants to reach for Bryan - nothing that he can’t fix; gentle with your heart; hold on; hold that space. He has every tool needed to fix anything and everything. She is giving Jesus a big hug. She is getting a greater sense of hope for the future. Now glimmers of hope through the despair. At an airport and Jesus is walking with a huge set of scissors severing the strings between Bryan and her. Jesus is severing all those ties. She is going to experience new freedom without being attached by these cords. Jesus is showing her how much more freedom. To get to what she prays for: to get to uniting with the man that God has ordained for her: - Sever ties to Bryan - Conversation with sister - Use of voice He has something so much greater for her. Her connection to Bryan was just there for a time. He has something so much better for her, a healthy connection. She won’t be alone forever. She is in the cocooning now and he will help her through the work that she needs to do. He is showing her that Bryan was a symbol of what she could have - way more profoundly aligned with her. He was there so she could see that there is more for her beyond these unhealthy ways. God is going now but he is also staying within her. A blessing from Jesus? Chunks of gold. She is going through the fire and on the other side of the fire is gold; gold goes through the fire. Thank you for the blessing… It is clear what the blessing is. There are little flecks of gold in each memory - look for them. He will help her find it. She sees that in each memory; if she looks closely at each memory - they contain love. A phoenix rising from the ashes - and she is that - she needs to hold to that. On the other side is the gold...
Last year i lost almost any thing that i had identified myself with, my life turned completely upside down in a snap of a finger..it happened too fast to let me know how it happened...n i was dying of disappointment n sadness...i survived n throughout the experience ive felt nothing n no one is permanent... I felt the groundlessness n egolessness with each and every cell of my body...painful n uneasy but the truth..
Tomorrow is the 2nd Anniversary of my Beloved wife's transitioning into ETERNAL LIFE. Betsy Caprio Hedberg [6-1-1933] described death merely as "A night between 2 days." BLESSINGS, DEAREST! YOUR T.
Impermanence (Anithya) is not about change in the physical body or physical things. Impermanence is about the changes in the perception. Buddha taught impermanence as “perception is conditioned by cause and effect”. For example, perception of eye is conditioned by so many factors, one factor is sharpness of eye sight. We see everything relative to the limitation of eye sight(perception). If our eyes are sharp as a microscope we will see world completely different. Therefor, nothing we see is true, all the images we see conditioned by so many factors. They are just a mirage. This the meaning of impermanence. We believe what we see is true and get attached to it. That cause suffering. If wisdom arise at any moment to see the reality of perception, attachment won’t arise to it and it will stop creation of all the thoughts, hopes and disappointment cause around what we perceive. That is end of suffering, Nirvana.
Pema saved my mind and soul at 20..that was 26 years ago. I was told this same truth by a member of vajradhatu ..the old order of Shambhala. It's so relevant in that I now, pass the truth of the fragility of this life, and the need to tame one's mind. That should be ones highest goal. That is why we train in seeing impermanence as it is. I hope all who see this great piece, by a modern master, 🙏 pema Chadron, I pray their minds are turned toward the dharma and liberation of self in order too benefit others.
YOUR TRUE PERSON Often, we live a life of compromise so that there’s peace in the house. We buy a small peace so that we can get through the day. And if we live like that then we aren’t a great person, but a cracked vase, unable to contain the rice soup. If we want to be a great Dharma instrument, then we have to be determined not to let other people trick us. Master Linji exhorted us to be the masters of our own situation, but that doesn’t mean we need to fight and suppress others, but rather we need to be the masters of ourselves. Suppose we have a friend who is quick to anger. We can think there is something wrong with him, and try to suppress his anger. We can think that because he is raising his voice we have to raise ours. Or we can be the master of ourselves in that situation, feeling real compassion for the other person’s difficulties. Sometimes it’s not a person in the moment but a person in the past who we think is the master of our situation. We say that we are behaving a certain way because of something our parents or someone else did to us as a child. But each person has their own karma and each person is the master of their own situation in the moment, not a slave to others past or present. The true person doesn’t go looking for an outside master. We are in charge of our own destiny and we have to be responsible for each of our words, thoughts, and actions. Mindfulness will help. Then we realize, “I’m thinking like this, I’m responsible for these thoughts. I’ve spoken like that, I’m responsible for my words. I’m doing this, and I’m responsible for this action.” We have to know that each word, each thought, each of our actions carries our signature. We are responsible for it and that is called being in charge of ourselves. Wherever we stand, wherever we sit, we are the true person. We are masters of ourselves and wherever we are, we are ourselves. We only need to live these eight words, and it’s enough to make us Master Linji’s student, worthy to be his continuation: “Wherever we are, we are our true person.” Write these words and hang them somewhere to remind yourself.
wise and precious words, it both touched me and made me very sad, I had to cry at the end. I'm not sure why, but death, since a very early age on, has always been busying me a lot...
I ran into a neighbor this morning who I only see from time to time. I met her in 1985, when I would guess she was middle aged. Now she is of course an old woman. It was a shock.....this happens to me more and more.
Happy Birthday Pema Dear ! Only you seem to have the astounding abilitily to Breath warmth into Death! May the coming years bring ever increasing fulfilment and succes in getting the message across to all those with ears,
I'm 43 and I think about death all the time......not to the point of depression or anxiety, but just simple contemplation. And the funny thing is some days I feel like "life is as brief as a dew drop on a blade of grass"....but other days it feels like I've been here/alive for a VERY long time.....like a 100 years or more. 🙂
I came very close. I was ready to lay down for the last time only to discover what was killing me. I remember being quite satisfied at not having any fear at the time. I believe I can not only make a plan for tomorrow, but I can make a plan for my next lifetime. I run into 2 problems with dying. 1 is I do not want anyone to hurt and the other is, I really like my body. This one that I am in. I have thought about how much fun it would be to move about without my body. How far can I fly?
It's not the dying we need to be afraid of (although I'm sure it won't be fun...more mental and physical pains and sufferings...) but it's what will come after!! depending upon your "religious" beliefs...(and there are SO many...)that one may think, "what comes after death is totally unknown and scary because we all fear what we do not know with certainty". Everyone here on earth "believes" in something, it's what you believe in that might make a difference. Unfortunately "we all claim to have the truth"...So I cannot just "relax into it". :-(
One could also say that preparing for that inevitable, temporary groundlessness is of no consequence as we can only truly LEARN in the moment - as it occurs. Like astronauts preparing for a moon landing. When the moment comes it is so total as to eliminate all that has preceded it. This experience 'will be' for everyone. No exceptions. I imagine it impacts all in the same way regardless of how much or how little we consciously 'prepare'.
Thank you. I love your teaching. Why do you not want to live to 90? I want to live to 110 or 120 unless I am too afraid of physical pain or my mind, which certainly may become so for sure...
Beautiful energy- jus found this awesome woman, and such good wisdom and teaching, the most important thing of all the wisdom and words coming forth, is how we Apply it to our lives, these are treasures, they serve importance to us all, especially that last little prayer:) thanks to pema and all light beings
yes. Takes a while to get the hang of it, but we are not alone. Watch our tree cousins leaves born and die every year. They teach us all the time about letting go's potential to be beautiful. Appreciate experiencing... always grateful for When Things Fall Apart.
It took me a couple of weeks in hospital to undrestand.. before.. i was banging through out life like most of you all... its fucking scary to lay next to the death unless you have tht gut to relax in it.... and i did it with the help of her video...fear is where people have no ground beneath to relax.. and to relax in the groudless base is all it takes you to the reality.. tht naked spacious pristin clarity.. i miss it badly..
someone said "we are practising to die every night when we go to sleep" i am afraid of dying not of death because dying can be painful and can last for a longer time.... to die in a sleep is my wish
![NOSFERATU - Official Trailer [HD] - Only In Theaters December 25](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nulvWqYUM8k/mqdefault.jpg)
I owe my life to this woman! She has saved my bacon more than once. 🙏🏻 A true bodhisattva of our time.
For me she is one of the greatest Teachers of our Time. She just feels like the real deal. So much warmth, wisdom and compassion. Thank you
Humility and humor! No ego or silly hippy vibe. Keeps it simple. She is one of us.
She's just the greatest. My surrogate mother and the wisest most compassionate person ever. A true blessing in our lifetime.
🙏❤️
As a 24-year-old experiencing many of these "panicked gasps" at the thought of the crazy transience of my youth, Pema's reminder is much appreciated. She is so grounding and uplifting and absolutely indispensable, always, always.
One of my favorite quotes from Pema Chödrön:
"When I didn’t resist, I could see the world."
I'm Brazilian, living in a very violent city, that is, Rio de Janeiro and thanks to mindfulness, to Buddhism I can cope with the daily shootings, crossfires without getting into despair.
Natalia A ❤️❤️❤️
🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽💯
I am sorry to hear that... I wish your peace brings you joy and serendipity and to those surrounding you...
what neighbourhood? I visited Rio a few times and am intrigued about the beauty and violence that go together. It's hard to grasp. I always stayed in Zona Sul
pray you stay safe
Happy 80th Birthday Venerable Pema Chodron, 2 years too late. You were one of my gateways into buddhism when I read 'The Wisdom of No Escape' in the 90s.
A joy to find you on YT.
Blessings to you and all beings ❤️_/\_
As i was flipping through music videos I saw this! I have never heard of her before but upon watching this I cannot wait to watch all others. This is really something I need, some introspection. At the age of 68 it is never too late to learn. Thank you!
If you have just discovered Pema, you are in for such a treat. She is just brillant.
@@BelfastBuddhist Her books are gifts to humankind. I have read her 'Living Beautifully With Uncertainty and Change' four times - it is a great textbook for life. Pema Chodron really gets it, and really knows how to teach and share her true, authentic heart.
I also have never heard of her but her voice is calming.at 66 I think about death everyday but not fearful of it.
pema is our mother! i fuckin LOVE HER
Listening to this during the pandemic. Listening to her reminds me that everything is A-OK.
I wish I could experience just a teaspoon of her fearlessness. We are always trying to control and we think we can be free if we are in control but, it is in fact the other way around. The moment we realize we are not in control is the moment that we can experience freedom.
Thank you for this beautiful video. Pema is such a blessing for all of us truth seekers.
Pema is not fearless. She wouldn't confront rapists in her organization for decades and when a teenage rape victim came to her she blamed the victim. I am sure you are a far far stronger and more fearless person than she is!
Thankyou for all you give!
You are really a helping source! My deep respect and love!
Nirvan from Sweden.
I live in Vermont and she has been my mentor since 1998 when I discovered her by accident. I bought every single book she wrote over the years and then did a lot of traveling. I’ve come back to her time and time again. I loaned my books out to someone who never returned them and felt devastated so it’s nice to find her on RUclips and to figure out if I will re-acquire all her books again because she does not have a weekly presence on RUclips. Thank you for posting this
Pema has been a shining light in my life and in the lives of so many others. I discovered her not even 2yrs ago, but since finding her I have followed her work, and teachings. I don't know what it is about her, but there is an ease, a sense of humor, an overall lightness that just compels me to aspire to such heights myself...I'm working on it. Thank you so much for posting this.
To live in the Eternal Now life can be very, very long. It eradicates the fear of death completely.
What an amazing Being, dear Pema. So grateful for her teachings and her light.
Thank you ! Belfast Buddhist! for sharing light in this world ! This is so beautiful !! it brought tears to my eyes!
When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. "When the appearances of this life dissolve may I with ease and great happiness let go of all attachments to this life like a son or daughter returning home... Wow! "Namaste"
Happiest 80th Birthday wishes for you ✨😊👍🎶🎻❣️🍓
Why do you wish unapologetic rape enablers well?
Wired With Walsh what??
Thank U Pema, you are AMAZING.
Thank you For this talk. I am now 83 years old so it resonates. I am so grateful to b e able to heat your talks yes I am ready and relaxed also now grateful for a difficult life full of mistakes it has taught me compassion
I've been working on feeling my emotions, as opposed to finding ways to soothe my emotions recently. So I love the advice Pema gives here about just relaxing into the groundless feelings. Thank you for sharing ☺️
Feeling emotions vs soothing emotions❤
I just heard a dhamma sermon which said the latter is Samatha and the first is Vipassana... and that in vipassana we watch them in a non interfering manner, trying to understand their characteristics. Found it very refreshing. For me, trying to sooth emotions was very exhausting but repeated efforts helped to observe the pattern of the turmoil and slowly the devils are getting unmasked. Now it's almost fun to watch the show
Thank you very much by a Christian from The Netherlands. I love Pema and i learnso much from her.
I've had such a rough couple days, a broken heart and intense sadness. So grateful for this video.
Love this teacher
Calm words of wisdom.
"Each moment is a death". Incredibly powerful words!
Pranam Pema Chödrön!☸️ May you dwell in equanimity and total enlightenment.
Happy Born Day, Pema!
As a Afr. American practioner and teacher... I need to say we love you and your teachings.
lovely listening to wise nun pema, thank you kindly....buddha, dharma, sangha. xx
This is everything. Biggest love and immense gratitude to Pema Chodren just for being her ♡
So much love and thankfulness expressed for this precious woman within these comments - yes, yes, yes.
I'm one of those people who died and came back. I remember everything so clearly even though it was 36 years ago so death doesn't frighten me. I look forward to it. But life and how I'm going to do something or what's happening now, that's what scares the hell out of me. I make an effort to listen to teachers like Pema because their wisdom, compassion and kindness help me with the "living" part.
Did anything happen after you died? Is there something else or is there nothing? I used to be very religious and always thought there was something else. But now that I'm an Atheist it's hard for me to believe there is anything else.
There's definitely something after we die. We go to a place and in my experience, there were no pearly gates or hell fire. It was beautiful. When I died, all the things that make me "Melissa" like my love for green teas and knitting and my dislikes and faults, that all fell away and it was like getting back to the business of being myself and also like growing up in an instant. The Buddhist descriptions of what happens after death were spot on and I was not raised to be a Buddhist. My religious training up to that point had been christian, although my mother was quite open minded.
But I saw nothing that could be defined solely as "Christian". Being Buddhist is not about what happens after death. It's about how to live. I wish I could be a nun but I'm too old and the monasteries here in the USA are so new with few young nuns o care for the older nuns. That's what I'm told. So I study and practice kindness and compassion.
It's alright to be unsure about what comes after. Being the best person you can here, is worth focusing on.
Thanks for messaging me back, Melissa. Thats good to know. Maybe with this practice of impermanence I can get over a fear of death and of never seeing my fiance again after we die.
@@LO-bk4bv 😂😂.....ohh....it was cute....😇
@@injourney7147 Can you clarify?
love this, thank you for posting. Aloha from Hawaii :)
aloha 'oe :))))
Thank you for these words of wisdom. So grateful to hear you and read your books. Thank you.
I love her so much. Thank you for sharing this.
Happy birthday mama
My heart sank for a second at the thumbnail as I thought Poma was flipping us off.
😄
Can you please be my adoptive Mother
Reading 'Welcoming the Unwelcome', and just stumbled across this. Thank you. Love you, Pema....
Pema. Your book: comfortable with uncertainty, is the best book I have ever read!
It has taught me to be fearless and I am so grateful for your teachings and I thank you 🙏🏻 for sharing your gifts with all of humanity 🌸🌹🌷
Om swasti! This is from another of my teachers. His name was Michael. Pema saved my life years ago when I read some of her work when I was in a bad place and I am profoundly grateful.
“ You walk toward your fear. You embrace your fear. You don’t try to hedge it. That a part of real living as a human being, as a spiritual being, is to embrace it- encompass your fear, your love, and not run away from anything, because that’s the life experience. And it’s in that richness I think we find the most beautiful art, the most beautiful music. We find the richness of what the human soul can offer. And I see all that richness buried under such bullshit. -Michael Ruppert
Ningje Gyamtso
Dearest Ani Pema, I am deeply grateful for your teaching heart. Thanks to all you’ve recorded and made available so that I and others can practice learning to stay and developing friendliness with self and with groundlessness. Blessings to you.
Pema.... você é uma nascente.... quanta sabedoria, quantas verdades nesse vídeo. Obrigada por tanto... só em ouvir a tua voz, algo se transforma dentro de mim, parece que entro instantaneamente em outra vibração, mais calma, mais real. With all our love. Kisses from Brazil.
She is giving away gifts and presents on her birthday.
Wow!!!❤️❤️❤️❤️🙏🏼♥️♥️♥️♥️
Below, I refer to myself in the third person...
It is a transcription of a real-life encounter/experience...
A waking-dream. One I had with Jesus...
Jesus will lead the way;
she doesn’t need to do anything.
Jesus,
what would you like to do next?
Going to sit with her on the sand...
She sees the word 'pure'
written in the sand.
It is confusing for her.
What does it feel like to go out on the water with Jesus?
It feels like a crazy ride!
Feels happy, magical, miraculous, confusing etc.
She feels secure with him,
but fears that Jesus won’t be here forever
and she’ll be alone.
Jesus what would you like to say in response?
He knows how alone she feels, but she’s never alone,
Jesus is always with her; will never leave her;
they are a part of each other.
We are one and she is never, ever alone.
There has been someone who has been a source of pain.
I’m going to take him to see her; to unite them.
She sees Bryan who was her best friend and they are embracing.
Bryan is all in black and his hair is down and they are embracing.
There is an innocence to him and he didn’t mean any harm,
even though he harmed her so much; he didn’t mean it.
There is a connection that goes beyond their bodies;
their souls are connected.
Bryan is just trying to calm her and to let her know it is okay.
Jesus loves him just as much as he loves her.
Bryan is as much his son and she is his daughter.
Now they are transported into a courtroom; Jesus is the judge;
they are on opposite sides; Bryan and she are on trial.
Bryan is pleading his case. She is just sobbing.
She is being shown the victim she has been;
she keeps carrying that, while Bryan pleads his case...
She can’t bear the pain so she just sobs.
She is perpetually in victim mode.
Jesus is smiling; watching the way you might watch a TV show.
He is detached. There is no right or wrong.
Beaming smile; tells Bryan to come over to her;
She can see light around him like he is an angel in disguise.
He is sorry for her pain. This is all part of a greater plan.
Bryan embraces her and she looks into his eyes.
Clarity beams. But her mind can’t catch up and she is confused.
Now they sit down on her side of the courtroom next to each other;
now they are on the same side of the trial; holding hands.
Jesus is just loving this -
getting a kick out of it;
he is excited and happy;
but she hasn’t fully caught up.
It is perfectly okay; he sees her pain -
what her soul knows
but her mind can’t catch up...
And in between the two: there is panic.
She hears him saying, "I am in the waves."
What movie are you and Jesus going to go see?
She sees Bryan running toward the theatre to catch up...
She sees what Jesus wants to show her;
scenes that come up;
memories that pop up - some terrify her;
they cause her panic.
Bryan is excited to watch
as if it is an interesting movie.
She’s in the middle of the two of them and she is paralyzed with fear.
She sees Jesus getting her all propped up;
massaged; favorite drink, favorite food;
calm relaxed comfortable;
Bryan is okay;
She is not watching this alone.
It's all perfectly okay.
She is seeing memories that terrify her;
She is constantly scared of her past;
it haunts her and it paralyzes her;
She sees Bryan loving it.
Jesus wants her to see all these things in a different way.
They are moving to the back of the theatre
where it will be less overwhelming.
Bryan is staying at the front.
He wants her to see the scenes of her life that terrify her
and that Jesus and the angels were/are always with her.
It's too much.
She feels overwhelmed.
It's confusing.
She wants to see but she’s feeling overwhelmed.
She sees that Bryan comes to the back of the theatre
and sits on the other side of her;
Jesus holds her hand and looks at Bryan with a look of knowing.
She sees herself getting smaller, child-size.
She is getting bigger now and she is sitting cross-legged.
He loves her prayer - about lifting the veil of fear -
she will see things differently.
She sees Bryan enjoying the movie because he is detached.
Jesus wants her to learn detachment.
She gets so sucked into the memories and she gets panicked.
Good or bad memory doesn’t matter.
She is seeing clear that she can just watch memories like a movie.
'None of it is real'; that’s the title of the movie;
dragons across the screen.
And Jesus is just getting a kick out of it;
He is watching her catch up to it.
She hugs Jesus and she cries in her arms.
She’s telling him that she is so scared;
she doesn’t want to be here anymore.
Jesus responds; "it is not your time baby girl;
so much more to see
and more to do."
He is going to helps her emerge from this cocoon phase
into a butterfly.
She wants Jesus to explain why he let Bryan hurt her;
to explain all the traumas in her life; she is sobbing.
He feels so much love and compassion
but doesn’t get sucked into the story.
He sees her as perfect.
Now there are so many angels in the movie theatre;
full bright, white amazing wings.
The whole theatre is lined with these angels.
God says that they are all here for you.
Bryan is still eating his popcorn and enthralled with the movie.
Jesus is so happy watching her watch the angels.
Jesus is tuning her voice - he wants her to use her voice
and to stop repressing and suppressing it.
The angels are going to help her to release her voice.
The attachment to the memories
is because her voice hasn’t been released.
Angelic music is coming out of her voice as it gets finely tuned;
now Bryan is noticing her, not just the movie.
She is being lifted higher and higher as she sings:
angelic sounds coming from her voice;
God is showing her it is time to use her voice.
She feels panic because she is the one
who must do what has never been done before;
a blessing and opportunity;
a burden; it is so big.
Now he is showing her with her sister;
needs to have a conversation with her sister;
so much of it starts there - how much love there is between them.
Jesus will be there for both of them 100%.
So much will be released once this conversation has happened.
She keeps praying - that whoever God has ordained as her husband
that they be united. Once she has a conversation,
that her voice isn’t suppressed;
the gifts will be released
including this ordained husband.
It is confusing. God still has work for her to do.
She is so tired and cannot do anymore,
but God is showing her the pathway forward...
She sees this man waiting for her in the wings.
The bridge between there and here are the things she needs to do -
this conversation; angels are there; divinely orchestrated.
She needs to surrender to God more and more;
hanging on is keeping her panicked.
What is Jesus doing now?
He is leaving - he is ascending into the sky;
He is physically leaving but the sense of him is deep in her heart;
a small version of himself is in her heart.
She wants Bryan to stay but he has to go too.
He kisses her on the cheek and he ascends.
Bryan has his own path.
Time to release her voice;
to release Bryan;
to have a conversation with her sister.
Jesus is lifting something out of her;
he is pulling it out of her -
she is carrying stuff that isn’t even hers
and is centuries old
and he is lifting it all out of her.
What is Jesus doing now?
She was feeling panic and an immediate desire to reach for Bryan.
God is carrying a corkscrew; He is showing her a tool.
Flooded with panic and memories and a desire to reach for Bryan...
Jesus has the tools and he can fix anything, all the time.
Turn back to him when she wants to reach for Bryan -
nothing that he can’t fix; gentle with your heart;
hold on; hold that space.
He has every tool needed to fix anything and everything.
She is giving Jesus a big hug.
She is getting a greater sense of hope for the future.
Now glimmers of hope through the despair.
At an airport and Jesus is walking with a huge set of scissors
severing the strings between Bryan and her.
Jesus is severing all those ties.
She is going to experience new freedom
without being attached by these cords.
Jesus is showing her how much more freedom.
To get to what she prays for:
to get to uniting with the man that God has ordained for her:
- Sever ties to Bryan
- Conversation with sister
- Use of voice
He has something so much greater for her.
Her connection to Bryan was just there for a time.
He has something so much better for her, a healthy connection.
She won’t be alone forever.
She is in the cocooning now
and he will help her through the work that she needs to do.
He is showing her that Bryan was a symbol of what she could have -
way more profoundly aligned with her.
He was there so she could see that there is more for her
beyond these unhealthy ways.
God is going now but he is also staying within her.
A blessing from Jesus? Chunks of gold.
She is going through the fire
and on the other side of the fire is gold;
gold goes through the fire.
Thank you for the blessing…
It is clear what the blessing is.
There are little flecks of gold in each memory - look for them.
He will help her find it. She sees that in each memory;
if she looks closely at each memory - they contain love.
A phoenix rising from the ashes - and she is that -
she needs to hold to that.
On the other side is the gold...
This video is helpful for me. I feel like I'm still at the resisting phase. Maybe in time, maybe in time.
Thank you very much for this teaching and reminder
Such a warm-hearted thanks for this.
Shes the cutest.. Love the message
Thank you for this
We love you, pema. I'm so happy and grateful to have found you and these teachings.
And just like that, it’s been 5 years since this video was posted.
"Life and death are one thread, the same line viewed from different sides."
- Lao Tzu
Last year i lost almost any thing that i had identified myself with, my life turned completely upside down in a snap of a finger..it happened too fast to let me know how it happened...n i was dying of disappointment n sadness...i survived n throughout the experience ive felt nothing n no one is permanent... I felt the groundlessness n egolessness with each and every cell of my body...painful n uneasy but the truth..
Tomorrow is the 2nd Anniversary of my Beloved wife's transitioning into ETERNAL LIFE. Betsy Caprio Hedberg [6-1-1933] described death merely as "A night between 2 days." BLESSINGS, DEAREST!
YOUR T.
Happy 80th birthday Pema. You are a wonderful gift.
Needed to hear this
You are very welcome Jeff - Dia dhuit from Ireland :)
Chodron 🌞
Dia is Muire duit. Go raibh mile math agat🙏
Though an old soul, her spirit is young.
beautiful speech
A beautiful 80 you are.
She is wonderful
Major crush on Pema, I learn so much from her #wcw
Happy Birthday Pema..i just want to make sure im living and just not preparing for death.
Happy Birthday 🍰🌹🎁🌟❄️💕
Impermanence (Anithya) is not about change in the physical body or physical things. Impermanence is about the changes in the perception. Buddha taught impermanence as “perception is conditioned by cause and effect”.
For example, perception of eye is conditioned by so many factors, one factor is sharpness of eye sight. We see everything relative to the limitation of eye sight(perception). If our eyes are sharp as a microscope we will see world completely different. Therefor, nothing we see is true, all the images we see conditioned by so many factors. They are just a mirage. This the meaning of impermanence.
We believe what we see is true and get attached to it. That cause suffering. If wisdom arise at any moment to see the reality of perception, attachment won’t arise to it and it will stop creation of all the thoughts, hopes and disappointment cause around what we perceive. That is end of suffering, Nirvana.
Pema saved my mind and soul at 20..that was 26 years ago. I was told this same truth by a member of vajradhatu ..the old order of Shambhala.
It's so relevant in that I now, pass the truth of the fragility of this life, and the need to tame one's mind. That should be ones highest goal. That is why we train in seeing impermanence as it is.
I hope all who see this great piece, by a modern master, 🙏 pema Chadron, I pray their minds are turned toward the dharma and liberation of self in order too benefit others.
YOUR TRUE PERSON Often, we live a life of compromise so that there’s peace in the house. We buy a small peace so that we can get through the day. And if we live like that then we aren’t a great person, but a cracked vase, unable to contain the rice soup. If we want to be a great Dharma instrument, then we have to be determined not to let other people trick us. Master Linji exhorted us to be the masters of our own situation, but that doesn’t mean we need to fight and suppress others, but rather we need to be the masters of ourselves. Suppose we have a friend who is quick to anger. We can think there is something wrong with him, and try to suppress his anger. We can think that because he is raising his voice we have to raise ours. Or we can be the master of ourselves in that situation, feeling real compassion for the other person’s difficulties. Sometimes it’s not a person in the moment but a person in the past who we think is the master of our situation. We say that we are behaving a certain way because of something our parents or someone else did to us as a child. But each person has their own karma and each person is the master of their own situation in the moment, not a slave to others past or present. The true person doesn’t go looking for an outside master. We are in charge of our own destiny and we have to be responsible for each of our words, thoughts, and actions. Mindfulness will help. Then we realize, “I’m thinking like this, I’m responsible for these thoughts. I’ve spoken like that, I’m responsible for my words. I’m doing this, and I’m responsible for this action.” We have to know that each word, each thought, each of our actions carries our signature. We are responsible for it and that is called being in charge of ourselves. Wherever we stand, wherever we sit, we are the true person. We are masters of ourselves and wherever we are, we are ourselves. We only need to live these eight words, and it’s enough to make us Master Linji’s student, worthy to be his continuation: “Wherever we are, we are our true person.” Write these words and hang them somewhere to remind yourself.
wise and precious words, it both touched me and made me very sad, I had to cry at the end. I'm not sure why, but death, since a very early age on, has always been busying me a lot...
I ran into a neighbor this morning who I only see from time to time. I met her in 1985, when I would guess she was middle aged. Now she is of course an old woman. It was a shock.....this happens to me more and more.
Thanl you Pema Chödrön!-I love you so much!
Happy Birthday Pema Dear ! Only you seem to have the astounding abilitily to Breath warmth into Death! May the coming years bring ever increasing fulfilment and succes in getting the message across to all those with ears,
just beautiful nothing else just beautiful.
Profound 🙏🏿
On the mark,, so magnificent and loving and authentic...........so kind of you to share this, thank you!
Thanks for sharing. Pema Chodron's warmth and tenderness are touching and inspiring amidst all chaos and egotistic social conversations
I love Pema. She is incredibly special. Stay with us and keep teaching us with your beautiful way.
I'm 43 and I think about death all the time......not to the point of depression or anxiety, but just simple contemplation. And the funny thing is some days I feel like "life is as brief as a dew drop on a blade of grass"....but other days it feels like I've been here/alive for a VERY long time.....like a 100 years or more. 🙂
I came very close. I was ready to lay down for the last time only to discover what was killing me. I remember being quite satisfied at not having any fear at the time. I believe I can not only make a plan for tomorrow, but I can make a plan for my next lifetime.
I run into 2 problems with dying. 1 is I do not want anyone to hurt and the other is, I really like my body. This one that I am in. I have thought about how much fun it would be to move about without my body. How far can I fly?
It's not the dying we need to be afraid of (although I'm sure it won't be fun...more mental and physical pains and sufferings...) but it's what will come after!! depending upon your "religious" beliefs...(and there are SO many...)that one may think, "what comes after death is totally unknown and scary because we all fear what we do not know with certainty". Everyone here on earth "believes" in something, it's what you believe in that might make a difference. Unfortunately "we all claim to have the truth"...So I cannot just "relax into it". :-(
One could also say that preparing for that inevitable, temporary groundlessness is of no consequence as we can only truly LEARN in the moment - as it occurs. Like astronauts preparing for a moon landing. When the moment comes it is so total as to eliminate all that has preceded it. This experience 'will be' for everyone. No exceptions. I imagine it impacts all in the same way regardless of how much or how little we consciously 'prepare'.
Thank you. I love your teaching. Why do you not want to live to 90? I want to live to 110 or 120 unless I am too afraid of physical pain or my mind, which certainly may become so for sure...
Something about this lady is so familiar and valuable
Beautiful energy- jus found this awesome woman, and such good wisdom and teaching, the most important thing of all the wisdom and words coming forth, is how we Apply it to our lives, these are treasures, they serve importance to us all, especially that last little prayer:) thanks to pema and all light beings
oh Pema, you've helped me so much. Cheers from Texas.
yes. Takes a while to get the hang of it, but we are not alone. Watch our tree cousins leaves born and die every year. They teach us all the time about letting go's potential to be beautiful. Appreciate experiencing... always grateful for When Things Fall Apart.
Hi, I have made a small music video with Pema Chödröns little speech. How can I get in touch with you regarding the copy right question?
Such wise words from one of the greatest teachers of our time. Thank you Pema for sharing. much love
It took me a couple of weeks in hospital to undrestand.. before.. i was banging through out life like most of you all... its fucking scary to lay next to the death unless you have tht gut to relax in it.... and i did it with the help of her video...fear is where people have no ground beneath to relax.. and to relax in the groudless base is all it takes you to the reality.. tht naked spacious pristin clarity.. i miss it badly..
Thank you for all that you do. You have had an immensely positive impact on my life.
Thank you so much beloved Pema Chodron
I’m listening to this 2 days before I turn 65, and it is so comforting. Love the prayer at the end. Thank you, Pema!
I was very interested in what she was told in the last 20 seconds but the my sound is not clear. Would someone be willing to write what she said? TIA
So honest of you to share your deepest feeling and face the reality of death.
The type of person we want to live forever! It’s three years passed your birthday I hope you’re still with us!
someone said "we are practising to die every night when we go to sleep" i am afraid of dying not of death because dying can be painful and can last for a longer time.... to die in a sleep is my wish
Beautiful spoken, prayers beautiful
Listening for the first time. My daughter turned me into her
Wowza!🎉 That's the arrow. Snap and it's gone WOWZA❤❤❤❤
Thank you Pema. So grateful for you and the way you have spent your life in deep inquiry. Thank you.
How do you relax into being 40 and having no plan forthe future?