Contemplative Play

From the book, The Places That Scare You (2001). By Pema Chodron

Chapter Subheadings:

In the garden of gentle sanity May you be bombarded by coconuts of wakefulness.  – Chogyam Trunga Rinpoche (my favorite today!)

To make things as easy as possible to understand, we can summarize the four boundless qualities in the single phrase “a kind heart.” Just train yourself to have a kind heart always and in all situations.  – Patrul Rinpoche

Just as nurturing our ability to feel love is a way of awakening bodhichitta, so also is our ability to feel compassion. Compassion, however, is more emotionally challenging than loving-kindness because it involves the willingness to feel pain. It definitely requires the training of a warrior.

Title last chapter:
Concluding Aspiration

May the roots of suffering diminish. May warfare, violence, neglect, indifference, and addictions also decrease.

May the wisdom and compassion of all beings increase, now and in the future.

May we clearly see all the barriers we erect between ourselves and others to be as insubstantial as our dreams.

May we appreciate the great perfection of all phenomena.

May we continue to open our hearts and minds, in order to work ceaselessly for the benefit of all beings.

May we go to the places that scare us.

May we lead the life of a warrior.

-Pema Chodron