When Pain is the Doorway cover art

When Pain is the Doorway

Awakening in the Most Difficult Circumstances

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When Pain is the Doorway

By: Pema Chödrön
Narrated by: Pema Chödrön
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About this listen

Finding freedom in our most difficult circumstances.

What if the full sense of our aliveness were only to be found amidst our most challenging times and difficult experiences? In pain and crisis, teaches Pema Chödrön, there lies a hidden doorway to freedom that appears to us only when we're sure that there is no way out.

In these intimate audio learning sessions, Pema Chödrön helps us distinguish the triggers or external events that we blame for our suffering from the deeper habitual patterns that feed our anger, fear, or sadness. From this understanding, we learn how to free ourselves from our propensity to suffer through the transformative awareness of impermanence - the dynamic and ever-shifting nature of both joy and suffering, self and selflessness-and the absolute and eternal flow from which all of it arises.

What is causing my pain? What will happen if I simply lean in, keep company with it, hold it with tenderness? Moment by moment, Pema supports and encourages listeners to bring an openhearted sense of curiosity and welcoming to our apparently impossible situations or unbearable relationships - to discover the deeper freedom available just beneath the surface.

For those experiencing emotional crisis, When Pain Is the Doorway provides expert guidance to help us stop, stay present, and enter into a more welcoming, spacious place of being that is our true home.

©2013 Pema Chödrön (P)2013 Pema Chödrön
Buddhism Occult Other Religions, Practices & Sacred Texts

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Great

Pema sees pain as a mentor that shows up and draws your attention to the areas in your life that need work. If you ignore Pain - these experiences will repeat throughout your life in various expressions until something changes. The book is organized into two sessions - Session 1 is about getting to the root cause of your suffering (or painful situation) and distinguishing the cause from the triggers. Session 2 is about charnel ground practice - in session one you identified the real issue and learned to identify the cause and the triggers - in session two you learn to change that pattern and the overall experience as a result from that change.

I made my own Table of Contents - since Audible does not come with chapter titles or PDF:

SESSION 1
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Relationships with blame, ego and root of suffering
Chapter 3: Distinguish the cause vs the trigger(s)
Chapter 4: Why am I suffering right now?
Chapter 5: Questions - Don't worry about changing others: work on being the change
Chapter 6: Questions - Passions / Impermeability
Chapter 7: Questions - Psychological roots of propensity
Chapter 8: Questions - Depression and triggers

SESSION 2
Chapter 9: Introduction
Chapter 10: Awakening in the charnel ground
Chapter 11: What is the charnel ground
Chapter 12: Directly vs selflessly
Chapter 13: Selflessly (spontaneous, organic)
Chapter 14: PTSD and Charnel ground practice
Chapter 15: Questions - Charnel ground TODAY (?) *literal
Chapter 16: Questions - Meditation: Letting go vs Observe
Chapter 17: Questions - Death

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Perfect simplicity.

Pema Chodren always manages to capture the essence of Buddhist teachings in a way which is accessible and profound. Whether you are an experienced Dharma student or a beginner Pema Chodren's words are truly inspiring.

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Amazing as always

A really practical guide to finding the purpose and gift of pain. So thankful for your work Pema Chodron x

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