“Yes. But what I’m really pointing to here is developing steadfastness with yourself, steadfastness with your fears. This comes from developing clear seeing of all that arises in your heart and your mind without pushing away what you don’t like or getting cozy with what you find attractive, and without disassociating or acting out. So the teacher encourages you to be relaxed more and more with your own uneasy, insecure energy and to stay with yourself through highs and lows.” – Pema Chodron
click for the full interview here: Unconditionally Steadfast | Tricycle.
Ok so here I have started my blog but haven’t really blogged anything yet, just reposted some interesting stuff. This one deserves at least a little introduction since its an interview with my teacher Ani Pema Chodron from Tricycle magazine from 1999 and she is talking about relationship with the teacher as being one that is unconditionally steadfast and what follows from that is a relationship with ones own life that is unconditionally steadfast.
Its quite timely really, since I took refuge as a Buddhist with her in the Northern Summer or early Fall of 1999 when this was published and I’m currently preparing to have a personal interview with her before I go back to Australia.
Its also timely as I have been working quite intently all this year, since I did a small personal retreat in the first week of January including contemplating, to paraphrase my therapist, “becoming my own bestest most compassionate friend”. This idea is not new to me and nor is the study or practice of maitri, the Sanskrit word for unconditional loving kindness towards all. Ani Pema’s teacher, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, taught to approach this by beginning with maitri towards oneself and then extending out to all beings. Students of the Theravada Buddhist tradition call this by its Pali name, metta. But just because I think I understand the idea and have been working with it for years now, doesn’t mean I have actually integrated it into my life.
This interview was sent to me by my Mum just today. She is a student of Vajrayana Buddhism and it was included in some readings she received a long time ago, as part of a Vajrayana retreat. I think its applicable to anyone interested in meditation and the Tibetan Buddhist point of view.
Im going to write about self care soon. From the perspective of studying Dharma and also my own experiences of working with chronic health issues for 25 years. But for now… welcome to my blog!
-penelope
