Walking the Wall

I thought I had read Pema Chodron’s “The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times” but when I pulled some books out I realized I had only started it, not finished it–so I restarted it and the beginning was well worth a second read:

An analogy for bodhichitta [the goal of attaining a completely open heart and mind] is the rawness of a broken heart. Sometimes this broken heart gives birth to anxiety and panic, sometimes to anger, resentment, and blame. But under the hardness of that armor there is the tenderness of genuine sadness. This is our link with all those who have ever loved. This genuine heart of sadness can teach us great compassion. It can humble us when we’re arrogant and soften us when we are unkind. It awakens us when we prefer to sleep and pierces through our indifference. This continual ache of the heart is a blessing that when accepted fully can be shared with all (4).

And:

It’s hard to know whether to laugh or to cry at the human predicament. Here we are with so much wisdom and tenderness, and–without even knowing it–we cover it over to protect ourselves from insecurity. Although we have the potential to experience the freedom of a butterfly, we mysteriously prefer the small and fearful cocoon of ego (10).

It’s really an excellent book, there is a lengthy excerpt to be found here. I just find Chodron to be so down to earth and practical in her tips and training on meditation. One thing I really appreciate about her writing is that she uses the term “warrior”–which has connotations of war and violence–and yet she is speaking of people who are “nurturing open-mindedness and courage” or as she defines it: “warriors of nonaggression who hear the cries of the world”. In the first chapter while explaining the path towards true open hearted-ness she tells of a situation that Jack Kornfield (who has a PHd in psychology and is an insight meditatiion teacher) witnessed. He was in Cambodia and 50,000 people had “converted” to communism from Buddhism at gunpoint. Despite the danger and threat, a temple was established in the refugee camp and 20,000 people went to the opening ceremony. There were no lectures, no prayers, no encouraging speeches, just 20,000 people chanting over and over: Hatred never ceases by hatre but by love alone is healed. This is an ancient and eternal law.  Chodron writes, “Thousands of people chanted and wept, knowing that the truth in these words was even greater than their suffering” (7).

It reminded me of the women’s camp in Darfur where all those women who had so many atrocities done to them were standing together and smiling and singing and clapping their hands together, all standing together singing: “we will never be broken” and talking about never loosing their spirit even if their womanhood was taken. So much power, so much potential in the human spirit to experience freedom or fear, there is always a choice.