This Is Not My First Rodeo (Link #538)

Mangala Shri Bhuti - The Link

Speaker: Scott Gallagher. Scott reflects on Rinpoche' s new book "Peaceful Heart": In order to extend warmth and open-heartedness (Tibetan: tsewa), we need to cultivate patience, tolerance and forbearance. We can do so by applying a variety of skillful means. Instead of shrinking from situations that challenge our patience, we can choose to view them as opportunities to grow. In addition to changing our perspective about future events, we can explore past experiences, reflecting on why we were unable to align our actions with our intentions, identifying the habits and tendencies that disturbed our mind, and applying lessons learned from the past to meet future circumstances more effectively. Through the practice of shamatha, contemplation, and the cultivation of curiosity, humor, and a nonjudgmental attitude, we can gain greater awareness of our habitual responses and empower ourselves to meet any circumstance with greater self-confidence, open-mindedness, and fearlessness.