The Soul Booth - Lama Tsultrim Allione

Описание: “It is what it is.”
For some time now, I’ve been endeavouring to embrace this simple phrase as my mantra.
As I observe the world around me, I see abundant evidence of the Buddhist philosophy of suffering. We humans constantly create our own “suffering” by being in a state of resistance…resenting and struggling against what is. Expecting life to serve up perfection in any sphere of our experience, sets us up for disappointment. When a situation does not go exactly as we’d like, we focus on the lack and the inadequacy, and that negative lens creates unhappiness.

I think we are happiest when we stop “fighting” the unchangeable things that make us frustrated or irritated (like the weather, traffic, and menial chores) and embrace the positive aspects of our lives. This isn’t a campaign for adopting a Pollyanna-like attitude that leaves us living in LaLa Land, but rather a decision to stop wrestling with what is.

Last weekend, I escaped to the refuge I’ve come to consider my home-away-from-home, The Kripalu Centre for Yoga & Health in Massachusetts. As far as I’m concerned, it should be named the Centre for Perspective and Attitude Adjustment. That’s what it does for me. I always leave there rejuvenated and inspired, and this visit was no exception.

My guest in this episode of The Soul Booth is a Buddhist teacher who happened to be leading my course at Kripalu. Talk about a compelling life story ! Lama Tsultrim Allione was ordained as a Buddhist nun in the Tibetan tradition at the age of 22, but that was just the beginning of a winding life path that has included marriage, divorce, kids, grandkids…oh, and recognition as the reincarnation of an 11th century Tibetan saint !

She is, along with all this, an author…and one of her books focuses squarely on overcoming our inner obstacles to happiness and freedom. It’s called Feeding Your Demons, and the book opens with this quote from the famous psychoanalyst, Carl Jung: “One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.”

Now, this may seem like a contradiction to what I’m saying about my philosophy of life, but it’s not. This path is about embracing instead of resisting, and in our conversation, Lama Tsultrim talks about the principles involved in her approach to enlightenment, the intriguing narrative of her life story, and much more !
Please let me know your thoughts on this episode, and as always…if you know someone you think should be a guest in The Soul Booth, nominate them by sending me an email to [email protected] !
Thanks...and stay TUNED ! ;)
Nancy

ps. For more on Lama Tsultrim Allione's life, find her complete bio and much more at www.taramandala.org