Product Description Do you want to love and connect with others more deeply, but need a little help? Struggling with Matters of the Heart? This Is the Place to Bring Them Through six sessions of intensive learning and practice, this beloved and gifted teacher will guide you through traditional Buddhism’s traditional awakened heart training . . . with a difference. Pema might have named this course “Working with the Hard Stuff”—because here she’ll be showing us how to use the principles of The Four Immeasurables in our most challenging situations, relationships, and emotional states. A Multifaceted Course to Awaken Your Boundless Heart The Freedom to Love will engage you with written teachings, video and audio sessions, weekly self-reflection practices, deep meditation, plus two revealing sessions recorded with Pema Chödrön answering questions from a live audience. If you’ve ever had the opportunity of attending a dharma talk with her, then you know that Pema’s Q&A discussions often reveal her most unexpected, entertaining, and memorable insights. Here you are invited to come as you are—calm, confused, or just in need of a heartfulness tune-up—to begin unfolding your natural and joyful qualities of compassion, self-acceptance, connection, and unconditional love. Course objectives: Utilize any challenges, frustrations, or fears you may be facing as the launching pad to awaken the natural and boundless capacity of your heart Discuss how to use the principles of The Four Immeasurables to begin unfolding your natural and joyful qualities of compassion, self-acceptance, connection, and unconditional love Utilize written teachings, video and audio sessions–including live question and answer sessions revealing Pema’s most unexpected, entertaining, and memorable insights Practice deep meditation and self-reflection–this beloved and gifted teacher will guide you through traditional Buddhism’s traditional awakened heart training . . . with a difference With The Freedom to Love, Pema Chödrön invites you to start wherever you are—with any challenges, frustrations, or fears you may be facing—and use them as the launching pad to awaken the natural and boundless capacity of your heart. Session 1 Staying Open to the Movie of Your Life Introduction to The Four Immeasurables—lovingkindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity Tapping into our inherent nature, the ultimate equanimity, staying open to the movie of your life Expanding your capacity to love Starting with what you have What blocks you is actually a path Recommended reading Session 2 Experiencing Your Infinite Nature in the World Opening to receive love Trusting in our innate capacities and potentials Unconditional love Working with our benefactors The urgency of spiritual training Becoming good citizens of Earth Your basic goodness Session 3 The Roots of Suffering and Happiness Wishing happiness for ourselves Ceasing to struggle against ourselves Working with addictions Transforming your relationship with yourself The power of open awareness Self-compassion Our fundamental well-being Session 4 The Practice of Lovingkindness Receiving a benefactor’s love Practicing lovingkindness with a partner Why we’re here Our potential for awakening Allowing our pain to be present Leaning into the sharp points The three kinds of suffering Session 5 Changing Your Heart Toward Pain Unacknowledged fears Remaining present with difficult feelings Compassion as a cradle for pain Contacting your worries Receiving compassion Beyond us and them Working with numbness Session 6 Cultivating Joy and Gratitude Rejoicement therapy So much to appreciate How joy calls on inner strength What do you appreciate? Rejoicing in the good fortune of others Working with envy or jealousy Feelings of deficiency Staying present and open
