What is a Shempa?

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In Tibetan Buddhism this negative thought pattern is known as “Shempa”. It’s something that gets under your skin, that works its way into your mind and you can’t stop thinking about it. Once you’re on a role, letting it go is difficult. Shempas are little annoyances that work away at the mind.

Is tonglen the same as metta?

Tonglen is a meditation practice that combines meditating on loving-kindness with meditating on compassion. Love and compassion in the context of tonglen have different meanings from their everyday definitions. The word for loving-kindness in Sanskrit is maitri (metta in Pali).

Where did tonglen originate?

Tonglen (Tibetan: གཏོང་ལེན་, Wylie: gtong len, or tonglen) is Tibetan for ‘giving and taking’ (or sending and receiving), and refers to a meditation practice found in Tibetan Buddhism. Tong means “giving or sending”, and len means “receiving or taking”. Tonglen is also known as exchanging self with other.

How do you arouse bodhicitta?

So as to arouse Bodhicitta, the main aspect, the Four Immeasurables (Brahmavihara) contemplation and practice:

Immeasurable Equanimity (Upekṣā)
Immeasurable Loving-Kindness (Maitrī),
Immeasurable Compassion (Karunā),
Immeasurable Joy in the Good Fortune of Others (Muditā), and.

What are the five kleshas?

The five kleshas are avidya (ignorance), asmita (over-identifying with your ego), raga (desire, or attachment to pleasure), dvesha (avoidance), and abhinivesha (attachment and fear).

What is Bodhi Cheetah?

The Sanskrit term bodhicitta (mind of awakening) refers to the state of mind of a bodhisattva, who pursues buddhahood in order to benefit others.

What is shenpa and how does it affect us?

That tight feeling has the power to hook us into self-denigration, blame, anger, jealousy and other emotions which lead to words and actions that end up poisoning us. Shenpa is usually involuntary and it gets right to the root of why we suffer.

What are the branch shenpas?

The branch shenpas are all our different styles of scratching that itch. I recently saw a cartoon of three fish swimming around a hook. One fish is saying to the other, “The secret is non-attachment.” That’s a shenpa cartoon: the secret is—don’t bite that hook.

How do you practice with shenpa?

In practicing with shenpa, first we try to recognize it. The best place to do this is on the meditation cushion. Sitting practice teaches us how to open and relax to whatever arises, without picking and choosing. It teaches us to experience the uneasiness and the urge fully, and to interrupt the momentum that usually follows.

What is Pema Chödrön (shenpa)?

Pema Chödrön on shenpa, or the urge, the hook, that triggers our habitual tendency to close down. We get hooked in that moment of tightening when we reach for relief. To get unhooked, we begin by recognizing that moment of unease and learn to relax in that moment. You’re trying to make a point with a coworker or your partner.