The following article addresses an age-old problem that we all face sooner or later. How can we keep going in the face of trauma, or even everyday setbacks and discouragement? The Tibetans have suffered incredible hardship at the hands of the Chinese and yet they remain buoyant and cheerful. How can it be so?
I highly recommend a listen to the Spacious Minds podcast on the Cornell University Press page in order to get some valuable insights into the Tibetan way of viewing suffering.
“You create space in the mind, you make the mind more vast by thinking about others, and by thinking that it is only natural to have problems in life.” Talking about mental distress only solidifies it, she argues. “And it can make you sick.” What Dolma and many others implored me to understand is what
is known as sems pa chen po (vast or spacious mind)—what I argue in this
book is the hallmark of resilience among Tibetans in exile.
Below is another link to the book and podcast conversation with the author.
The Importance of Resilience in Tibetan Buddhism
