11 Comments

The part about the car accident gave me chills because something similar happened to me in my youth and I just kept going. No counselor, no real discussion with anyone about the gravity <3 Years later a chiropractor brought it up after a X-ray. It was the first person who really saw what I’d been through. These first responders! Whether professorial or professional (or an amateur friend) 💓 I really relate to being drawn to bodhisattva energy. And congrats on your book!

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Oh, Kara, I'm so sorry you had that experience. I have my version of that. We carry it in our bodies and our souls. And, yes, to bodhisattva energy! So glad you enjoyed the interview! 🌸

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Thanks for the comments, Kara! First responders of all types do so much, don't they? I'm glad a chiropractor was finally able to see and help.

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This is a wonderful read: the story about the professor who read her work and really saw what was going on was very moving, especially as Jennie says it's what she now tries to do as a teacher ❤️

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I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Cynthia! I know, that story moved me, too! ❤️

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My next writing project is about care work, and I’ve been thinking a lot about that: how writing, teaching, and ways of being can foster the kinds of connections that relieve suffering. It’s a beautiful aspiration.

This really touched me. Care work is important to me, as I helped both of my parents as they were letting go of their lives. Ways of being …indeed a beautiful aspiration. Thank you.

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How beautiful, CeCe. And, yes, it can certainly relieve suffering! I'm so glad you enjoyed the interview! 🌸

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Thank you, CeCe!

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"I’ve really come to love the Buddhist concept of the bodhisattva—the spiritual being who has dedicated their life to relieving the suffering of others. To a degree, that goal is impossible—suffering will always exist—yet in Buddhism anyone can be a bodhisattva (including animals, trees, or entities such as the earth)." Thanks for that, Jennifer. I love and read and re-read and listen to all Pema Chodron, but hadn't heard of the tape you mention. As for bodhisattvas, lately when I hear some wisdom from a woman in my experience, strength, and hope circle, I share with her afterward "thanks for being a bodhisattva for me." I believe that if we devote our lives to helping relieve suffering, we are bodhisattvas, that it's not an impossible goal. Thanks for your response to Jane's questions.

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Very beautiful, Kirie!! 🌸 I'm glad you enjoyed the interview. Jennie's answers are so wise and lovely!

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Thanks so much, Kirie! I love that phrase--"thanks for being a bodhisattva for me." How beautiful!

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