Comments on: Shenpa: Why Holidays Hurt & What We Can Do About It

By: Mr. Tweet: Your Personal Networking Assistant!

Mr. Tweet: Your Personal Networking Assistant! — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 13:13:39 +0000

[...] 1 Likes Elite Versus Elitny – By Mark Ames – The eXiled 1 Likes Shenpa – Why Holidays Hurt — Luminous Heart Shenpa is a Tibetan word that means attachment. Pema Chodron describes it as how we get hooked. [...]

By: carolyn, laughing yogini

carolyn, laughing yogini — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 19:31:41 +0000

Hello Mahala, I love this post. What a great introduction to shenpa. Wish I could say that I’ve been practicing long enough that shenpa wasn’t much of an issue, but I just went into the garage and grabbed two anise cookies to ground my emotions!!!

Yes, I DO know exactly why I went for them. But WHY didn’t I do something more positive? What would be even better, would be if the emotion didn’t HOOK me so that I was looking for something to soften it.

You are totally right on. Here’s to living shenpa-free lives. :-)

By: Virginia

Virginia — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 17:02:02 +0000

Dear Mahala,
Last day I did not have time to read my mails propoly
Now today a spend the time to read and give my comment.
So I could understand what shenpa means.
That happen in the preparation of Holiday.
Not everyone can do all that spend of money.
Parents that cannot give their children all the gifts
for the holidays.
It give a lot of people sarrow in place of be happy and grateful.
SHENPA I understand it.
Here on my Island today they celebrate St. Claus.
A lot of children and parents pass this difficult today
because they can give the gifts that the children would expect from them.
Holidays are nice but there are many things that happen that is SHENPA.
Thanks Mahala it was a nice massage.

By: JJ Lassberg

JJ Lassberg — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:47:35 +0000

The label I use is “triggered” and it so, so, so true that this comes around more with my family than anywhere else these days. I took the learned “hooks” with me into the world and constructed my relationships to replicate those in my family… making unconscious choices, acting from “the story” almost all of the time. I am so grateful for all the places along the way (12 step, Quaker Meeting, Woman Within, etc.) that I found the tools to recover, to wake up, to live life consciously. Now, most of the time I aware of when I am triggered, what is the story I am telling myself, and can chose my my next action from an empowered adult place… still, I do struggle with this in my family of origin more than any place else. I think that the connection to the old way of being in relationships is still very strong here and it is not only my own cells that remember how “the dance” goes it is everyone else as well. What I chose to focus on is how much better it is today than last year, and I affirm that it will be even better next holiday season.

Thank you for your post… I am going to take the word “shenpa” and explore it more. I imagine it will be yet another little gem that allows me to gain an even deeper understanding of awareness and presence in the moment.

Have a wonderful and blessed holiday season.

By: Lydia, Clueless Crafter

Lydia, Clueless Crafter — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:27:47 +0000

Agree with the timely aspect of this post! I’m absolutely not familiar with Shepna nor Buddhist practice; however, I saw it in play just this Thanksgiving.

I went to my in laws and found myself feeling in great peril, suffocated by their needs for me to perform a daughterly role in the family. The chain started and kept hitting other feelings within, but I somehow came out of it by being playful (okay, even a little weird;-).

I wrote a post about what I did to own my self at a time when it’s difficult to filter others’ needs, especially come the holidays.

Glad to have found this blog!
Lydia, Clueless Crafter´s last blog ..What-if Holidays

By: Mahala Mazerov

Mahala Mazerov — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:00:20 +0000

Andrew ~ I’m looking forward to reading your post. Please give me a nudge on Twitter via DM or @LuminousHeart when you’ve got it online.

I, too, am finding working with shenpa supremely useful. Do I notice & come back? Sometimes I notice and realize (drama. shenpa.) I don’t want to come back.

Melynda ~ Supernaturally timely. I love the sound of that. Not that I’m hooked, mind you.

Keep the sign-ups coming, people. You are really helping me dive into this. I think it’s going to be a great – and extremely useful – program.

By: Melynda

Melynda — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:21:22 +0000

Supernaturally timely. That’s all I’ve got to say. (but if you listen, you’ll be able to hear the X-Files theme song playing while you read this. That’s how timely it is.)

Hurrah!

By: Andrew Lightheart @alightheart

Andrew Lightheart @alightheart — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:38:17 +0000

Hi Mahala

Wow – I’ve just been listening to Pema on shenpa this week.

In fact, I have half a shenpa post written (it was going to be an item in my Friday list, but it got bigger!).

It’s been such a useful concept for me as, by noticing the shenpa, it stops my mind going down a sourcing rabbit hole *whilst still following the chain*.

I can notice the shenpa and then come back.

Er. Sometimes.

Signed up!
Andrew Lightheart @alightheart´s last blog ..Friday list #4 – When people talk they’re saying things