#322 A Deeply Healthy Kind of Perfectionism | Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo

We have talked a lot on this show about how perfectionism can have pernicious impacts on your psyche. Today we’re going to talk about how, by contrast, a certain kind of perfection is very much worth aiming for. We’re diving into another Buddhist list in this episode: the six paramitas, or the six perfections. These are six mental skills that you will never perfect, most likely. But simply working on them can confer massive benefits. My guest is Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo. She was born Diane Perry in England, but 55 years ago, she traveled to India, where she ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist nun. At one point, she quite famously spent 12 years living and practicing in a cave in the Himalayas. She’s now the Founding Director of the Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery in India. We start by discussing her extraordinary life. Then we dive into the six paramitas. We talk about: why patience is a kind of armor, why we need other people to push our buttons, the importance of dissolving the small self to get to the perfection that lies beyond, how to convince your ego to walk this path, and why she thinks a sense of humor should be the seventh paramita.

Where to find Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo online: 

Website: https://tenzinpalmo.com/jetsunma-tenzin-palmo/

Teachings: https://shop.tenzinpalmo.com/collections/jetsunma-tenzin-palmo-teachings-collection-and-biography

Social Media:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jetsunmatenzinpalmo

Other Resources Mentioned:

• The Dalai Lama’s Interest in Quantum Physics
• Freda Bedi
• Khamtrul Rinpoche
• Cave in the Snow (book about Tenzin Palmo’s Himalayan retreat)
• Cave in the Snow (documentary about Tenzin Palmo)
• Excerpt from Cave in the Snow on YouTube
• The Six Paramitas
• Shantideva’s The Way of the Bodhisattva (Bodhicharyavatara)
• The Four Brahmaviharas
• Shamatha Meditation
• Ajahn Brahm’s Kindfulness
  

Additional Resources:

• Ten Percent Happier Live: https://tenpercent.com/live
• Coronavirus Sanity Guide: https://www.tenpercent.com/coronavirussanityguide
• Free App access for Frontline Workers: https://tenpercent.com/care