Dzogchen and the "relief" of emotions on a daily basis (9) - sadness and nostalgia

RESUME

As a continuation of the series, “The Relief of Emotions on a Daily Basis”, we are dedicating a special series to families of emotions directly related to the ongoing climate upheavals. In this ninth episode of “Dzogchen in Everyday Life”, Mila Khyentse Rinpoche and Diane d’Epremesnil take a closer look at the family emotion which encompasses sadness, regret and nostalgia for all that has already been lost or destroyed.

Host: Marie-Laure.

Few of us are really clear about our emotions, especially when they affect the deeper structures of our being and are connected to other species and the earth itself. Yet these emotions are increasingly present in our lives, and we often feel powerless over them. Is there anything we can do? Certainly, if we are to believe the tradition of the Great Perfection, which shows us through concrete examples how we can get to know them, understand how they work, and eventually calm them.

Notes

Dzogchen is a directly accessible tradition that can be practiced in a variety of ways in our daily lives, focusing on liberation from suffering and the means to achieve it. In this episode, Mila Khyentse Rinpoche and Diane d’Epremesnil explore some aspects of sadness and nostalgia for all that has already been lost or destroyed.

Recap & Takeaways

In this podcast, Mila Khyentse and Diane discuss :

1. Diane's testimony about the direct impact of profound climate change on her emotions. 2’43
2. What is solastalgia, “the homesickness without exile” and its impact on our life. 4’15
3. Too disturbing to be witnessed and too abstract to be recognized: the difficulty to identify clearly this emotion. 5’10
4. Is solastalgia a depression? 8'58
5. The Dzogchen perspective on this disruptive emotion. 10'46
6. The human paradox: “knowing it disappears, acting as if it is not” and its consequences on our emotional state. 12'21
7. “Stop running away and develop clarity”, Diane expresses how the practice of Dzogchen helps her. 17'20
8. Mila Khyentse shares a key practice to sooth and transform solastalgia feeling. 20'8