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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the compassionate aspiration that the author begins with as she begins to teach?

2. What are the lojong teachings for?

3. What is Maitri?

4. How many stages are in the formal practice of tonglen?

5. What is the second of the three lords of materialism?

Short Essay Questions

1. What ways does Chodron write that meditation can be misused?

2. What is bodhichitta?

3. What are the lojong teachings?

4. Why does Chodron describe the experience of a young woman who was in a foreign country, surrounded by people throwing stones at her?

5. What does Chodron compare to "tapping into a spring of living water that has been temporarily encased in solid rock"?

6. What does Chodron write is the "foundation" of bodhichitta training?

7. What image of maitri does Chodron use to explain the concept?

8. What are the stages of the formal practice of tonglen?

9. What does the Buddhist teaching tell us that all other beings have been over the course of many lifetimes?

10. What are the three principles that the Buddha taught to be characteristic of human existence?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In The Places That Scare You, what do the terms maitri and tonglen mean? How does Chodron write that these are these cultivated?

Essay Topic 2

What does Chodron mean when she says to do no harm? Why does she argue that this is beneficial? What makes it difficult?

Essay Topic 3

For Chodron, what are the four limitless qualities? What are their near and far enemies?

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