Clip: Power Down and Tune In to Solitude

In this clip, the American Buddhist nun and author Pema Chödrön talks to Bill Moyers about the value of not only powering down our electronic devices but also quieting the racing mind. “You quickly learn that distractions are not just phone calls and emails. Our own mind and our longings, our cravings and our fantasies are also major distractions,” Chödrön says.

Chödrön says that spending time in solitude each day through meditation makes room for new experiences. “The first thing that happens is you climb the walls because the detox is so intense. But gradually what begins to happen is that you sink so deeply into what life has been distracting you from.” Chödrön says.

Chödrön, born Deirdre Blomfield-Brown in New York, first discovered Tibetan Buddhism in 1972. Through her teachings and writings on meditation, she has helped make Buddhism accessible to a broad Western audience. Her books include The Wisdom of No Escape, Start Where You Are and When Things Fall Apart.

See the full transcript.