This program represents a fairly esoteric conversation between two brilliant thinkers on the subject of tonglen, an ancient Tibetan meditation technique that purports to transform emotional pain into compassion on the medium of one's own breath. Walker is well known as a prize-winning novelist, essayist, and poet. Chodron is a Tibetan Buddhist nun, the first American woman to be fully ordained as such. Their conversation, recorded live at San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts, reveals their experiences with this meditation technique and its life-altering properties. An instruction booklet, excerpted from Chodron's book, When Things Fall Apart (Shambhala, 1997), is included. While the program would be of interest to students of meditation and other interior spiritual practices, it is perhaps too heavy for the casual viewer.--Harriet Edwards, East Meadow P.L., NY Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.