Authors:

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

Pema Chodron Quotes - Page 10

All Quotes Acceptance Acting Addiction Appreciation Attitude Awakening Awareness Belief Bravery Buddhism Certainty Challenges Change Character Children Choices Clarity Commitment Compassion Confusion Curiosity Desire Determination Disappointment Drama Earth Ego Empathy Energy Enlightenment Experience Fear Feelings Finding Yourself Freedom Giving Giving Up Grief Happiness Healing Heart Honesty Humanity Hurt Identity Ignorance Insecurity Inspirational Inspiring Journey Joy Justice Karma Kindness Learning Letting Go Life Loneliness Meditation Mindfulness Opportunity Pain Peace Peace Of Mind Perfection Perspective Pleasure Prejudice Quality Reality Resentment Revenge Running Sadness Sleep Sorrow Spirituality Struggle Suffering Teaching Train Training Understanding Waiting Warrior Water Wisdom

As long as our orientation is toward perfection or success, we will never learn about unconditional friendship with ourselves, nor will we find compassion.

As long as our orientation is toward perfection or success, we will never learn about unconditional friendship with ourselves, nor will we find compassion.

Compassion, Long, Perfection

That nothing is static or fixed, that all is fleeting and impermanent, is the first mark of existence. It is the ordinary state of affairs. Everything is in process. Everything - every tree, every blade of grass, all the animals, insects, human beings, buildings, the animate and the inanimate - is always changing, moment to moment.

Animal, Tree, Ordinary

Pema Chodron (2002). “The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times”, p.23, Shambhala Publications

The difference between theism and nontheism is not whether one does or does not believe in God. . . Theism is a deep-seated conviction that there's some hand to hold: if we just do the right things, someone will appreciate us and take care of us. . . Nontheism is relaxing with the ambiguity and uncertainty of the present moment without reaching for anything to protect ourselves.

Atheist, Buddhist, Believe

Pema Chodron (2000). “When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times”, p.51, Shambhala Publications

No one ever tells us to stop running away from fear...the advice we usually get is to sweeten it up, smooth it over, take a pill, or distract ourselves, but by all means make it go away. (5)

Running, Mean, Advice

The most heartbreaking thing of all is how we cheat ourselves of the present moment.

Heartbreaking, Moments, Cheat

Pema Chodron (2000). “When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times”, p.6, Shambhala Publications

Usually we regard loneliness as an enemy. Heartache is not something we choose to invite in. It's restless and pregnant and hot with the desire to escape and find something or someone to keep us company. When we can rest in the middle, we begin to have a nonthreatening relationship with loneliness, a relaxing and cooling loneliness that completely turns our usual fearful patterns upside down.

Loneliness, Heartache, Justice

Pema Chodron (2000). “When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times”, p.71, Shambhala Publications

Life is like that. We don't know anything. We call something bad; we call it good. But really we just don't know.

Life Is Like, Life Is, Standards

Pema Chodron (2000). “When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times”, p.12, Shambhala Publications

Nobody else can really begin to sort out for you what to accept and what to reject in terms of what wakes you up and what makes you fall asleep. No one else can really sort out for you what to accept - what opens up your world - and what to reject - what seems to keep you going round and round in some kind of repetitive misery.

Fall, World, Wakes You

Pema Chodron (2001). “The Wisdom of No Escape: And the Path of Loving Kindness”, p.28, Shambhala Publications

In meditation and in our daily lives there are three qualities that we can nurture, cultivate, and bring out. We already possess these, but they can be ripened: precision, gentleness, and the ability to let go.

Inspiring, Letting Go, Yoga

Pema Chodron (2001). “The Wisdom of No Escape: And the Path of Loving Kindness”, p.15, Shambhala Publications

A warrior accepts that we can never know what will happen to us next.

Warrior, Next, Accepting

Pema Chodron (2003). “Comfortable with Uncertainty: 108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion”, p.5, Shambhala Publications

Lower your standards and relax as it is.

Relax, Standards

Pema Chodron (2006). “Practicing Peace in Times of War”, p.50, Shambhala Publications

The second noble truth says that this resistance is the...mechanism of what we call ego, that resisting life causes suffering.

Ego, Suffering, Noble

Every day is a new opportunity to work with what you have inside toward enlightenment.

Opportunity, Enlightenment, New Opportunity

By the way that we think and by the way that we believe in things, in that way our world is created.

Believe, Thinking, Our World

Pema Chodron (2001). “The Wisdom of No Escape: And the Path of Loving Kindness”, p.43, Shambhala Publications

When you begin to touch your heart or let your heart be touched, you begin to discover that it's bottomless, that it doesn't have any resolution, that this heart is huge, vast, and limitless. You begin to discover how much warmth and gentleness is there, as well as how much space.

Love, Inspirational, Heart

Pema Chodron (2001). “Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living”, p.128, Shambhala Publications

At the root of all the harm we cause is ignorance.

Ignorance, Roots, Causes

Pema Chodron (2000). “When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times”, p.48, Shambhala Publications

The essence of practice is always the same: instead of falling prey to a chain reaction of revenge or self-hatred, we gradually learn to catch the emotional reaction and drop the story lines.

Revenge, Fall, Emotional

Pema Chodron (2002). “The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times”, p.46, Shambhala Publications

Without giving up hope—that there’s somewhere better to be, that there’s someone better to be—we will never relax with where we are or who we are.

Giving Up, Giving, Relax

Pema Chodron (2000). “When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times”, p.49, Shambhala Publications

The point is that our true nature is not some ideal that we have to live up to. It's who we are right now, and that's what we can make friends with and celebrate.

Who We Are, Celebrate, Ideals

Pema Chodron (1996). “Awakening Loving-Kindness”, p.23, Shambhala Publications

Now is the only time. How we relate to it creates the future.

Relate, Only Time

"Tea with Pema Chodron in the Mayan Jungle". Interview with Karl Saliter, www.elephantjournal.com. May 11, 2012.

Buddhism itself is all about empowering yourself, not about getting what you want.

Buddhism, Empowering, Getting What You Want

Pema Chodron (2001). “Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living”, p.123, Shambhala Publications

The most important aspect of being on a spiritual path may be to just keep moving.

Spiritual, Moving, Important

Pema Chodron (2000). “When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times”, p.20, Shambhala Publications

Instead of making others right or wrong, or bottling up right and wrong in ourselves, there's a middle way, a very powerful middle way...... Could we have no agenda when we walk into a room with another person, not know what to say, not make that person wrong or right? Could we see, hear, feel other people as they really are? It is powerful to practice this way..... true communication can happen only in that open space.

Inspirational, Powerful, Communication

Everything is material for the seed of happiness, if you look into it with inquisitiveness and curiosity. The future is completely open, and we are writing it moment to moment. There always is the potential to create an environment of blame -or one that is conducive to loving-kindness.

Kindness, Writing, Curiosity

Suffering begins to dissolve when we can question the belief or the hope that there's anywhere to hide.

Buddhism, Acceptance, Suffering

Pema Chodron (2000). “When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times”, p.50, Shambhala Publications

You May Also Like: