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Pema Chodron Quotes - Page 11

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

The next step is to learn to communicate with the people that you feel are causing your pain and misery- not to learn how to prove them wrong and yourself right but how to communicate from the heart.

The next step is to learn to communicate with the people that you feel are causing your pain and misery- not to learn how to prove them wrong and yourself right but how to communicate from the heart.

Pain, Heart, People

Pema Chodron (2001). “Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living”, p.164, Shambhala Publications

If you're invested in security and certainty, you are on the wrong planet.

Planets, Certainty, Ifs

Whatever is happening is the path to enlightenment.

Enlightenment, Path To Enlightenment, Path

Once you create a self-justifying storyline, your emotional entrapment within it quadruples.

Emotional, Self, Entrapment

Compassionate action starts with seeing yourself when you start to make yourself right and when you start to make yourself wrong. At that point you could just contemplate the fact that there is a larger alternative to either of those, a more tender, shaky kind of place where you could live.

Inspirational, Life, Spiritual

The most fundamental aggression to ourselves, the most fundamental harm we can do to ourselves, is to remain ignorant by not having the courage and the respect to look at ourselves honestly and gently.

Buddhist, Walking Meditation, Ignorant

Pema Chodron (2003). “Comfortable with Uncertainty: 108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion”, p.29, Shambhala Publications

If we're willing to give up hope that insecurity and pain can be eliminated, then we can have the courage to relax with the groundlessness of our situation. This is the first step on the path.

Giving Up, Pain, Insecurity

If you’re aggressive in your dealings, that’s how you’ll be regarded in the world. You might smile and give generously, but if you frequently explode in anger, people never feel comfortable in your presence and you’ll never have peace of mind.

People, Giving, Mind

Pema Chodron (2007). “No Time to Lose: A Timely Guide to the Way of the Bodhisattva”, p.161, Shambhala Publications

The Buddha taught that we're not actually in control, which is a pretty scary idea. But when you let things be as they are, you will be a much happier, more balanced, compassionate person.

Ideas, Scary, Taught

Don’t get caught up in hopes of what you’ll achieve and how good your situation will be some day in the future. What you do right now is what matters.

What Matters, Achieve, Caught

Pema Chodron (2007). “Always Maintain a Joyful Mind: And Other Lojong Teachings on Awakening Compassion and Fearlessness”, p.57, Shambhala Publications

When things are shaky and nothing is working, we might realize that we are on the verge of something. We might realize that this is a very vulnerable and tender place, and that tenderness can go either way. We can shut down and feel resentful or we can touch in on that throbbing quality. (9)

Quality, Down And, Might

Pema Chodron (2000). “When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times”, p.10, Shambhala Publications

Everything that human beings feel, we feel. We can become extremely wise and sensitive to all of humanity and the whole universe simply by knowing ourselves, just as we are.

Wise, Knowing, Humanity

Pema Chodron (2001). “The Wisdom of No Escape: And the Path of Loving Kindness”, p.6, Shambhala Publications

Lean into the sharp points and fully experience them. The essence of bravery is being without self-deception. Wisdom is inherent in (understanding) emotions.

Self, Essence, Bravery

When Things Fall Apart” and I quote “Life is a good teacher and a good friend. Things are always in transition, if we could only realize it. Nothing ever sums itself up in the way that we like to dream about. The off-center, in-between state is an ideal situation, a situation in which we don't get caught and we can open our hearts and minds beyond limit. It's a very tender, nonaggressive, open-ended state of affairs.

Dream, Hope, Teacher

Fear is a natural reaction of moving closer to the truth. If we commit ourselves to staying right where we are, then our experience becomes very vivid. Things become very clear when there is nowhere to escape.

Moving, Vivid, Natural

Pema Chodron (2000). “When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times”, p.2, Shambhala Publications

If you aren't feeding the fire of anger or the fire of craving by talking to yourself, then the fire doesn't have anything to feed on.

Fire, Talking, Burning

Pema Chodron (2001). “Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living”, p.73, Shambhala Publications

When people are hurting, what they really need is someone who is fully there for them - not someone who is condescending or officious. The only way for you to be there for them is by facing your fear or anger, whatever feelings cause you to shut down.

Hurt, People, Feelings

The truth is that good and bad coexist; sour and sweet coexist. They aren't really opposed to each other.

Sweet, Truth Is, Sour

Pema Chodron (2001). “Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living”, p.30, Shambhala Publications

Hold the sadness and pain of samsara [suffering, confusion] in your heart and at the same time the power and vision of the Great Eastern Sun [fundamental awake human nature]. Then the warrior [brave enough to look at & work with reality] can make a proper cup of tea.

Pain, Heart, Sadness

We cannot be present and run our story-line at the same time.

Running, Spiritual, Stories

The wisdom, the strength, the confidence - the awakened heart and mind are always accessible -- here, now, always.

Heart, Mind, Heart And Mind

Pema Chodron (2009). “Taking the Leap: Freeing Ourselves from Old Habits and Fears”, p.51, Shambhala Publications

Each of us has a "soft spot": the place in our experience where we feel vulnerable and tender. This soft spot is inherent in appreciation and love, and it is equally inherent in pain.

Appreciation, Pain, And Love

If we begin to get in touch with whatever we feel with some kind of kindness, our protective shells will melt, and we'll find that more areas of our lives are workable. AS we learn to have compassion for ourselves, the circle of compassion for others-what and whom we can work with, and how-becomes wider.

Kindness, Compassion, Circles

Pema Chodron (2000). “When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times”, p.110, Shambhala Publications

We feel that we have to be right so that we can feel good... The whole right and wrong business closes us down and makes our world smaller.

Our World, Feel Good, Down And

it is only to the extent that we are willing to expose ourselves again and again to annihilation that we are able to find that part of ourselves that is indestructible.

Able, Annihilation, Again And Again

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