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Pema Chodron Quotes - Page 17

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

It's important to remember, when we're out there aggressively working for reform, that, even if our particular issue doesn't get resolved, we are adding peace to the world. We have to do our best and at the same time

It's important to remember, when we're out there aggressively working for reform, that, even if our particular issue doesn't get resolved, we are adding peace to the world. We have to do our best and at the same time give up all hope of fruition.

Giving Up, Issues, Justice

If it's painful, you become willing not just to endure it but also to let it awaken your heart and soften you. You learn to embrace it.

Hurt, Pain, Heart

Pema Chodron (2001). “Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living”, p.7, Shambhala Publications

If your mind is expansive and unfettered, you will find yourself in a more accommodating world, a place that's endlessly interesting and alive. That quality isn't inherent in the place but in your state of mind.

Interesting, Finding Yourself, Mind

Pema Chodron (2012). “Living Beautifully: with Uncertainty and Change”, p.78, Shambhala Publications

Tonglen dissolves your solid sense of "I'm the wise person, I'm going to help this poor, unfortunate loser."

Wise, Helping, Loser

Ego is like a room of your own, a room with a view with the temperature and the smells and the music that you like. You want it your own way. You'd just like to have a little peace, you'd like to have a little happiness, you know, just gimme a break.

Peace, Views, Smell

Pema Chodron (2001). “Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living”, p.65, Shambhala Publications

We don’t experience the world fully unless we are willing to give everything away. Samaya means not holding anything back, not preparing our escape route, not looking for alternatives, not thinking that there is ample time to do things later

Mean, Thinking, Giving

Pema Chodron (2000). “When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times”, p.164, Shambhala Publications

Never underestimate the desire to bolt.

Desire, Underestimate, Never Underestimate

If we Pause and breathe in and out, then we can have the experience of timeless presence, of the inexpressible wisdom and goodness of our own minds. We can look at the world with fresh eyes and hear things with fresh ears.

Eye, Mind, Looks

The Buddha’s principal message that day was that holding on to anything blocks wisdom. Any conclusion that we draw must be let go. The only way to fully understand the bodhichitta teachings, the only way to practice them fully, is to abide in the unconditional openness of the prajna, patiently cutting through all our tendencies to hang on.

Letting Go, Block, Teaching

You see, there really is no separation between you and everyone else.

Separation

For arousing compassion, the nineteenth-century yogi Patrul Rinpoche suggested imagining beings in torment - an animal about to be slaughtered, a person awaiting execution. To make it more immediate, he recommended imagining ourselves in their place. Particularly painful is his image of a mother with no arms watching as a raging river sweeps her child away. To contact the suffering of another being fully and directly is as painful as being in the woman's shoes.

Mother, Children, Animal

Pema Chodron (2002). “The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times”, p.65, Shambhala Publications

If you see a homeless person on the street, and they need food, housing, medical attention - if you can give that, do it. But at the same time, work with tonglen, because that is how you start dissolving the barrier between you and them.

Giving, Needs, Attention

Many people hope a spiritual practice will let them avoid what they are ashamed of. But when you hide something from yourself, you are going to project it onto your world. You continually find it in others and it becomes the source of prejudices and dogmatic views. On top of that, you feel bad about yourself, because you aren't the loving, open-minded, "spiritual" person you'd like to be.

Spiritual, Views, Practice

A heartfelt sense of aspiring cuts through negativity about yourself; it cuts through the heavy trips you lay on yourself.

Ambition, Cutting, Negativity

Pema Chodron (2001). “Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living”, p.122, Shambhala Publications

Patience has nothing to do with suppression. In fact, it has everything to do with a gentle, honest relationship with yourself.

Facts, Honest, Gentle

Pema Chodron (2006). “Practicing Peace in Times of War”, p.41, Shambhala Publications

Meditation is not about getting out of ourselves or achieving something better. It is about getting in touch with what you already are.

Meditation, Achieve, Something Better

That nothing is static or fixed, that all is fleeting and impermanent, is the first mark of existence. Everything is in process.

Change, Fleeting, Firsts

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

Difficult people are the greatest teachers.

Teacher, People, Difficult

"The Places That Scare You". Book by Pema Chödrön, 2001.

Having compassion starts and ends with having compassion for all those unwanted parts of ourselves. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.

Grief, Healing, Compassion

Words themselves are neutral. It's the charge we add to them that matters

Add, Matter

Pema Chodron (2009). “Taking the Leap: Freeing Ourselves from Old Habits and Fears”, p.25, Shambhala Publications

Knowing pain is a very important ingredient of being there for another person.

Pain, Knowing, Important

Pema Chodron (2001). “Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living”, p.178, Shambhala Publications

Fear itself is the vanguard of wisdom

Vanguard

I'm here to tell you that the path to peace is right there, when you want to get away.

Path, Want, Get Away

Pema Chodron (2006). “Practicing Peace in Times of War”, p.74, Shambhala Publications

Every small problem most likely stems from the same root as large problems, and so there is no need to always go deep. One can use anything for the therapeutic process and/if this link is made.

Small Problems, Roots, Needs

Ego is something that you come to know - something that you befriend by not acting out or by repressing all the feelings that you feel.

Ego, Feelings, Acting

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