Quotessence
Home / Books / When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times

When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times

Book by Pema Chödrön · 6 quotes · Buddhist Teachings, Acceptance, Buddhism

Filter quotes by topic

AllBuddhist TeachingsAcceptanceBuddhismLifeAwakeningChangeHopeSufferingAggressionBraveryCourageLivingPainSelfSpiritualityActionAddictionAmbiguityAttachmentBirth

When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times Quotes

“To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest. To live fully is to be always in no-man's-land, to experience each moment as completely new and fresh. To live is to be willing to die over and over again. From the awakened point of view, that's life. Death is wanting to hold on to what you have and to have every experience confirm you and congratulate you and make you feel completely together.”

LifeChangeAcceptanceLivingAwakeningBuddhist Teachings
Book:When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times
Create image

“This is where renunciation enters the picture--renunciation of the hope that our experience could be different, renunciation of the hope that we could be better. The Buddhist monastic rules that advise renouncing liquor, renouncing sex, and so on are not pointing out that those things are inherently bad or immoral, but that we use them as babysitters. We use them as a way to escape; we use them to try to get comfort and to distract ourselves. The real thing that we renounce is the tenacious hope that we could be saved from being who we are. Renunciation is a teaching to inspire us to investigate what's happening every time we grab something because we can't stand to face what's coming.”

HopeChangeAcceptanceBuddhismEscapeRenunciationBuddhist Teachings
Book:When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times
Create image

“We are like children building a sand castle. We embellish it with beautiful shells, bits of driftwood, and pieces of colored glass. The castle is ours, off limits to others. We’re willing to attack if others threaten to hurt it. Yet despite all our attachment, we know that the tide will inevitably come in and sweep the sand castle away. The trick is to enjoy it fully but without clinging, and when the time comes, let it dissolve back into the sea.”

LossAcceptanceAttachment
Book:When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times
Create image