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Famous Pema Chödrön Quotes

“In meditation we discover our inherent restlessness. Sometimes we get up and leave. Sometimes we sit there but our bodies wiggle and squirm and our minds go far away. This can be so uncomfortable that we feel’s it’s impossible to stay. Yet this feeling can teach us not just about ourselves but what it is to be human…we really don’t want to stay with the nakedness of our present experience. It goes against the grain to stay present. These are the times when only gentleness and a sense of humor can give us the strength to settle down…so whenever we wander off, we gently encourage ourselves to “stay” and settle down. Are we experiencing restlessness? Stay! Are fear and loathing out of control? Stay! Aching knees and throbbing back? Stay! What’s for lunch? Stay! I can’t stand this another minute! Stay!”

Wisdom Meditation Buddhism Mindfulness Loving Kindness

Book:The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times

Source: The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times

“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.”

Truth Pain Courage Mindfulness Self Awareness Self Assessment

Book:When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times

Source: When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times

“It’s not impermanence per se, or even knowing we’re going to die, that is the cause of our suffering, the Buddha taught. Rather, it’s our resistance to the fundamental uncertainty of our situation. Our discomfort arises from all of our efforts to put ground under our feet, to realize our dream of constant okayness. When we resist change, it’s called suffering. But when we can completely let go and not struggle against it, when we can embrace the groundlessness of our situation and relax into its dynamic quality, that’s called enlightenment, or awakening to our true nature, to our fundamental goodness. Another word for that is freedom—freedom from struggling against the fundamental ambiguity of being human.”

Consciousness Compassion Self Help Acceptance Buddhism Depression Anxiety Mindfulness Mental Health Psyhology

Book:Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change

Source: Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change

“there’s more to liberation than trying to avoid discomfort, more to lasting happiness than pursuing temporary pleasures, temporary relief.”

Happiness Acceptance Mindfulness

Book:Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change

Source: Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change

“When we’re putting up the barriers and the sense of “me” as separate from “you” gets stronger, right there in the midst of difficulty and pain, the whole thing could turn around simply by not erecting barriers; simply by staying open to the difficulty, to the feelings that you’re going through; simply by not talking to ourselves about what’s happening. That is a revolutionary step. Becoming intimate with pain is the key to changing at the core of our being—staying open to everything we experience, letting the sharpness of difficult times pierce us to the heart, letting these times open us, humble us, and make us wiser and more brave. Let difficulty transform you. And it will. In my experience, we just need help in learning how not to run away.”

Wisdom Pain Growth Change Humility Communication Buddhism Mindfulness Bravery Self Compassion

Book:Practicing Peace in Times of War

Source: Practicing Peace in Times of War