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Pema Chödrön Quotes

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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!”

WisdomMeditationBuddhismMindfulnessLoving Kindness
Book:The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times
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“To what do we really commit ourselves? Is it to palying it safe and to manipulating our life and our whole world, so that it will give us security and confirmation?...Do we refuge in small satisfied actions, of both speech and mind? Or do we take refuge in warriorship, in taking a leap, in going beyond our usual safety zones?”

LifeInspirationalWisdomLife LessonsCourageBravery
Book:When Things Fall Apart, The Places That Scare You, Start Where You Are, 10% Happier 4 Books Collection Set
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“The path is uncharted. It comes into existence moment by moment and at the same time drops away behind us. It's like riding on a train sitting backwards. We can't see where we're headed, only where we've been. This is a very encouraging teaching, because it says that the source of wisdom is whatever is going to happen to us today. The source of wisdom is whatever is happening to us right at this very instant.”

WisdomPastLearningFuturePresentBuddhist Teachings
Book:When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times
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“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.”

WisdomPainGrowthChangeHumilityCommunicationBuddhismMindfulnessBraverySelf Compassion
Book:Practicing Peace in Times of War
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