"The greatest obstacle to connecting with our joy is resentment."
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Pema Chodron quotes (page 9 of 23)
453 quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.
"Well, it starts with being willing to feel what we are going through. It starts with being willing to have a compassionate relationship with the parts of ourselves that we feel are not worthy of existing on the planet. If we are willing through meditation to be mindful not only of what feels comfortable, but also of what pain feels like, if we even aspire to stay awake and open to what we're feeling, to recognize and acknowledge it as best we can in each moment, then something begins to change."
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"If you ask why we meditate, I would say it's so we can become more flexible and tolerant to the present moment."
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"It's a transformative experience to simply pause instead of immediately filling up space."
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"The point is that our true nature is not some ideal that we have to live up to. It's who we are right now, and that's what we can make friends with and celebrate."
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"When you begin to touch your heart or let your heart be touched, you begin to discover that it's bottomless, that it doesn't have any resolution, that this heart is huge, vast, and limitless. You begin to discover how much warmth and gentleness is there, as well as how much space."
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"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."
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"Feeling irritated, restless, afraid, and hopeless is a reminder to listen more carefully."
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"Our wisdom is all mixed up with what we call our neurosis. Our brilliance, our juiciness, our spiciness, is all mixed up with our craziness and our confusion, and therefore it doesn’t do any good to try to get rid of our so-called negative aspects, because in that process we also get rid of our basic wonderfulness. We can lead our life so as to become more awake to who we are and what we’re doing rather than trying to improve or change or get rid of who we are or what we’re doing. The key is to wake up, to become more alert, more inquisitive and curious about ourselves."
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"When there's a disappointment, I don't know if it's the end of the story. It may just be the beginning of a great adventure."
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"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."
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"The most heartbreaking thing of all is how we cheat ourselves of the present moment."
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"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."
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"The truth is that good and bad coexist; sour and sweet coexist. They aren't really opposed to each other."
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"The essence of our whole path is in that place of discomfort, and what do we do with it?"
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"The most important aspect of being on a spiritual path may be to just keep moving."
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"One can appreciate & celebrate each moment — there’s nothing more sacred. There’s nothing more vast or absolute. In fact, there’s nothing more!"
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"This very moment is the perfect teacher, and, lucky for us, it's with us wherever we go."
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"What's encouraging about meditation is that, even if we shut down, we can no longer shut down in ignorance. We see very clearly that we're closing off. That in itself begins to illuminate the darkness of ignorance."
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"This moving away from comfort and security, this stepping out into what is unknown, uncharted and shaky - that's called liberation."
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