“If we learn to open our hearts, anyone, including the people who drive us crazy, can be our teacher.” ― Pema Chödrön
“It isn’t what happens to us that causes us to suffer; it’s what we say to ourselves about what happens.” – Pema Chödrön
“It is unconditional compassion for ourselves that leads to unconditional compassion for others.” – Pema Chödrön
“It isn’t the things that happen to us in our lives that cause us to suffer, it’s how we relate to the things that happen to us that causes us to suffer.” ― Pema Chödrön
“Feeling like disappointment, embarrassment, irritation, resentment, anger, jealousy, and fear, instead of being bad news, are actually very clear moments that teach us where it is that we’re hold back…Consider them messengers that show us, with terrifying clarity, exactly where we’re stuck.” – Pema Chödrön
“When we are willing to stay even a moment with uncomfortable energy, we gradually learn not to fear it.” – Pema Chödrön
“Meditation practice isn’t about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better. It’s about befriending who we are already.” ― Pema Chödrön
“It is lack of love for ourselves that inhibits our compassion toward others. If we make friends with ourselves, then there is no obstacle to opening our hearts and minds to others.” – Pema Chödrön
“Compassion for others begins with kindness to ourselves.” – Pema Chödrön
“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.” ― Pema Chödrön
“Clarity and decisiveness come from the willingness to slow down, to listen to and look at what’s happening.” – Pema Chödrön
“When there is a great disappointment, we don’t know if that’s the end of the story. It may be just the beginning of a great adventure.” – Pema Chödrön
“You are the sky. Everything else – it’s just the weather.” ― Pema Chödrön
“When our attitude toward fear becomes more welcoming and inquisitive, there’s a fundamental shift that occurs. Instead of spending our lives tensing up, as if we were in the dentist’s chair, we learn that we can connect with the freshness of the moment and relax.” – Pema Chödrön
“Don’t let people pull you into their storm. Pull them into your peace.” – Pema Chödrön
“The root of compassion is compassion for oneself.” – Pema Chödrön
“Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It’s a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.” ― Pema Chödrön
“Our discomfort arises from all of our efforts to put ground under our feet, to realize our dream of constant okayness…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.” – Pema Chödrön
“Let difficulty transform you. And it will. In my experience, we just need help in learning how not to run away.” – Pema Chödrön
“Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth” ― Pema Chödrön
“Inner peace begins the moment you choose not to allow another person or event to control your emotions.” – Pema Chödrön
“Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is indestructible in us be found.” ― Pema Chödrön
“So when you’re like a keg of dynamite just about to go off, patience means just slowing down at that point- just pausing-instead of immediately acting on your usual, habitual response. You refrain from acting, you stop talking to yourself, and then you connect with the soft spot.” – Pema Chödrön
“The most difficult times for many of us are the ones we give ourselves.” ― Pema Chödrön
“Sometimes when things fall apart, well, that’s the big opportunity to change.” – Pema Chödrön
“Rather than letting our negativity get the better of us, we could acknowledge that right now we feel like a piece of shit and not be squeamish about taking a good look.” ― Pema Chödrön
“Rather than being disheartened by the uncertainty of life, what if we accepted it and relaxed into it? What if we said, “Yes, this is the way it is; this is what it means to be human” and decided to sit down and enjoy the ride?” – Pema Chödrön
“One can appreciate & celebrate each moment — there’s nothing more sacred. There’s nothing vaster or absolute. In fact, there’s nothing more!” ― Pema Chödrön
“Pain is not a punishment; pleasure is not a reward.” – Pema Chödrön
“To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest.” ― Pema Chödrön
“Feel the feelings. Drop the story.” – Pema Chödrön
“We think that the point is to pass the test or to overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don’t really get solved. They come together and they fall apart.” ― Pema Chödrön
“Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this, too was a gift.” – Pema Chödrön
“Do I prefer to grow up and relate to life directly, or do I choose to live and die in fear?” ― Pema Chödrön
“To be fully alive, fully human & completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the next. To live fully is to be always in no-man’s land, to experience each moment as completely new & fresh. To live is to be willing to die over & over again.” – Pema Chödrön
“If someone comes along and shoots an arrow into your heart, it’s fruitless to stand there and yell at the person. It would be much better to turn your attention to the fact that there’s an arrow in your heart…” ― Pema Chödrön
“If your everyday practice is to open to all of your emotions, to all the people you meet, to all the situations you encounter, without closing down, trusting that you can do that – then that will take you as far as you can go. And you’ll understand the teachings that anyone has ever taught.” – Pema Chödrön
“We don’t set out to save the world; we set out to wonder how other people are doing and to reflect on how our actions affect other people’s hearts.” ― Pema Chödrön
“Patience is the training in abiding with the restlessness of our energy and letting things evolve at their own speed.” ― Pema Chödrön
“You must learn to sit with the restless, painful energy and not let the momentum pull you under and cause you to do the same thing over and over that’s ruining your life and the lives of those around you.” – Pema Chödrön
“Like all explorers, we are drawn to discover what’s out there without knowing yet if we have the courage to face it.” ― Pema Chödrön
“Simply be present with your own shifting energies and with the unpredictability of life as it unfolds.” – Pema Chödrön
“When we protect ourselves so we won’t feel pain, that protection becomes like armor, like armor that imprisons the softness of the heart.” ― Pema Chödrön
“Be kinder to yourself. And then let your kindness flood the world.” – Pema Chödrön
“We are all capable of becoming fundamentalists because we get addicted to other people’s wrongness.” ― Pema Chödrön
“Right now, can you make an unconditional relationship with yourself? Just at the height you are, the weight you are, with the current intelligence level you have, with your current burden of pain. Can you enter into an unconditional relationship with that?” – Pema Chödrön
“Pain is not a punishment; pleasure is not a reward.” ― Pema Chödrön
“Not causing harm requires staying awake. Part of being awake is slowing down enough to notice that what we say and do. The more we witness our emotional change reactions and understand how they work, the easier it is to refrain. It becomes a way of life to stay awake, slow down and notice.” – Pema Chödrön
“As long as our orientation is toward perfection or success, we will never learn about unconditional friendship with ourselves, nor will we find compassion.” ― Pema Chödrön
“Whether we’re seeking inner peace or global peace or a combination of the two, the way to experience it is to build on the foundation of unconditional openness to all that arises. Peace isn’t an experience free of challenges, free of rough and smooth, it’s an experience that’s expansive enough to include all that arises without feeling threatened.” – Pema Chödrön
“Without giving up hope—that there’s somewhere better to be, that there’s someone better to be—we will never relax with where we are or who we are.” ― Pema Chödrön
“Everything changes when you start to emit your own frequency rather than absorbing the frequencies around you. When you start imprinting your intent on the universe rather than receiving an imprint from existence.” – Pema Chödrön
“Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.” ― Pema Chödrön
“One of the happiest moments ever is when you find the courage to let go of what you can’t change.” – Pema Chödrön
“True compassion does not come from wanting to help out those less fortunate than ourselves but from realizing our kinship with all beings.” ― Pema Chödrön
“If you ask why we meditate, I would say it’s so we can become more flexible and tolerant to the present moment.” – Pema Chödrön
“The more we witness our emotional reactions and understand how they work, the easier it is to refrain.” ― Pema Chödrön
“In your wisest and in your most confused be friendly toward yourself.” – Pema Chödrön
“The greatest obstacle to connecting with our joy is resentment.” ― Pema Chödrön
“There is a teaching that say that behind all hardening and tightening and rigidity of the heart, there’s always fear. But if you touch fear, behind fear there is a soft spot, you find that which is ineffable, ungraspable, and unbiased, that which can support and awaken us at any time.” – Pema Chödrön
“At the root of all the harm we cause is ignorance.” ― Pema Chödrön
“The peace that we are looking for is not peace that crumbles as soon as there is difficulty or chaos. Whether we’re seeking inner peace or global peace or a combination of the two, the way to experience it is to build on the foundation of unconditional openness to all that arises. Peace isn’t an experience free of challenges, free of rough and smooth, it’s an experience that’s expansive enough to include all that arises without feeling threatened.” – Pema Chödrön
“Trying to run away is never the answer to being a fully human. Running away from the immediacy of our experience is like preferring death to life.” ― Pema Chödrön
“Start now. Start where you are. Start with fear. Start with pain. Start with doubt. Start with hands shaking. Start with voice trembling but start. Start and don’t stop. Start where are, with what you have. Just…Start.”
“The essence of bravery is being without self-deception.” ― Pema Chödrön
“Sometimes this broken heart gives birth to anxiety, and panic, sometimes to anger, resentment, and blame. But under the hardness of that armor there is a tenderness of genuine sadness. This is our link with all those who have ever loved.” – Pema Chödrön
“Honesty without kindness, humor, and good heartedness can be just mean.” ― Pema Chödrön
“If it weren’t for my mind my meditation would be excellent.” – Pema Chödrön
“Everything is fresh, the essence of realization.” ― Pema Chödrön
“We sow the seeds of our future hells or happiness by the way we open or close our minds right now.” – Pema Chödrön
“Once you create a self-justifying storyline, your emotional entrapment within it quadruples.” ― Pema Chödrön
“If we stay present with the rawness of our direct experience, emotional energy can move through us without getting stuck.” – Pema Chödrön
“We have a choice. We can spend our whole life suffering because we can’t relax with how things really are, or we can relax and embrace the open-endedness of the human situation, which is fresh, unfixated, unbiased.” ― Pema Chödrön
“The most important aspect of a being on a spiritual path may be to just keep moving.” – Pema Chödrön
“In a nutshell, when life is pleasant, think of others. When life is a burden, think of others.” ― Pema Chödrön
“Rejoicing in ordinary things is not sentimental or trite. It actually takes guts. Each time we drop our complaints and allow everyday good fortune to inspire us, we enter the warrior’s world.” – Pema Chödrön
“Letting there be room for not knowing is the most important thing of all.” ― Pema Chödrön
“Whatever is happening, is the path to enlightenment.” – Pema Chödrön
“Interrupting our destructive habits and awakening our heart is the work of a lifetime.” ― Pema Chödrön
“Sticking with the uncertainty, getting the knack of relaxing in the midst of chaos, learning not to panic-this is the spiritual path.” – Pema Chödrön
“The truth you believe in and cling to makes you unavailable to hear anything new.” ― Pema Chödrön
“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.” – Pema Chödrön
“The Buddha taught that we are not actually in control. Which is a pretty scary idea. But when you let things be as they are. You will be much happier more balanced, compassionate person.” – Pema Chödrön
“Scrambling for security has never brought anything but momentary joy.” ― Pema Chödrön
“This very moment is the perfect teacher, and lucky for us, it’s with us wherever we are.” – Pema Chödrön
“No matter whom you are or what you do, the ground is always shaky. And, the really good news is that shaky ground is fertile ground for spiritual growth and awakening.” – Pema Chödrön
“We can use our personal suffering as the path to compassion for all beings.” ― Pema Chödrön
“We have a choice. We can spend our whole life suffering because we can’t relax with how things really are, or we can relax and embrace the open-endedness of the human situation, which is fresh, unfixated, unbiased.” – Pema Chödrön
“At some point, we need to stop identifying with our weaknesses and shift our allegiance to our basic goodness.” – Pema Chödrön
“It helps to remember that our spiritual practice is not about accomplishing anything—not about winning or losing—but about ceasing to struggle and relaxing as it is.” ― Pema Chödrön
“In the moment that we choose to abide with the energy instead of acting it out or repressing it, we are training in equanimity, in thinking bigger than right and wrong.” – Pema Chödrön
“Just where you are – that’s the place to start.” – Pema Chödrön
“Each moment is an opportunity to make a fresh start.” ― Pema Chödrön
“Welcome the present moment as if you had invited it. Why? Because it is all we ever have.” – Pema Chödrön
“We work on ourselves in order to help others, but also we help others in order to work on ourselves.” – Pema Chödrön
“Transformation occurs only when we remember, breath by breath, year after year, to move toward our emotional distress without condemning or justifying our experience.” ― Pema Chödrön
“Every day we could think about the aggression in the world. Everybody always strikes out at the enemy, and the pain escalates forever. We could reflect on this and ask ourselves “Am I going to add to the aggression in the world?” Everyday..we can ask ourselves, “Am I going to practice peace, or am I going to war?” – Pema Chödrön
“Being in a hurry to improve yourself only slows down the process.” – Pema Chödrön
“Meditation is a totally nonviolent, nonaggressive occupation.” ― Pema Chödrön
“The idea of karma that you continually get the teachings that you need to open your heart.” – Pema Chödrön
“This very moment is the perfect teacher.” – Pema Chödrön
“The more you just try to get it your way, the less you feel at home.” ― Pema Chödrön
“The ego seeks to divide and separate. Spirit seeks to unify and heal.” – Pema Chödrön
“If you’re invested in security and certainty, you are on the wrong planet.” – Pema Chödrön
“The way to dissolve our resistance to life is to meet it face-to-face.” ― Pema Chödrön
“Trying to change ourselves doesn’t work in the long run because we’re resisting our own energy. Self-improvement can have temporary results, but lasting transformation occurs only when we honor ourselves as the source of wisdom and compassion.” – Pema Chödrön
“The only reason we don’t open our hearts and minds to other people is that they trigger confusion in us that we don’t feel brave enough or sane enough to deal with. To the degree that we look clearly and compassionately at ourselves, we feel confident and fearless about looking into someone else’s eyes.” – Pema Chödrön
“If we are willing to stand fully in our own shoes and never give up on ourselves, then we will be able to put ourselves in the shoes of others and never give up on them.” ― Pema Chödrön
“The future is completely open, and we are writing it moment to moment.” – Pema Chödrön
“What we call obstacles are really the way the world and our entire experience teach us where we’re stuck.” ― Pema Chödrön
“Openness doesn’t come from resisting our fears but from getting to know them well.” – Pema Chödrön
“You should never have expectations for other people. Just be kind to them.” – Pema Chödrön
“Live your life as an experiment.” ― Pema Chödrön
“Resistance to unwanted circumstances has the power to keep those circumstances alive and well for a very long time.” – Pema Chödrön
“Gloriousness & wretchedness need each other. One inspires us, the other softens us.” – Pema Chödrön
2 Responses
Where are these quotes from? Any sources for any of them? That would be super helpful. Thanks!
Thank you for the article.
Best regards,
Balle Henneberg
Where are these quotes from? Any sources for any of them? That would be super helpful. Thanks!
Thank you for the article.
Best regards,
Balle Henneberg