Quote Archives: Pema Chödron

 

Cultivating equanimity ~ Pema Chödron

To cultivate equanimity we practice catching ourselves when we feel attraction or aversion, before it hardens into grasping or negativity. Pema Chödron

The anxiety of opening ~ Pema Chödron

A first step [in remaining open] is to understand that a feeling of dread or psychological discomfort might just be a sign that old habits are getting liberated, that we are moving closer to the natural open state. Trungpa Rinpoche said that awakening warriors would find themselves in a constant state of anxiety. Personally, I’ve […]

Gloriousness and wretchedness ~ Pema Chödron

Gloriousness and wretchedness need each other. One inspires us, the other softens us. Pema Chödron

The raw material of our existence ~ Pema Chödron

The world we find ourselves in, the person we think we are – these are our working bases. This charnal ground called life is the manifestation of wisdom. This wisdom is the basis of freedom and also the basis of confusion. In every moment of time, we make a choice. Which way do we go? […]

Whatever we encounter ~ Pema Chödron

When we encounter pain in our life we breathe into our heart with the recognition that others also feel this. When life is pleasant, think of others. When life is a burden, think of others. If this is the only training we ever remember to do, it will benefit us tremendously and everyone else as […]

Our Mistaken Feeling of Separateness ~ Pema Chödron

At the level of absolute truth, there is no reason to suffer. But at the relative level, we’re all in considerable pain. The cause of our discontent is our mistaken feeling of separateness. This isn’t based on anything tangible. It’s based on beliefs and concepts. The duality of subject and object, self and other, is […]

Our capacity to love ~ Pema Chödron

Bodhicitta is particularly available to us when we feel good heart; when we feel gratitude, appreciation or love in any form whatsoever. In any moment of tenderness or happiness, bodhicitta is always here. If we begin to acknowledge these moments and cherish them, if we begin to realize how precious they are, then no matter […]

Three bite practice ~ Pema Chödron

You can do this anytime you eat a meal. Before taking the first bite, just pause and think of those men and women of wisdom and mentally offer them your food. In this way, you connect with the virtue of devotion. Before taking the second bite, pause and offer your food to all those who’ve […]

Forgive into freshness ~ Pema Chödron

There is a simple practice we can do to cultivate forgiveness. First we acknowledge what we feel — shame, revenge, embarrassment, remorse. Then we forgive ourselves for being human. Then, in the spirit of not wallowing in the pain, we let go and make a fresh start. We don’t have to carry the burden with […]

Unconditional friendship with yourself ~ Pema Chödron

The first step is developing an unconditional friendship with yourself. Unconditional friendship means staying open when you want to shut down, when it is just too painful, too embarrassing, too unpleasant what you see in yourself. Pema Chödron

Just your interpretation of reality ~ Pema Chödron

Seeing when you justify yourself and when you blame others is not a reason to criticize yourself, but actually an opportunity to recognize what all people do and how it imprisons us in a very limited perspective of this world. It’s a chance to see that you’re holding on to your interpretation of reality; it […]

Three step practice ~ Pema Chödron

First, come into the present. Flash on what’s happening with you right now. Be fully aware of your body, its energetic quality. Be aware of your thoughts and emotions. Next, feel your heart, literally placing your hand on your chest if you find that helpful. This is a way of accepting yourself just as you […]

You are guaranteed to be burned ~ Pema Chödron

We act out because, ironically, we think it will bring us some relief. We equate it with happiness. Often there is some relief, for the moment. When you have an addiction and you fulfill that addiction, there is a moment in which you feel some relief. Then the nightmare gets worse. So it is with […]

Beyond our comfort zone ~ Pema Chödron

Compassion is threatening to the ego. We might think of it as something warm and soothing, but actually it’s very raw. When we set out to support other beings, when we go so far as to stand in their shoes, when we aspire to never close down to anyone, we quickly find ourselves in the […]

Learning to have compassion for ourselves ~ Pema Chödron

As we learn to have compassion for ourselves, the circle of compassion for others – what and whom we can work with, and how – becomes wider. Pema Chödron

The real cause of our suffering ~ Pema Chödron

When you practice staying present, one thing you’ll quickly discover is how persistent the story line is. Traditionally, in the Buddhist texts, our tendencies with their habitual story lines are described as seeds in the unconscious. When the right causes and conditions come together, these preexisting propensities pop up like flowers in the springtime. It’s […]

Lean In ~ Pema Chödron

The next time you lose heart and you can’t bear to experience what you’re feeling, you might recall this instruction: change the way you see it and lean in. Instead of blaming our discomfort on outer circumstances or on our own weakness, we can choose to stay present and awake to our experience, not rejecting […]

Cultivating Compassion ~ Pema Chödron

Compassion practice is daring. It involves learning to relax and allowing ourselves to move gently toward what scares us. The trick to doing this is to stay with emotional distress without tightening into aversion; to let fear soften us rather than harden into resistance. We cultivate bravery through making aspirations. We make the wish that […]

Underneath there’s something extremely soft ~ Pema Chödron

Underneath all that craving or aversion or jealousy or feeling wretched about yourself, underneath all that hopelessness and despair and depression, there’s something extremely soft, which is called bodhicitta. Pema Chödron