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.

Pema Chödron

from the book Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change

Read a random quote or see all quotes by Pema Chödron.

Further quotes from the book Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change:

• Building Inner Strength
• A Wall of Truth
• Unfettered mind
• Stepping-stones for awakening our compassion
• What are you doing when you are unhappy
• The real cause of our suffering
• Beyond our comfort zone
• The mandala of our life
• Just our personal viewpoint
• We Have a Choice
• Difficult relationships
• Groundlessness
• Holding a diversity party in our living room
• Everything and everyone is in process
• Forever in flux
• The knack of refraining
• Renouncing one thing
• The detox period
• Practicing with Strong Emotions