We are not given any promises that, because of our noble intentions, everything will be okay. We learn that what truly heals is gratitude and tenderness. We [need] to transform our minds and actions for the sake of other people and for the future of the world.
Pema ChodronWhen you begin to touch your heart or let your heart be touched, you begin to discover that it's bottomless.
Pema ChodronEverything in our lives has the potential to wake us up or put us to sleep. Allowing it to awaken us is up to us.
Pema ChodronThe wisdom, the strength, the confidence - the awakened heart and mind are always accessible -- here, now, always.
Pema ChodronWe have two alternatives: either we question our beliefs - or we don't. Either we accept our fixed versions of reality- or we begin to challenge them. In Buddha's opinion, to train in staying open and curious - to train in dissolving our assumptions and beliefs - is the best use of our human lives.
Pema ChodronRather than becoming more relaxed, you start pulling down the shades and locking the door. When you do go out, you find the experience more and more unsettling and disagreeable. You become touchier, more fearful, more irritable than ever. The more you try to get it your way, the less you feel at home.
Pema Chodron