Relaxing with something as familiar as loneliness is good discipline for realizing the profundity of the unresolved moments of our lives. We are cheating ourselves when we run away from the ambiguity of loneliness.....Rather than persecuting yourself or feeling that something terribly wrong is happening, right there in the moment of sadness and longing, could you relax and touch the limitless space of the human heart?
Pema ChodronWhen Things Fall Apartโ and I quote โLife is a good teacher and a good friend. Things are always in transition, if we could only realize it. Nothing ever sums itself up in the way that we like to dream about. The off-center, in-between state is an ideal situation, a situation in which we don't get caught and we can open our hearts and minds beyond limit. It's a very tender, nonaggressive, open-ended state of affairs.
Pema ChodronTrying to change ourselves doesn't work in the long run because we're resisting our own energy. Self-improvemen t can have temporary results, but lasting transformation occurs only when we honor ourselves as the source of wisdom and compassion.
Pema ChodronLife is glorious, but life is also wretched. It is both...Life is glorious, but life is also wretched. It is both.
Pema ChodronWhen you refrain from habitual thoughts and behavior, the uncomfortable feelings will still be there. They donโt magically disappear. Over the years, Iโve come to call resting with the discomfort โthe detox period,โ because when you donโt act on your habitual patterns, itโs like giving up an addiction. Youโre left with the feelings you were trying to escape. The practice is to make a wholehearted relationship with that
Pema Chodron