When we are willing to stay even a moment with uncomfortable energy, we gradually learn not to fear it.
Pema ChodronWe give it up and just look directly with compassion and humor at who we are. Then loneliness is no threat and heartache, no punishment.
Pema ChodronIf you follow your heart, you're going to find that it is often extremely inconvenient.
Pema ChodronIt's not a terrible thing that we feel fear when faced with the unknown. It is a part of being alive, something we all share. We react against the possibility of loneliness, of death, of not having anything to hold on to. Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth.
Pema ChodronAs 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 ChodronThe first noble truth of the Buddha is that when we feel suffering, it doesnโt mean that something is wrong. What a relief. Finally somebody told the truth. Suffering is part of life, and we donโt have to feel itโs happening because we personally made the wrong move. In reality, however, when we feel suffering, we think that something is wrong. As long as weโre addicted to hope, we feel that we can tone our experience down or liven it up or change it somehow, and we continue to suffer a lot.
Pema Chodron