True compassion does not come from wanting to help out those less fortunate than ourselves but from realizing our kinship with all beings.
Pema ChodronAll ego really is, is our opinions, which we take to be solid, real, and the absolute truth about how things are.
Pema ChodronSticking with uncertainty is how we learn to relax in the midst of chaos, how we learn to be cool when the ground beneath us suddenly disappears. We can bring ourselves back to the spiritual path countless times every day simply by exercising our willingness to rest in the uncertainty of the present momentโover and over again.
Pema ChodronResistance to unwanted circumstances has the power to keep those circumstances alive and well for a very long time.
Pema ChodronCool loneliness allows us to look honestly and without aggressionat our own minds. We can gradually drop our ideals of who we think weought to be, or who we think we want to be, or who we think other peoplethink we want to be or ought to be. We give it up and just look directlywith compassion and humor at who we are. Then loneliness is no threat andheartache, no punishment.
Pema Chodron