Come back to square one, just the minimum bare bones. Relaxing with the present moment, relaxing with hopelessness, relaxing with death, not resisting the fact that things end, that things pass, that things have no lasting substance, that everything is changing all the time-that is the basic message.
Pema ChodronWe are all capable of becoming fundamentalists because we get addicted to other people's wrongness.
Pema ChodronThe wisdom, the strength, the confidence - the awakened heart and mind are always accessible -- here, now, always.
Pema ChodronIf your mind is expansive and unfettered, you will find yourself in a more accommodating world, a place that's endlessly interesting and alive. That quality isn't inherent in the place but in your state of mind.
Pema ChodronThe next time you lose heart and you canโt bear to experience what youโre feeling, you might recall this instruction: change the way you see it and lean in. Instead of blaming our discomfort on outer circumstances or on our own weakness, we can choose to stay present and awake to our experience, not rejecting it, not grasping it, not buying the stories that we relentlessly tell ourselves. This is priceless advice that addresses the true cause of sufferingโyours, mine, and that of all living beings.
Pema Chodron