Are you experiencing restlessness? Stay! Are fear and loathing out of control? Stay! Aching knees and throbbing back? Stay! What's for lunch? Stay! I can't stand this another minute! Stay!
Pema ChodronWhat happens with you when you begin to feel uneasy, unsettled, queasy? Notice the panic, notice when you instantly grab for something. (51)
Pema ChodronWhen people are hurting, what they really need is someone who is fully there for them - not someone who is condescending or officious. The only way for you to be there for them is by facing your fear or anger, whatever feelings cause you to shut down.
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"Be grateful to everyone" is about making peace with the aspects of ourselves that we have rejected... If we were to make a list of people we don't like - people we find obnoxious, threatening, or worthy of contempt - we would discover much about those aspects of ourselves that we can't face... other people trigger the karma that we haven't worked out.
Pema Chodron