What if rather than being disheartened by the ambiguity, the uncertainty of life, we accepted it and relaxed into it?
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 ChodronUnconditional good heart toward others is not even a possibility unless we attend to our own demons.
Pema ChodronMeditation is about seeing clearly the body that we have, the mind that we have, the domestic situation that we have, the job that we have, and the people who are in our lives. It's about seeing how we react to all these things. It's seeing our emotions and thoughts just as they are right now, in this very moment, in this very room, on this very seat. It's about not trying to make them go away, not trying to become better than we are, but just seeing clearly with precision and gentleness.
Pema Chodron