We feel that we have to be right so that we can feel good. We donโt want to be wrong because then weโll feel bad. But we could be more compassionate toward all these parts of ourselves. The whole right and wrong business closes us down and makes our world smaller. Wanting situations and relationships to be solid, permanent, and graspable obscures the pith of the matter, which is that things are fundamentally groundless.
Pema ChodronSurrendering, letting go of possessiveness, and complete nonattachment-all are synonyms for accumulating merit.
Pema ChodronMaybe the most important teaching is to lighten up and relax. It's such a huge help in working with our crazy mixed-up minds to remember that what we're doing is unlocking a softness that is in us and letting it spread. We're letting it blur the sharp corners of self-criticism and complaint.
Pema ChodronBy the way that we think and by the way that we believe in things, in that way our world is created.
Pema ChodronThe more we witness our emotional reactions and understand how they work, the easier it is to refrain.
Pema Chodron