The very first noble truth of the Buddha points out that suffering is inevitable for human beings as long as we believe that things lastโthat they donโt disintegrate, that they can be counted on to satisfy our hunger for security.
Pema ChodronLike all explorers, we are drawn to discover what's out there without knowing yet if we have the courage to face it.
Pema ChodronOpenness doesnโt come from resisting our fears but rather from getting to know them well.
Pema ChodronWhen we protect ourselves so we won't feel pain, that protection becomes like armor, like armor that imprisons the softness of of the heart.
Pema ChodronIt is only when we begin to relax with ourselves that meditation becomes a transformative process. Only when we relate with ourselves without moralizing, without harshness, without deception, can we let go of harmful patterns. Without maitri (metta), renunciation of old habits becomes abusive. This is an important point.
Pema ChodronWhen Things Fall Apartโ and I quote โLife is a good teacher and a good friend. Things are always in transition, if we could only realize it. Nothing ever sums itself up in the way that we like to dream about. The off-center, in-between state is an ideal situation, a situation in which we don't get caught and we can open our hearts and minds beyond limit. It's a very tender, nonaggressive, open-ended state of affairs.
Pema Chodron