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Most spiritual experiences begin with suffering. They begin with groundlessness. They begin when the rug has been pulled out from under us.

Pema Chodron

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Pema Chodron
Age: 88
Born: 1936
Born: July 14
Clergyman
Philosopher
Writer
New York City
New York
Deirdre Blomfield-Brow
Pulled
Experiences
Begin
Suffering
Spiritual

More quotes by Pema Chodron

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Our true nature is like a precious jewel: although it may be temporarily buried in mud, it remains completely brilliant and unaffected. We simply have to uncover it.
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It's not a terrible thing that we feel fear when faced with the unknown. It is a part of being alive, something we all share. We react against the possibility of loneliness, of death, of not having anything to hold on to. Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth.
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If you aren't feeding the fire of anger or the fire of craving by talking to yourself, then the fire doesn't have anything to feed on.
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Awareness is the key. Do we see the stories that we're telling ourselves and question their validity?
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The next step is to learn to communicate with the people that you feel are causing your pain and misery- not to learn how to prove them wrong and yourself right but how to communicate from the heart.
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All situations teach you, and often it's the tough ones that teach you best.
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The approach is that the best way to use unwanted circumstances on the path of enlightenment is not to resist but to lean into them.
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The essence of bravery is being without self-deception.
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The most important aspect of being on a spiritual path may be to just keep moving.
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None of us is ever OK, but we all get through everything just fine.
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If you’re aggressive in your dealings, that’s how you’ll be regarded in the world. You might smile and give generously, but if you frequently explode in anger, people never feel comfortable in your presence and you’ll never have peace of mind.
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Until we stop clinging to the concept of good and evil, the world will continue to manifest as friendly goddesses and harmful demons.
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Holding on to anything blocks wisdom.
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Each time you stay present with fear and uncertainty, you're letting go of a habitual way of finding security and comfort.
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Honesty without kindness, humor, and goodheartedness can be just mean.
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Difficult people are the greatest teachers.
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If you're invested in security and certainty, you are on the wrong planet.
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All the terrible things we do to ourselves and others from alcoholism to character assignation to abuse to murder come from one cause: the inability to stay present with an uncomfortable feeling in the body and seek short-term relief.
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The essence of practice is always the same: instead of falling prey to a chain reaction of revenge or self-hatred, we gradually learn to catch the emotional reaction and drop the story lines.
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We're afraid that this anger or sorrow or loneliness is going to last forever... Instead, acting it out is what makes it last.
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