Quote

It becomes increasingly clear that we won’t be free of self-destructive patterns unless we develop a compassionate understanding of what they are.

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
Clear
Understanding
Increasingly
Free
Compassionate
Self
Destructive
Patterns
Develop
Unless
Becomes

More quotes by Pema Chodron

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Treat yourself as your own beloved child.
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Only in an open, nonjudgmental space can we acknowledge what we are feeling. Only in an open space where we're not all caught up in our own version of reality can we see and hear and feel who others really are, which allows us to be with them and communicate with them properly.
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The truth you believe and cling to makes you unavailable to hear anything new.
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Our neurosis and our wisdom are made out of the same material. If you throw out your neurosis, you also throw out your wisdom.
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We tend to forget that we are part of the natural scheme of things.
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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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Never underestimate the power of compassionately recognizing what's going on.
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We sow the seeds of our future hells or happiness by the way we open or close our minds right now.
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To live is to be willing to die over and over again.
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Meditation is not about getting out of ourselves or achieving something better. It is about getting in touch with what you already are.
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By not knowing, not hoping to know and not acting like we know what's happening, we begin to access our inner strength.
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To cultivate equanimity we practice catching ourselves when we feel attraction or aversion, before it hardens into grasping or negativity.
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It isn't the things that happen to us in our lives that cause us to suffer, it's how we relate to the things that happen to us that causes us to suffer.
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The most complete and true happiness comes in moments when you feel right there, completely present, with no ideas about good and bad, right and wrong - just a sense of open heart and open mind.
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Never underestimate the desire to bolt.
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Being preoccupied with our self-image is like being deaf and blind. It's like standing in the middle of a vast field of wildflowers with a black hood over our heads. It's like coming upon a tree of singing birds while wearing earplugs.
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You see, there really is no separation between you and everyone else.
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Searching for happiness prevents us from ever finding it.
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Meditation isn't really about getting rid of thoughts, it's about changing the pattern of grasping on to things, which in our everyday experience is our thoughts.
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Mindfulness is loving all the details of our lives, and awareness is the natural thing that happens: life begins to open up, and you realize that you're always standing at the center of the world.
Pema Chodron