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If we learn to open our hearts, anyone, including the people who drive us crazy, can be our teacher.

Pema Chodron

So war and peace start in the human heart. Whether that heart is open or whether that heart closes has global implications.
PEMA CHODRON

Global Heart Human Implication Peace Start War
The truth you believe and cling to makes you unavailable to hear anything new.
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Believe Hold On Truth Yourself
The second noble truth says that this resistance is the mechanism of what we call ego, that resisting life causes suffering.
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Call Ego Life Noble Resistance Suffering Truth
There’s nothing more important on our spiritual path than developing gentleness to oneself.
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Development Important Oneself Path Spiritual
Feelings like disappointment, embarrassment, irritation, resentment, anger, jealousy, and fear, instead of being bad news, are actually very clear moments that teach us where it is that we’re holding back.
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Angry Disappoint Embarrassment Feeling Hold Irritation Jealous Moments Ourselves Teaching
Every moment is unique, unknown, completely fresh.
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Moments Time Unique
I can’t overestimate the importance of accepting ourselves exactly as we are right now, not as we wish we were or think we ought to be.
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Acceptance Important Myself Right Thinking
When things fall apart in your life, you feel as if your whole world is crumbling. But actually it’s your fixed identity that’s crumbling. And as Chögyam Trungpa used to tell us, that’s cause for celebration.
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Celebration Fall Identity Life World Yourself
The best spiritual instruction is when you wake up in the morning and say, ‘I wonder what’s going to happen today.’ And then carry that kind of curiosity through your life.
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Best Curiosity Instruction Life Morning Spiritual Wonder Yourself
Obstacles are our friends: they teach us where we’re stuck.
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Friendship Obstacle Ourselves Stuck Teaching
In meditation, you learn how to get out of your own way long enough for there to be room for your wisdom to manifest.
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Enough Learning Manifestation Medication Way Wisdom Yourself
If someone comes along and shoots an arrow into your heart, it’s fruitless to stand there and yell at the person. It would be much better to turn your attention to the fact that there’s an arrow in your heart.
PEMA CHODRON

Attention Fact Heart Person Shout Stand Yourself
Deep down in the human spirit, there is a reservoir of courage. It is always available, always waiting to be discovered.
PEMA CHODRON

Brave Courage Discover Human Inspirational Motivational Spirit Wait
When we resist change, it’s called suffering. But when we can completely let go and not struggle against it, when we can embrace the groundlessness of our situation and relax into it’s dynamic quality, that’s called enlightenment.
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Change Dynamic Enlightenment Ourselves Resistance Situation Struggle Suffering
It isn’t what happens to us that causes us to suffer; it’s what we say to ourselves about what happens.
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Hard Time Ourselves Reaction Suffering
Each person’s life is like a mandala – a vast, limitless circle. We stand in the center of our own circle, and everything we see, hear and think forms the mandala of our life … everything that shows up in your mandala is a vehicle for your awakening.
PEMA CHODRON

Awake Life Limitation Person Stand Thinking Vehicle Yourself

If we learn to open our hearts, anyone, including the people who drive us crazy, can be our teacher.

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If we learn to open our hearts, anyone, including the people who drive us crazy, can be our teacher.

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