Openness doesn’t come from resisting our fears but rather from getting to know them well.
PEMA CHODRONFeelings 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.
More Pema Chodron Quotes
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Appreciate everything, even the ordinary. Especially the ordinary.
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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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Feel the feelings and drop the story.
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You are the sky. Everything else – it’s just the weather.
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The truth you believe and cling to makes you unavailable to hear anything new.
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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.
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Deep down in the human spirit, there is a reservoir of courage. It is always available, always waiting to be discovered.
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You build inner strength through embracing the totality of your experience, both the delightful parts and the difficult parts.
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All the wars, all the hatred, all the ignorance in the world come out of being so invested in our opinions.
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The greatest obstacle to connecting with our joy is resentment.
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Treat yourself as your own beloved child.
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All situations teach you, and often it’s the tough ones that teach you best.
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Be kinder to yourself. And then let your kindness flood the world.
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Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is indestructible in us be found.
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Rejoicing in ordinary things is not sentimental or trite. It actually takes guts. Each time we drop our complaints and allow everyday good fortune to inspire us, we enter the warrior’s world.
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