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Anything we experience, no matter how challenging, can become an open pathway to awakening.

Pema Chodron

Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know. Even if we run a hundred miles an hour to the other side of the continent, we find the very same problem awaiting us when we arrive.
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Arrive Need Problem Run Teaching
When we are willing to stay even a moment with uncomfortable energy, we gradually learn not to fear it.
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Comfortable Fear Learning Moments Stay Willing
Let difficulty transform you. And it will. In my experience, we just need help in learning how not to run away.
PEMA CHODRON

Difficult Experience Need Run Transformation Yourself
Don’t worry about achieving. Don’t worry about perfection. Just be there each moment as best you can.
PEMA CHODRON

Achievement Best Moments Perfection Worry Yourself
Use what seems like poison as medicine. Use your personal suffering as the path to compassion for all beings.
PEMA CHODRON

Compassionate Medicine Personal Poison Suffering 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
Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.
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Need Spiritual Teaching Wisdom
So war and peace start in the human heart. Whether that heart is open or whether that heart closes has global implications.
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Global Heart Human Implication Peace Start War
The essence of generosity is letting go. Pain is always a sign that we are holding on to something – usually ourselves.
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Essence Generosity Ourselves Pain Sign
We have a choice. We can spend our whole life suffering because we can’t relax with how things really are, or we can relax and embrace the open-endedness of the human situation, which is fresh, unfixated, unbiased.
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Choice Embrace Human Life Ourselves Situation Suffering
You build inner strength through embracing the totality of your experience, both the delightful parts and the difficult parts.
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Build Delight Difficult Experience Strength Yourself
As our kindness for ourselves grows, so does our kindness for other people.
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Growth Kindness Ourselves People
Openness doesn’t come from resisting our fears but rather from getting to know them well.
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Fear Open Ourselves Resistance
By the way that we think and by the way that we believe in things, in that way our world is created.
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Believe Creation Ourselves Thinking Way World
Obstacles are our friends: they teach us where we’re stuck.
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Friendship Obstacle Ourselves Stuck Teaching
If you follow your heart, you’re going to find that it is often extremely inconvenient.
PEMA CHODRON

Heart Inspirational Yourself
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
Sticking with that uncertainty, getting the knack of relaxing in the midst of chaos, learning not to panic-this is the spiritual path.
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Certain Chaos Learning Path Spiritual Stick
Whatever happens in your life, joyful or painful, do not be swept away by reactivity. Be patient with yourself and don’t lose your sense of perspective.
PEMA CHODRON

Joy Life Lose Pain Patience Perspective Reaction Yourself
It isn’t the things that are happening to us that cause us to suffer, it’s what we say to ourselves about the things that are happening. The truth you believe and cling to makes you unavailable to hear anything new.
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Believe Suffering 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
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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Hate Ignorance Investment Opinion Ourselves War World
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
Treat yourself as your own beloved child.
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Children Love Self Treat Yourself
Resisting what is happening is a major cause of suffering.
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Pain Resistance Suffering
All situations teach you, and often it’s the tough ones that teach you best.
PEMA CHODRON

Best Hard Time Situation Teaching Tough Yourself
Every moment is unique, unknown, completely fresh.
PEMA CHODRON

Moments Time Unique

Anything we experience, no matter how challenging, can become an open pathway to awakening.

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Anything we experience, no matter how challenging, can become an open pathway to awakening.

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