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Happiness lies not in finding what is missing, but in finding what is present.

Tara Brach

Awakening self-compassion is often the greatest challenge people face on the spiritual path.
TARA BRACH

Awake Challenge Compassionate Face Path People
Through the sacred art of pausing, we develop the capacity to stop hiding, to stop running away from our experience. We begin to trust in our natural intelligence, in our naturally wise heart, in our capacity to open to whatever arises.
TARA BRACH

Arise Art Capacity Development Experience Natural Ourselves Sacred
Fear of being a flawed person lay at the root of my trance, and I had sacrificed many moments over the years in trying to prove my worth. Like the tiger Mohini, I inhabited a self-made prison that stopped me from living fully.
TARA BRACH

Fear Flaw Live Moments Myself Person Prison Sacrifice Stop
Extend an act of kindness each day. No one has to know. It can be a smile, reassuring words, a small favor – without expecting something in return.
TARA BRACH

Act Expectation Kindness Oneself Return
By regarding ourselves with kindness, we begin to dissolve the identity of an isolated, deficient self. This creates the grounds for including others in an unconditionally loving heart.
TARA BRACH

Beginning Creation Heart Kindness Love
Our attitude in the face of life’s challenges determines our suffering or our freedom.
TARA BRACH

Attitude Challenge Determination Freedom Life Suffering
Feeling compassion for ourselves in no way releases us from responsibility for our actions. Rather, it releases us from the self-hatred that prevents us from responding to our life with clarity and balance.
TARA BRACH

Action Balance Clarity Compassionate Feeling Life Ourselves Responsibility
There are some things we can’t choose, but in being present we can choose how we want to relate to them.
TARA BRACH

Choice Present Relate
Perhaps the biggest tragedy of our lives is that freedom is possible, yet we can pass our years trapped in the same old patterns.
TARA BRACH

Big Freedom Live Old Pattern Tragedy
We’re so used to presenting ourselves and getting approval according to our achievements that it’s difficult to be authentic and trust that we’ll be accepted just as we are.
TARA BRACH

Acceptance Achievement Authentic Difficult Present Self Love
As we free ourselves from the suffering of ‘something is wrong with me, ‘we trust and express the fullness of who we are.’
TARA BRACH

Expression Freedom Suffering Trust Wrong
The spiritual path is not a solo endeavor. In fact, the very notion of a self who is trying to free her/ himself is a delusion. We are in it together and the company of spiritual friends helps us realize our interconnectedness.
TARA BRACH

Company Connection Fact Freedom Path Spiritual
Meditation helps us to get out of our thoughts about the future and really be in the present moment.
TARA BRACH

Future Help Meditation Moments Present Thinking
Pain is not wrong. Reacting to pain as wrong initiates the trance of unworthiness. The moment we believe something is wrong, our world shrinks and we lose ourselves in the effort to combat the pain.
TARA BRACH

Believe Effort Initiate Moments Ourselves Pain Wrong
In a basic way, acceptance is seeing clearly what’s happening and holding it with kindness. This is a radical antidote to the suffering of judging mind.
TARA BRACH

Acceptance Basic Hold Judgement Kindness Mindset Way
Paying attention is the most basic and profound expression of love.
TARA BRACH

Attention Expression Love Pay

Happiness lies not in finding what is missing, but in finding what is present.

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Happiness lies not in finding what is missing, but in finding what is present.

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