Pema Chodron Quotes

Which is worse, past or future? Neither. I will fold up my mind like a leaf and drift on this stream over the brink.

We have to learn to die in every moment in order to be fully alive.

Always say “yes” to the present moment. What could be more futile, more insane, than to create inner resistance to what already is? what could be more insane than to oppose life itself, which is now and always now? Surrender to what is. Say “yes” to life — and see how life suddenly starts working for you rather than against you.

When you stopped wishing things wouldn't fall apart, you'd stop suffering when they did.

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

I'm a Buddhist, so one of my biggest beliefs is, 'Everything changes, don't take it personally.'

To enjoy anything, we cannot be attached to it... What we usually try to do is capture any joy that comes our way before it can escape... We try to cling to pleasure, but all we succeed in doing is making ourselves frustrated because, whatever it promises, pleasure simply cannot last. But if I am willing to kiss the joy as it flies, I say, "Yes, this moment is beautiful. I won't grab it. I'll let it go."

I am a lover of what is, not because I'm a spiritual person, but because it hurts when I argue with reality.

There is no point in regretting any part of the past. The past can't now be altered, the future has yet to be lived, and consciously to experience every moment of the present is the only way to gain at least the illusion of immortality.

Time isn't the enemy. Fear of change is. Accept that nothing lasts forever and you'll start to appreciate the advantages of whatever age you are now.

The secret of zen is just two words: not... always... so.

I do a lot of reading on Buddhist philosophy, and a Buddhist nun named Pema Chödrön talks a lot about acceptance. It's one of the main tenets of Buddhism - accepting that what is, is. The root of our suffering is when we just don't want to accept a truth. We want something to be different than it is.

The root of suffering is resisting the certainty that no matter what the circumstances, uncertainty is all we truly have.

Resisting what is happening is a major cause of suffering.

And let its meaning permeate each day. Whatever comes, This too shall pass away.

I don't think too much about the future. Not because I'm hiding my head in the sand but because I figured out that whatever the future was going to be, the thing I had to do was to quiet my mind and open my heart and do what I could to end suffering.

I literally have no idea what's to come. I try to just stay in the moment.

As we encounter new experiences with a mindful and wise attention, we discover that one of three things will happen to our new experience: it will go away, it will stay the same, or it will get more intense. whatever happens does not really matter.

The secret of awakening is to unconditionally accept this moment as it is.

To put it concisely, we suffer when we resist the noble and irrefutable truth of impermanence and death.

We can't control what thoughts and emotions arise within us, nor can we control the universal truth that everything changes. But we can learn to step back and rest in the awareness of what's happening. That awareness can be our refuge.

What could be more futile, more insane, than to create inner resistance to something that already is?

Acceptance is the magic that makes change possible. It is not forever, it is for the present moment

Allowing dying to be so intensely present enriches both the preciousness of each moment and our detachment from it.