“ Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. —Samuel Beckett Pema Chödrön
“ Not long ago, I read an interview with the war correspondent Chris Hedges in which he used a phrase that seemed like a perfect description of our situation: the moral ambiguity of human existence. Thi… Pema Chödrön
“ We are like children building a sand castle. We embellish it with beautiful shells, bits of driftwood, and pieces of colored glass. The castle is ours, off limits to others. We’re willing to attack if… Pema Chödrön
“ In reality, when you feel depressed, lonely, betrayed, or any unwanted feelings, this is an important moment on the spiritual path. This is when real transformation can take place. Pema Chödrön
“ PATIENCE is the antidote to anger, a way to learn to love and care for whatever we meet on the path. Pema Chödrön
“ The Buddha’s principal message that day was that holding on to anything blocks wisdom. Any conclusion that we draw must be let go. The only way to fully understand the bodhichitta teachings, the only… Pema Chödrön
“ When we touch the center of sorrow, when we sit with discomfort without trying to fix it, when we stay present to the pain of disapproval or betrayal and let it soften us, these are times that we conn… Pema Chödrön
“ In sitting meditation, our practice is to watch our thoughts arise, label them "thinking", and return to the breath. Pema Chödrön
“ IN practicing meditation, we’re not trying to live up to some kind of ideal—quite the opposite. Pema Chödrön
“ In Buddha’s opinion, to train in staying open and curious—to train in dissolving our assumptions and beliefs—is the best use of our human lives. Pema Chödrön
“ To lead a life that goes beyond pettiness and prejudice and always wanting to make sure that everything turns out on our terms, to lead a more passionate, full, and delightful life than that, we must… Pema Chödrön
“ A much more interesting, kind, adventurous, and joyful approach to life is to begin to develop curiosity, not caring whether the object of our inquisitiviness is bitter or sweet. Pema Chödrön
“ Welcome the present moment as if you had invited it. It is all we ever have so we might as well work with it rather than struggling against it. We might as well make it our friend and teacher rather t… Pema Chödrön
“ I dedicate the merit of the occasion to all beings. This gesture of universal friendship has been likened to a drop of fresh spring water. If we put it on a rock in the sunshine, it will soon evaporat… Pema Chödrön
“ Buddha is our inherent nature—our buddha nature—and what that means is that if you’re going to grow up fully, the way that it happens is that you begin to connect with the intelligence that you alread… Pema Chödrön
“ Even though peak experiences might show us the truth and inform us about why we are training, they are essentially no big deal. If we can't integrate them into the ups and downs of our lives, if we cl… Pema Chödrön
“ As the twelfth-century Tibetian yogi Milarepa said when he heard of his student Gampopa's peak experiences, 'They are neither good nor bad. Keep meditating.' Pema Chödrön
“ It's hard to know whether to laugh or to cry at the human predicament. Here we are with so much wisdom and tenderness, and—without even knowing it—we cover it over to protect ourselves from insecurity… Pema Chödrön
“ We think that if we just meditated enough or jogged enough or ate perfect food, everything would be perfect. But from the point of view of someone who is awake, that’s death. Seeking security or perfe… Pema Chödrön
