The spiritual journey involves going beyond hope and fear, stepping into unknown territory, continually moving forward. The most important aspect of being on the spiritual path may be just to keep moving.
Pema ChodronRead
Meditation is not about getting out of ourselves or achieving something better. It is about getting in touch with what you already are.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Meditation helps us connect with our true selves rather than seeking external achievements.
This quote by Pema Chodron emphasizes that meditation is not a journey to escape from oneself or to attain a superior version of oneself. Instead, it is an introspective practice aimed at discovering and embracing our inner nature and authenticity. It suggests that the essence of who we are is already present within us, waiting to be acknowledged and understood.
Themes
MeditationSelf-DiscoveryInner PeaceAuthenticitySpirituality
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a meditation workshop to inspire participants to focus inwardly.
More from Pema Chodron
All quotes →Without giving up hope—that there’s somewhere better to be, that there’s someone better to be—we will never relax with where we are or who we are.
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When we scratch the wound and give into our addictions we do not allow the wound to heal.
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It's said that when we die, the four elements - earth, air, fire and water - dissolve one by one, each into the other, and finally just dissolve into space. But while we're living, we share the energy that makes everything, from a blade of grass to an elephant, grow and live and then inevitably wear out and die. This energy, this life force, creates the whole world.
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Meditation practice isn’t about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better. It’s about befriending who we are already. The ground of practice is you or me or whoever we are right now, just as we are. That’s the ground, that’s what we study, that’s what we come to know with tremendous curiosity and interest.
Pema ChodronRead
We have two alternatives: either we question our beliefs - or we don't. Either we accept our fixed versions of reality- or we begin to challenge them. 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 ChodronRead
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