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We, like the Mother of the World, become the compassionate presence that can hold, with tenderness, the rising and passing waves of suffering.
Tara Brach
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Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote emphasizes the importance of being compassionate and present during difficult times of suffering.

In this quote, Tara Brach draws parallels between our ability to embody compassion and the nurturing presence of a mother. By acknowledging that suffering is an inevitable part of life, she encourages us to be a source of comfort and tenderness for ourselves and others, holding space for both the highs and lows that life presents.

Themes

CompassionSufferingPresenceTendernessMotherWaves

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about mental health, one could use this quote to emphasize the importance of compassion towards those who are suffering.

More from Tara Brach

Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha.
Tara BrachRead
Clearly recognizing what is happening inside us, and regarding what we see with an open, kind and loving heart, is what I call Radical Acceptance. If we are holding back from any part of our experience, if our heart shuts out any part of who we are and what we feel, we are fueling the fears and feelings of separation that sustain the trance of unworthiness. Radical Acceptance directly dismantles the very foundations of this trance.
Tara BrachRead
Buddhist practices offer a way of saying, 'Hey, come back over here, reconnect.' The only way that you'll actually wake up and have some freedom is if you have the capacity and courage to stay with the vulnerability and the discomfort.
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There is so much division in this world. So what is really the path of healing? It can begin in this moment, by embracing the life that's here.
Tara BrachRead
We wait for things to be different in order to feel okay with life. As long as we keep attaching our happiness to the external events of our lives, which are ever changing, we’ll always be left waiting for it.
Tara BrachRead
The intimacy that arises in listening and speaking truth is only possible if we can open to the vulnerability of our own hearts. Breathing in, contacting the life that is right here, is our first step. Once we have held ourselves with kindness, we can touch others in a vital and healing way.
Tara BrachRead

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