Inspiration from Pema Chodron: Everyone and Everything
November 22, 2009
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“Learning how to be kind to ourselves, learning how to respect ourselves, is important. The reason it’s important is that, fundamentally, when we look into our own hearts and begin to discover what is confused and what is brilliant, what is bitter and what is sweet, it isn’t just ourselves that we’re discovering. We’re discovering the universe.”
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Have you learned how to be kind to yourself… how to respect yourself?
Have you looked into your own heart for understanding?
Have you discovered the universe?
The answers you’ve been looking for have been there all along.
Look within.
Related posts:
- Inspiration from the Dalai Lama: The Art of Happiness
- Inspiration from Max Ehrmann’s Desiderata
- Inspiration from the Dalai Lama: In Every Moment
- Inspiration from Edna St. Vincent Millay: Renascence
- Inspiration from Albert Einstein: A Human Being
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This is so true and so hard. A timely reminder and beautiful words. As always, thank you Lisis.
OH my God…Lisis…Discovering the Universe….!!!! So perfectly profound
Looking within is the perfect way to find our truest most pure self…and then to open our eyes to the universe….I cant imagine a more beautiful journey….
For me…I am in the discovering stages….But its such a fun and insightful journey since it began…that i hope i keep discovering till the very end….
Zeenat{Positive Provocations}´s last blog ..Being Alive{Inspirational Quote}
Lisis,
Looking within…how deeply important this is for really finding our true selves. I’ve been there, where I’ve thought it’s about the image I’m projecting out – only to realize that if that’s not the real me, not the “me” that connects with something greater – it’s not worth it. To be truly filled with peace, that is so much toward looking inward to discover who we really are. I happen to think that this is a lifelong journey, and one in which we never reach a destination, only that we continue on a path that takes us in the direction of a destination. And it’s in traveling down that path, and really – discovering new paths along the way – that makes life so beautiful.
And Lisis, what you are doing with your life – this gives me so much strength as I go forth in mine. It’s as if you are shining a light for others, showing that the path of deeper meaning is one that has so much rich offerings… Your soul is beautiful…
Lance´s last blog ..Sunday Thought For The Day
I am learning to be kind to myself and be more respectful too. It’s unreal how hard that can be sometimes! I still have yet to discover the universe, I believe, I’m sure it will be a wonderful adventure. I look forward to you posts my wise friend, you truly have inspired me to become a better me.
Looking within is a tremendous task for the blind. Most people see in the eyes of their minds and not within the true confines of the inner self.
@ Uzma: You are welcome. It all starts with us. Right now you have some opportunities for silence and solitude with all that is going on in your life. Use those to learn more about yourself and come to appreciate and respect who you are. In doing that, you will be learning about everyone else, as well.
@ Zeenat: I know you are well on your way to full Universe discovery. You are overflowing with love and compassion, the “stuff” that everything is made of. Your positive energy and the energy you pass on to others literally makes the world go around. I’m so glad you are on the journey.
@ Lance: Thank you! It’s so nice to see you again. Your gravatar alone makes me smile and warms my heart (so you don’t even need to put any words in your comment!). As I was reading your comment, the church bells were ringing down the street… it was really quite a lovely effect. Your sweet words set to angelic music. How’d you do that?
@ Charity: You are so kind, and it helps me to know that what I write matters to a soul or two out there. It is very difficult at first to look past our mistakes and miscellaneous issues to see a person we can really love and respect. But, when we do, we are then able to look past those same details in others and connect with them in meaningful, beautiful ways. I am so glad that I got to meet you through this blog (and that you live so close to me!!).
@ Walter: It’s true… our minds, our egos, seek to mislead us at all times. They love to keep us in competition with ourselves and others, with a view of the world that is guided by fear and greed. But when we let go, when we FEEL more than we think, suddenly everything becomes easier, and lovelier; and we are able to respect ourselves and others.
Lisis, this is beautiful. I am always amazed at the beauty I see when I look within, yet there are still many times that I forget that the answer is right there. So many times I fight to swim upstream when I should just stop and let the current carry me. Thanks for the reminder that all really is well.
Jill´s last blog ..Tantrums aren’t just for kids anymore
So true, my friend. So true. The answers are always within us…sometimes we just need a mirror to help us see them. Thanks for being my mirror.
Jay Schryer´s last blog ..Loving It for What It Is
@ Jill: You know what? This little post was basically that.. a reminder that all really is well. All is well within each of us, and in our various circumstances; and all is well with me. This past week was an emotional one for me, starting with Marcel’s passing, then I had to have my cat put to sleep, then I was feeling all disoriented and lost for a bit. But the bottom line is those are all waves on the surface. Deep down, there is always stillness, and we are always well.
@ Jay: You’re welcome… I sure did enjoy our brief twitter exchange about finding our place in the world. Mirrors, indeed.
Hi Lisis,
I learned a long time ago that all the answers that we are seeking are within us. Of course, I discovered this after traveling all over the world and doing all kinds of stuff. All the answers and the beauty are already inside of us. We are more powerful than we realize. We are truly capable of saving the world if we just acknowledge our role in the game.
Nadia – Happy Lotus´s last blog ..The Happy Lotus Diaries Begin – Please Share Your Thoughts
Hi Lisis,
I LOVED THE PHOTO YOU CHOSE TODAY! To me, the photo alongside the text in your post, this is showing me you are embracing your new home, your new life, and your universe!
The photo made me long for the snow. I’ve lived away from it for ten years now, and I loved being in the cold and snow. I loved the crispness of the world around me and the simple crunch of the snow under my feet. Seeing you daftly adjust to a place so drastically different from what you are accustomed to is just quite beautiful. It really doesn’t matter where we are living, every place in this universe is beautiful, inside and out!
~xo
Lori | Jane Be Nimble´s last blog ..Front Porch: Pearl’s Widsom
@ Nadia: Your comment reminded me of The Alchemist… we travel the whole world to find our treasure, only to realize we had it all along. It’s strange how that works. I guess most of us start by seeking outside of ourselves, hoping for that thing, that place, that job, or that person that will make us feel content. The great irony is, none of those things can. Only we, ourselves, can choose to be content no matter what.
@ Lori: You know, the picture today was KEY for me. My last post had a darkish image, representing the way I’d been feeling… noticing the short days and lack of sun. This one is how I want to feel in Vermont. It’s open, spacious, outdoors, bright, serene, and covered in snow. But the person doesn’t look like they are suffering from the cold one bit… they are just part of it, becoming one with everything around them. That’s what I’m gonna do.
I may not meditate outside in a Tee shirt this winter, but I plan to find my comfortable stride amidst this new environment. Like you said, every place has something wonderful (beautiful) to offer.
Love this quote. What a wonderful message! Your quote and everyone’s comments also reminded me of a quote by TS Eliot: “And the end of all searching shall be to return to the place where we started and know it for the first time”
lena´s last blog ..The Best Gifts are Creative Gifts
Wow Lisis this is deep and awesomely profound.
And what you’ve provide here is absolutely right. The answer the our purpose and our satisfaction lies within not without. Too many people these days search for their answers in the external world. They try to find it in materialism or external identity.
It definitely is a very hard task to look within, because our culture is telling us to do the opposite. It tells us to seek the answers through our minds, egos.
I hope the our cultural philosophy will one day become something that would help us see the truth from within.
Steven
Steven´s last blog ..Comic Lesson #5 : Don’t Be Afraid to Give and Love
Lisis this is exactly true…the whole universe is within each of us..when we learn to love all parts of our self then it easier to love everyone else too! This is the essence of compassion in all spiritual traditions.
beautiful,
So glad I stopped by!
shalom, shanti, peace,
laura
Laura Hegfield´s last blog ..New Mountains to Climb: MRI -Tysabri Adventure Weekend
Finding the right answer means asking the right questions.
Steven Handel´s last blog ..Seven Ways To Stand Up And Live
Discovering ourselves is simply stringing together small moments of awareness many times over!
I love Pema’s writings. I can always feel the compassion underneath.
Thanks!
Kaushik´s last blog ..On gold-smuggling, refugees, and the strength of women
Hi, Lena, Steven, Laura, Steven H., and Kaushik! Great to see you all. I can’t reply individually right now, ’cause I’m in the midst of craziness (exploring the chaotic part of the universe!). But I wanted you to know that I’ve read and appreciate all of your comments.
Have a wonderful day!!
Lisis,
This is a really great reminder for all of us that everything we really want and desire is inside of us and we have to look there. I had a friend who told me a story once in a newsletter that at one point we had the power to create and have whatever we want, but we began to abuse it. So, the gods decided to hide it. After discussing all the possible places, they settled on the one place nobody would ever look, deep inside themselves.
Srinivas Rao´s last blog ..Guest Post: Reflections and Revelations from Christmas’ Past (or Why You Should Help Your Parents Figure Out the Internet)
THAT is a freaking awesome story, Srini!!!
within this context everything is perfectly right.
if you step back an watch “your” thoughts going on you see that you don’t really have any control over them and what you are thinking because if you did they would stop if you wanted to. that makes you the observer and experience later. So in my opinion you can only let go of something that covers what you really are, and then become one with God.
It’s like clouds on the sky, where the sky is the space out of witch everything manifests.
wish you peace and love Lisis >:D<
I try to make sure to remember the idea of who I am and who I am promised to be. I look forward to the person I am to become and the understanding and respect comes with ease. Thanks for the reminder.
Lisis,
your inspiration articles are usually so deep that I almost feel uncomfortable saying again that what you cited there is so absolutely true, but effectively that’s what we have here
Keep well,
Zoli
Zoltán Cserei´s last blog ..A Wonderfully Egotistic Interview with Me of this blog – Part 1
H.H. The Dalai Lama is a great source of inspiration.
Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche also inspired many seekers both in the UK and later on in the USA.
Thanks for sharing!