All the notes were taken directly from When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron

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Compassion

Honesty without kindness makes us feel grim and mean. Develop both clear seen with compassion. Compassionate actions involves working with ourselves as much as working with others. The person who we set out to help may trigger unresolved issues in us. What we reject out there is what we reject in ourselves. When we feel the tendency to blame, try to get in touch with what it feels like to be holding on to ourselves so tightly.

Start by being compassionate with those parts of ourselves that we feel are not worthy of existing on the planet. Never give up on yourself, that way you will learn not to give up on others.

Protecting ourselves from the outer suffering make us more fearful, we experience ourselves as being separated from the whole. It becomes our prison. Whenever we encounter pain in others, the instruction is to breather it in with the wish that everyone could be free of pain.

Spiritual awakening is not departing to the top of the mountain leaving our attachments and our worldliness behind, because we would be leaving all others behind – our drunken brother, our schizophrenic sister, our tormented animals etc. Their suffering continues unrelieved by our personal escape.

Assume responsibility for being here in this unpredictable world, in this unique moment, in this precious human body.

Middle way is about being able to be in that space where we’re not entirely entrain about who’s right and who’s wrong. True communication can happen only in that space.

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