Life is a good teacher and a good friend. Things are always in transition, if we could only realize it. Nothing ever sums itself up in the way that we dream about. The off center, in-between state is an ideal situation, a situation in which we don’t get caught and we can open our hearts and minds beyond limit. It’s a very tender, non aggressive, open-minded state of affairs.
To stay with that shakiness— to stay with a broken heart, with a rumbling stomach, with the feeling of hopelessness and wanting to get revenge— that is the path to true awakening. Sticking with that uncertainty, getting the knack of relaxing in the midst of chaos, learning not to panic— this is the spiritual path. Getting the knack of catching ourselves, of gently and compassionately catching ourselves, is the path of the warrior…
…Every day at the moment when things get edgy, we can ask ourselves, “Am I going to practice peace, or am I going to war?”
– Pema Chodron