The principle of nowness is very important to any effort…

““The principle of nowness is very important to any effort to establish an enlightened society.””

Pema Chödrön

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Being present is essential for building a society that is aware, compassionate, and wise.

In simple terms: Living in the now is key for enlightened community.

Key Takeaway

Practice mindfulness daily.

Themes

mindfulness enlightenment society

Mood

calm reflective

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

meditation
community building
education
conflict resolution

Key Concepts

presence awareness compassion

Questions to Reflect On

How does present‑moment awareness shape collective values?
What practices help sustain mindfulness in daily life?

A Different Perspective

Neglecting future planning can cause instability.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet

Enlightened society Enlightenment

More by Pema Chödrön

“LIFE’S work is to wake up, to let the things that enter into your life wake you up rather than put you to sleep.…

Pema Chödrön

Since death is certain and the time of death is uncertain, what is the most important thing?

Pema Chodron

Buddhist words such as compassion and emptiness don't mean much until we start cultivating our innate ability simply to be there with pain with…

Pema Chodron

The essence of generosity is letting go. Pain is always a sign that we are holding on to something - usually ourselves.

Pema Chodron

“If the object of meditation were something concrete, something solid and graspable - an image or a statue or a dot on the floor…

Pema Chödrön

It's a transformative experience to simply pause instead of immediately fill up the space. By waiting, we begin to connect with fundamental restlessness as…

Pema Chodron

“The essence of life is that it’s challenging. Sometimes it is sweet, and sometimes it is bitter. Sometimes your body tenses, and sometimes it…

Pema Chödrön

If we run a hundred miles an hour to the other end of the continent in order to get away from the obstacle, we…

Pema Chodron

“But in this meditation technique, we are with the out-breath; there's no particular instruction about what to do until the next out-breath.”

Pema Chödrön

“Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know. Nothing ever really attacks us except our own confusion. Perhaps…

Pema Chödrön

So even if the hot loneliness is there, and for 1.6 seconds we sit with that restlessness when yesterday we couldn't sit for even…

Pema Chodron

If you have rage and righteously act it out and blame it all on others, it's really you who suffers. The other people and…

Pema Chodron

“When we realize that the path is the goal, there’s a sense of workability. Trungpa Rinpoche said, “Whatever occurs in the confused mind is…

Pema Chödrön

Every day is a new opportunity to work with what you have inside toward enlightenment.

Pema Chodron

If someone comes along and shoots an arrow into your heart, it’s fruitless to stand there and yell at the person. It would be…

Pema Chodron

Explore all 664 Pema Chödrön quotes

More Enlightened society quotes

Regardless of the importance of known evidence to the contrary, the arts are generally regarded as being so much entertaining fluff, a commodity that…

Ken Danby

Enlightened Society is all about nurturing the human spirit - waking up to the goodness, kindness and strength that we already have.

Sakyong Mipham

To my mind, the education of children - girl children, specifically - is what really creates an enlightened society. It creates a liberal society.

Anand Mahindra

Language, the machine of the poet, is best fitted for his purpose in its rudest state. Nations, like individuals, first perceive, and then abstract.…

Thomas B. Macaulay

Sometimes the state and the constitution are more enlightened than society.

Arundhati Roy

An enlightened society is one where all people - the rich and the poor, the literate and the illiterate, the black and the white,…

Pandurang Shastri Athavale

The influence of woman is the same everywhere. Her condition influences the morals, manners, and character of the people of all countries. Where she…

Samuel Smiles

We are at that very point in time when a 400-year-old age is dying and another is struggling to be born - a shifting…

Dee Hock

Shambhala vision is universal. It has no bias towards one type of culture or group. It is not ethnocentric and does not encourage one…

Sakyong Mipham

Western societies from ancient Athens to imperial Rome to the French republic rarely collapsed because of a shortage of resources or because foreign enemies…

Victor Davis Hanson

The great tragedy is that they're removing art completely, not because they're putting more science in, but because they can't afford the art teachers…

Neil deGrasse Tyson

The intuitive mind is a sacred gift.

Albert Einstein

Browse all 13 Enlightened society quotes

The principle of nowness is very important to any effort…

About This Quote

Related quotes

More by Pema Chödrön

More Enlightened society quotes