---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If there's any possibility for…"
description: "\"If there's any possibility for enlightenment, it's right now, not at some future time. Now is the time.\" — Pema Chodron"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29e/pema-ch-dr-n-327_buddhism_if-there-s-any-possibility-for-enlighten_3024823.png"
---

#  If there's any possibility for enlightenment, it's right…

![“If there's any possibility for enlightenment, it's right now, not at some future time. Now is the time.” quote by Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29e/pema-ch-dr-n-327_buddhism_if-there-s-any-possibility-for-enlighten_3024823.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29e/pema-ch-dr-n-327_buddhism_if-there-s-any-possibility-for-enlighten_3024823.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29e/pema-ch-dr-n-327_buddhism_if-there-s-any-possibility-for-enlighten_3024823.png)

> “If there's any possibility for enlightenment, it's right now, not at some future time. Now is the time.”

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

## About This Quote

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

Enlightenment is available now; waiting for a future moment delays practice and realization.

**In simple terms:** Awaken now, not later.

Key Takeaway

Practice mindfulness today.

Themes

spirituality mindfulness enlightenment presence

Mood

calm inspirational

Type

spiritual motivational

When to use this quote

- meditation
- daily routines
- stress relief
- personal growth
- teaching sessions

Key Concepts

impermanence awakening time practice

Questions to Reflect On

- How does waiting affect your spiritual growth?
- What steps can you take now to deepen awareness?

A Different Perspective

Believing enlightenment is distant can cause procrastination.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Buddhism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) [Enlightenment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightenment/) [Enlightenment Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightenment-right-4811532/) [Future time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future-time/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Live in the moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-in-the-moment/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Now Is The Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/now-is-the-time/) [Possibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibility/) [Possibility Enlightenment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibility-enlightenment-4913832/) [Right Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-future-1092943/) [Right now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-now/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [I felt that I was really living in the moment. I did not know where my life was going, but right now the future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-reichl/i-felt-that-i-was-really-living-in-the-moment-i-did-not-know-where-my/)

[Ruth Reichl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-reichl/)

> [“You do not say, “This is enlightenment,” or “That is not right practice.” Even in wrong practice, when you realize it and continue, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/you-do-not-say-this-is-enlightenment-or-that-is-not-right-practice/)

[Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/)

> [To live in the moment and in the future at the same time would seem to me to be the trick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-may/to-live-in-the-moment-and-in-the-future-at-the-same-time-would-seem/)

[Todd May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-may/)

> [The challenge is in the moment; the time is always now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-baldwin/the-challenge-is-in-the-moment-the-time-is-always-now/)

[James A. Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-baldwin/)

> [“to have the right future, we need to lay down the right past, for that future to build on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/to-have-the-right-future-we-need-to-lay-down-the-right-past-for-that/)

[Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/)

> [If your relationship to the present moment is not right - nothing can ever be right in the future - because when the future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/if-your-relationship-to-the-present-moment-is-not-right-nothing-can/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [I think we built the right future. If it's a choice between the flying car or the Internet, tablets and smartphones, I'll take what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gerrold/i-think-we-built-the-right-future-if-it-s-a-choice-between-the-flying/)

[David Gerrold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gerrold/)

> [I'm not looking for Miss Right, right now. I'm just working on becoming Mr. Right. for my future family When the time comes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-campbell/i-m-not-looking-for-miss-right-right-now-i-m-just-working-on-becoming/)

[Michael Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-campbell/)

> [“Anytime things were going right for you, the future of the world seemed bright. Anytime they were going wrong, the imminent collapse of civilization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-boudinot/anytime-things-were-going-right-for-you-the-future-of-the-world/)

[Ryan Boudinot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-boudinot/)

> [Make sure you do things right now so in the future you wont be wishing you could change your past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambri-bright/make-sure-you-do-things-right-now-so-in-the-future-you-wont-be/)

[Ambri Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambri-bright/)

> [Being right is overrated! If someone is saying that they're right about the future, that's a claim only a fool would make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-lance-black/being-right-is-overrated-if-someone-is-saying-that-they-re-right/)

[Dustin Lance Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-lance-black/)

> [Of course I am political. You 'ave to be don't you? Every day it is about your future, your right to that future. 'Ow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-beart/of-course-i-am-political-you-ave-to-be-don-t-you-every-day-it-is/)

[Emmanuelle Beart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-beart/)

> [Welcome the present moment as if you had invited it. It is all we ever have, so we night as well work with it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/welcome-the-present-moment-as-if-you-had-invited-it-it-is-all-we-ever/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [The future is completely open and we are writing it moment to moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/the-future-is-completely-open-and-we-are-writing-it-moment-to-moment/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [To converse at the distance of the Indes by means of sympathetic contrivances may be as natural to future times as to us is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-glanvill/to-converse-at-the-distance-of-the-indes-by-means-of-sympathetic/)

[Joseph Glanvill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-glanvill/)

## More by Pema Chodron

> [“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.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/life-s-work-is-to-wake-up-to-let-the-things-that-enter-into-your-life/)

[Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [Since death is certain and the time of death is uncertain, what is the most important thing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/since-death-is-certain-and-the-time-of-death-is-uncertain-what-is-the/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/buddhist-words-such-as-compassion-and-emptiness-don-t-mean-much-until/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [The essence of generosity is letting go. Pain is always a sign that we are holding on to something - usually ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/the-essence-of-generosity-is-letting-go-pain-is-always-a-sign-that-we/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [“If the object of meditation were something concrete, something solid and graspable - an image or a statue or a dot on the floor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-the-object-of-meditation-were-something-concrete-something-solid/)

[Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/it-s-a-transformative-experience-to-simply-pause-instead-of/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [“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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/the-essence-of-life-is-that-it-s-challenging-sometimes-it-is-sweet/)

[Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [If we run a hundred miles an hour to the other end of the continent in order to get away from the obstacle, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-we-run-a-hundred-miles-an-hour-to-the-other-end-of-the-continent/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [“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.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/but-in-this-meditation-technique-we-are-with-the-out-breath-there-s/)

[Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [“Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know. Nothing ever really attacks us except our own confusion. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/nothing-ever-goes-away-until-it-has-taught-us-what-we-need-to-know/)

[Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/so-even-if-the-hot-loneliness-is-there-and-for-1-6-seconds-we-sit/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-you-have-rage-and-righteously-act-it-out-and-blame-it-all-on/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [“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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/when-we-realize-that-the-path-is-the-goal-there-s-a-sense-of/)

[Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [Every day is a new opportunity to work with what you have inside toward enlightenment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/every-day-is-a-new-opportunity-to-work-with-what-you-have-inside/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-someone-comes-along-and-shoots-an-arrow-into-your-heart-it-s/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

[Explore all 664 Pema Chodron quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

## More Buddhism quotes

> [There are places that are very draining. There are places where there is another dimensional crossover but to a dimension that is not powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-are-places-that-are-very-draining-there-are-places-where-there/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Enlightenment is lightening up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-myers/enlightenment-is-lightening-up/)

[Mike Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-myers/)

> [The very best players, when they are practicing, put everything they've got into it. But then they leave it for a while. And it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/the-very-best-players-when-they-are-practicing-put-everything-they-ve/)

[Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/)

> [Everyone will admire you when you do well. What a horrible thing to do to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everyone-will-admire-you-when-you-do-well-what-a-horrible-thing-to-do/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [I think the most miraculous thing is learning. I get out of the way and let the students learn. Then you get to watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/i-think-the-most-miraculous-thing-is-learning-i-get-out-of-the-way/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/)

[Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/)

> [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/)

[Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/)

> [My mom and my aunties are really devout Christians. My mom married a Muslim when I was 12, so I got teachings from both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tech-n9ne/my-mom-and-my-aunties-are-really-devout-christians-my-mom-married-a/)

[Tech N9ne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tech-n9ne/)

> [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [“The extraction of discrete parts of Chöd teachings from their broader philosophical contexts is symptomatic of how Chöd has been incorporated into and transmitted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-sorensen/the-extraction-of-discrete-parts-of-ch-d-teachings-from-their-broader/)

[Michelle Sorensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-sorensen/)

> [Buddhism advises you not to implant feelings that you don’t really have or avoid feelings that you do have. If you are miserable you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/buddhism-advises-you-not-to-implant-feelings-that-you-don-t-really/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“That's all there is, enlightenment on the end of a cock. It doesn't get any more Zen than that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaden-wilkes/that-s-all-there-is-enlightenment-on-the-end-of-a-cock-it-doesn-t-get/)

[Jaden Wilkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaden-wilkes/)

> [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/)

[Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/)

[Browse all 6,100 Buddhism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If there's any possibility for enlightenment, it's right now, not at some future time. Now is the time.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Pema Chodron"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-there-s-any-possibility-for-enlightenment-it-s-right-now-not-at/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Buddhism"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-there-s-any-possibility-for-enlightenment-it-s-right-now-not-at/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29e/pema-ch-dr-n-327_buddhism_if-there-s-any-possibility-for-enlighten_3024823.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29e/pema-ch-dr-n-327_buddhism_if-there-s-any-possibility-for-enlighten_3024823.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29e/pema-ch-dr-n-327_buddhism_if-there-s-any-possibility-for-enlighten_3024823.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If there's any possibility for enlightenment, it's right now, not at some future time. Now is the time.” — Pema Chodron",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Pema Chodron",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If there's any possibility for enlightenment,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-there-s-any-possibility-for-enlightenment-it-s-right-now-not-at/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-there-s-any-possibility-for-enlightenment-it-s-right-now-not-at/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
