--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Meditation is about seeing clearly the…" description: "\"Meditation is about seeing clearly the body that we have, the mind that we have, the domestic situation that we have, the job that we have, and the peo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/236/pema-ch-dr-n-327_body_meditation-is-about-seeing-clearly-the-b_1545608.jpg" --- # Meditation is about seeing clearly the body that we have… ![“Meditation is about seeing clearly the body that we have, the mind that we have, the domestic situation that we have, the job that we have, and the people who are in our lives. It's about seeing how we react to all these things. It's seeing our emotions and thoughts just as they are right now, in…” quote by Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/236/pema-ch-dr-n-327_body_meditation-is-about-seeing-clearly-the-b_1545608.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/236/pema-ch-dr-n-327_body_meditation-is-about-seeing-clearly-the-b_1545608.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/236/pema-ch-dr-n-327_body_meditation-is-about-seeing-clearly-the-b_1545608.jpg) > “Meditation is about seeing clearly the body that we have, the mind that we have, the domestic situation that we have, the job that we have, and the people who are in our lives. It's about seeing how we react to all these things. It's seeing our emotions and thoughts just as they are right now, in this very moment, in this very room, on this very seat. It's about not trying to make them go away, not trying to become better than we are, but just seeing clearly with precision and gentleness.” [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. Meditation means observing body, mind, circumstances, and relationships in the present moment without judgment, with clarity and kindness. **In simple terms:** Observe everything now, without trying to change it. Key Takeaway Practice non‑judgmental awareness. Themes mindfulness acceptance presence Mood calm reflective Type mindful inspirational When to use this quote - stressful workday - therapy session - personal reflection Key Concepts contemplative practice psychology Questions to Reflect On - What thoughts arise when you simply observe? - How can gentleness improve self‑awareness? A Different Perspective May be challenging for beginners to avoid analysis paralysis. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Emotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotion/) [Gentleness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gentleness/) [Going away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-away/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Meditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Precision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/precision/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Seeing Clearly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeing-clearly/) ## Related quotes > [“Meditation is about seeing clearly the body that we have, the mind that we have, the domestic situation that we have, the job that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/meditation-is-about-seeing-clearly-the-body-that-we-have-the-mind/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [One of the main discoveries of meditation is seeing how we continually run away from the present moment, how we avoid being here just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/one-of-the-main-discoveries-of-meditation-is-seeing-how-we-2/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Love is seeing God in the person next to us, and meditation is seeing God within us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-seeing-god-in-the-person-next-to-us-and-meditation-is-seeing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“One of the main discoveries of meditation is seeing how we continually run away from the present moment, how we avoid being here just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/one-of-the-main-discoveries-of-meditation-is-seeing-how-we/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Our current perception is very cloudy and all screwed up. As our perception increases through meditation, we're seeing life more correctly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/our-current-perception-is-very-cloudy-and-all-screwed-up-as-our/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [In meditation and in our daily lives there are three qualities that we can nurture, cultivate, and bring out. We already possess these, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/in-meditation-and-in-our-daily-lives-there-are-three-qualities-that/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [There is danger for the eye in seeing too clearly, danger for the ear in hearing too sharply and danger to the heart from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhuangzi/there-is-danger-for-the-eye-in-seeing-too-clearly-danger-for-the-ear/) [Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/) > [When we awake it is the animal, the plant, that thinks in us. Primitive thought without the least disguise. We see a terrible universe,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/when-we-awake-it-is-the-animal-the-plant-that-thinks-in-us-primitive/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [Sometimes what seems like surrender isn't surrender at all. It's about what's going on in our hearts. About seeing clearly the way life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-evans/sometimes-what-seems-like-surrender-isn-t-surrender-at-all-it-s-about/) [Nicholas Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-evans/) > [“Derangement - reasoned derangement: that was the key. To break the mould, the chains, the bars that held the flesh and the spirit; to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ramsey-ullman/derangement-reasoned-derangement-that-was-the-key-to-break-the-mould/) [James Ramsey Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ramsey-ullman/) > [Seeing clearly within himself and always able to dodge around the ends of any position, including his own, Shaw assumed from the start the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/seeing-clearly-within-himself-and-always-able-to-dodge-around-the/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [ “\[Seeing clearly\] is not so difficult to achieve, and yet it is rather unusual. To my mind, it is less a question of an… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-serge/seeing-clearly-is-not-so-difficult-to-achieve-and-yet-it-is-rather/) [Victor Serge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-serge/) > [The sense of self is one of the obscurations that prevents us from seeing clearly, the idea that there is a self or that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-sense-of-self-is-one-of-the-obscurations-that-prevents-us-from/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Sometimes, when I am tired of so many oscillations, I look for refuge in a word which I begin to love for itself. Resting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/sometimes-when-i-am-tired-of-so-many-oscillations-i-look-for-refuge/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [“Spiritual awakening doesn’t require a new experience; it’s simply seeing clearly what‘s already happening.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darryl-bailey/spiritual-awakening-doesn-t-require-a-new-experience-it-s-simply/) Darryl Bailey ## 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 Body quotes > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) Jennifer Siebel Newsom > [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/) [Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [If japa is maintained, no useless talk during work will be possible. The mind will always remain peaceful. Modern day diseases are mostly psychosomatic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/if-japa-is-maintained-no-useless-talk-during-work-will-be-possible/) [Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/) > [It is the incongruous thing in my entire life, this isolation.. ... My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) [Browse all 20,814 Body quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Meditation is about seeing clearly the body that we have, the mind that we have, the domestic situation that we have, the job that we have, and the people who are in our lives. It's about seeing how we react to all these things. 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