--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We're here to get to know and study…" description: "\"“We're here to get to know and study ourselves. The path, the way to do that, our main vehicle, is going to be meditation, and some sense of general wa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dba/pema-ch-dr-n-327_meditation_we-re-here-to-get-to-know-and-study-ours_1163636.png" --- # We're here to get to know and study ourselves. The path… ![“We're here to get to know and study ourselves. The path, the way to do that, our main vehicle, is going to be meditation, and some sense of general wakefulness.” quote by Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dba/pema-ch-dr-n-327_meditation_we-re-here-to-get-to-know-and-study-ours_1163636.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dba/pema-ch-dr-n-327_meditation_we-re-here-to-get-to-know-and-study-ours_1163636.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dba/pema-ch-dr-n-327_meditation_we-re-here-to-get-to-know-and-study-ours_1163636.png) > ““We're here to get to know and study ourselves. The path, the way to do that, our main vehicle, is going to be meditation, and some sense of general wakefulness.”” [Pema Chödrön](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 and wakefulness are primary tools for self‑knowledge and personal growth. **In simple terms:** Meditation helps us understand ourselves. Key Takeaway Practice regular meditation for insight. Themes self‑discovery mindfulness spiritual growth Mood calm reflective Type spiritual inspirational When to use this quote - daily meditation - therapy sessions - stress reduction - personal retreats Key Concepts Meditation consciousness psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does wakefulness change your daily decisions? - What barriers prevent you from meditating regularly? A Different Perspective Meditation alone may not address deep trauma without guidance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [General Wakefulness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/general-wakefulness-3342226/) [Going Meditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-meditation-3342225/) [Meditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation/) [Meditation Sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation-sense-1603287/) [Study Path](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/study-path-3086623/) [Wakefulness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wakefulness/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [When we speak of the Path we mean much more than a course of study. The Path is a way of life and on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dion-fortune/when-we-speak-of-the-path-we-mean-much-more-than-a-course-of-study/) [Dion Fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dion-fortune/) > [When I was going into one of my first meditation retreats, I asked my father, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, for some advice. He said, "How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakyong-mipham/when-i-was-going-into-one-of-my-first-meditation-retreats-i-asked-my/) [Sakyong Mipham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakyong-mipham/) > [What I’ve learned through my meditation is a sense of equanimity, a sense of all things being equal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldie-hawn/what-i-ve-learned-through-my-meditation-is-a-sense-of-equanimity-a/) [Goldie Hawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldie-hawn/) > [In meditation we get a sense of the countless selves within ourselves, the different forms they take. Those that don't seem positive or helpful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/in-meditation-we-get-a-sense-of-the-countless-selves-within-ourselves/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [In meditation you first get sense control. And yoga will help you with the body and when the mind is steady, concentration will come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sathya-sai-baba/in-meditation-you-first-get-sense-control-and-yoga-will-help-you-with/) [Sathya Sai Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sathya-sai-baba/) > [I've been practicing modalities of Eastern philosophy since about 1972. 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But it doesn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-dream-sometimes-i-think-that-s-the-only-right-thing-to-do-to-dream/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [We forget most of our dreams because we don't have access to those parts of our brain once we are switched to wakefulness. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hardie/we-forget-most-of-our-dreams-because-we-don-t-have-access-to-those/) [Amy Hardie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hardie/) > [I dream. Sometimes I think thats the only right thing to do. To dream, to live in the world of dreams. But it doesnt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-dream-sometimes-i-think-thats-the-only-right-thing-to-do-to-dream/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You do not need to fabricate at all. Once you utterly let be, involvement in thoughts of past, present and future subside. By letting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulku-urgyen/you-do-not-need-to-fabricate-at-all-once-you-utterly-let-be/) [Tulku Urgyen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulku-urgyen/) > [“... we whose task is wakefulness itself have inherited all the strength which has been cultivated by the struggle against this error.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrich-nietzsche/we-whose-task-is-wakefulness-itself-have-inherited-all-the-strength/) [Fredrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrich-nietzsche/) > [In the garden of gentle sanity, May you be bombarded by the coconuts of wakefulness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/in-the-garden-of-gentle-sanity-may-you-be-bombarded-by-the-coconuts/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [Every morning we awaken from sleep and from our dreams and enter the state we call wakefulness. A continuous stream of thoughts, most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/every-morning-we-awaken-from-sleep-and-from-our-dreams-and-enter-the/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Some days, who can stare at swathes of sky, leafage and bad-complected whale-gray streets, tailpipes and smokestacks orating sepia exhaust, or the smaller enthusiasms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-s-di-piero/some-days-who-can-stare-at-swathes-of-sky-leafage-and-bad-complected/) [W. S. Di Piero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-s-di-piero/) ## 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.…](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 Chödrön quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) ## More Meditation quotes > [“Inside every pause lived a contemplation”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/inside-every-pause-lived-a-contemplation/) [Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/) > [Music is a job, but I figured out ways to get my mind into a place where I could be creative. I actually discovered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flume/music-is-a-job-but-i-figured-out-ways-to-get-my-mind-into-a-place/) [Flume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flume/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. 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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/) > [Unless and until you introspect you cannot even respect yourself. You cannot even love yourself. If you love yourself you will introspect and find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/unless-and-until-you-introspect-you-cannot-even-respect-yourself-you/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) > [“Let no one hope to find in contemplation an escape from conflict, from anguish or from doubt. On the contrary, the deep, inexpressible certitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/let-no-one-hope-to-find-in-contemplation-an-escape-from-conflict-from/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [ “...even though \[my psychiatrist\] understood mor than anyone how much I felt I was losing--in energy, vivacity, and originality--by taking medication, he never was… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/even-though-my-psychiatrist-understood-mor-than-anyone-how-much-i/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [“Mindfulness is an invitation to change that pattern and to become aware of where we are and how we got here. Mindfulness gives us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maia-duerr/mindfulness-is-an-invitation-to-change-that-pattern-and-to-become/) [Maia Duerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maia-duerr/) > [As in any machine, all the wires must be connected to the mains through one main wire. In the same way, you all must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/as-in-any-machine-all-the-wires-must-be-connected-to-the-mains/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) > [Now the stage today is to know that Self Realization gives you experiences and then your faith is established. Not blind but open enlightened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/now-the-stage-today-is-to-know-that-self-realization-gives-you/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) > [“But, like all indulgences that are valued not just for their product but for their process, the sento will never entirely disappear. For in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/but-like-all-indulgences-that-are-valued-not-just-for-their-product/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [It's still possible to savor the remarkable foods that millennia of human ingenuity have teased from milk. A sip of milk itself or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-mcgee/it-s-still-possible-to-savor-the-remarkable-foods-that-millennia-of/) [Harold McGee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-mcgee/) [Browse all 7,091 Meditation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We're here to get to know and study ourselves. 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