I am buoyant and expansive and uncontainable--but I always was so, only I never knew it!

Buddha's Wife tells a fascinating story, little known in the west, about the woman whom Buddha left behind. Gabriel Constans focuses the reader's attention on the strong and complicated women who surrounded Buddha and makes us re-think the nature of spiritual life.

Your childhood hunger is the one that never leaves you.

Because ultimately only the witness -- and not the actors -- knows the truth (Vyasa to Draupadi)

How can I forgive if you are not ready to give up that which caused you to stumble?

I tried to hold on to this compassion, sensing its preciousness, but even as I reached to grasp it, it dissipated into wisps. No revelation can endure unless it is bolstered by a calm pure mind- and I'm afraid I didn't possess that.

I saw something I hadn't realized before: words wasted energy. I would use my strength instead to nurture my belief that my life would unfurl uniquely.