The spiritual quest is not some added benefit to our life, something you embark on if you have the time and inclination. We are spiritual beings on an earthly journey. Our spirituality makes up our beingness.

It's okay to make mistakes. Mistakes are our teachers -- they help us to learn.

I know from my own clinical work that when people are beaten and hurt, they numb out so that they cant feel anymore.

To be shame-bound means that whenever you feel any feeling, need or drive, you immediately feel ashamed. The dynamic core of your human life is grounded in your feelings, needs and drives. When these are bound by shame, you are shamed to the core.

Children are natural Zen masters; their world is brand new in each and every moment.

Our beliefs create the kind of world we believe in. We project our feelings, thoughts and attitudes onto the world. I can create a different world by changing my belief about the world. Our inner state creates the outer and not vice versa.

Evil is a source of moral intelligence in the sense that we need to learn from our shadow, from our dark side, in order to be good.