The growth of understanding follows an ascending spiral rather than a straight line.

Once you assume your right to interfere in other people's problems they become in some ways more of a worry than your own, for with your own you can at least do what you think best, but other people always show such a persistent tendency to do the wrong thing.

There seemed to be endless obstacles - it seemed that the root cause of them all was fear.

Colour is, on the evidence of language alone, very bound up with the feelings.

until you have, once at least, faced everything you know - the whole universe - with utter giving in, and let all that is 'not you' flow over and engulf you, there can be no lasting sense of security. Only by being prepared to accept annihilation can one escape from that spiritual 'abiding alone' which is in fact the truly death-like state.

I came to the conclusion then that "continual mindfulness". . . must mean, not a sergeantmajor-like drilling of thoughts, but a continual readiness to accept whatever came.

Sometimes I find that in my happy moments I could not believe that I had ever been miserable.