At the heart of each spiritual tradition is the question of how to be in the world without losing what matters, and whether living an awakened life is of any use if we don't bring what matters to bear on the world.

Joy in what we do is not an added feature; it is a sign of deep health.

…I keep looking for one more teacher, only to find that fish learn from the water and birds learn from the sky.” (p.275)

The greedy one gathered all the cherries, while the simple one tasted all the cherries in one.

To listen also means to stay in relationship, the central challenge of our time, and this requires us to constantly minimize whatever stands between us and life.

We are all continually asked to learn how to ask for what we need, only to practice accepting what we're given.

It has always amazed and humbled me to how the risk to bloom can seem so insurmountable beforehand and so inevitably freeing once the threshold of suffering is crossed.