Sticking with uncertainty is how we learn to relax in the midst of chaos, how we learn to be cool when the ground beneath us suddenly disappears. We can bring ourselves back to the spiritual path countless times every day simply by exercising our willingness to rest in the uncertainty of the present moment—over and over again.

The most fundamental aggression to ourselves, the most fundamental harm we can do to ourselves, is to remain ignorant by not having the courage and the respect to look at ourselves honestly and gently.

Fear itself is the vanguard of wisdom

As we learn to have compassion for ourselves, the circle of compassion for others - what and whom we can work with, and how - becomes wider.

By not knowing, not hoping to know and not acting like we know what's happening, we begin to access our inner strength.

It's helpful to remind yourself that meditation is about opening and relaxing with whatever arises, without picking and choosing.

Tonglen practice begins to dissolve the illusion that each of us is alone with this personal suffering that no one else can understand.