Until we stop clinging to the concept of good and evil, the world will continue to manifest as friendly goddesses and harmful demons.

Difficult things provoke all your irritations and bring your habitual patterns to the surface. And that becomes the moment of truth. You have the choice to launch into your lousy habitual patterns, or to stay with the rawness and discomfort of the situation and let it transform you.

When things are shaky and nothing is working, we might realize that we are on the verge of something. We might realize that this is a very vulnerable and tender place, and that tenderness can go either way. We can shut down and feel resentful or we can touch in on that throbbing quality. (9)

We give it up and just look directly with compassion and humor at who we are. Then loneliness is no threat and heartache, no punishment.

So war and peace start in the human heart. Whether that heart is open or whether that heart closes has global implications.

Welcome the present moment as if you had invited it. It is all we ever have, so we night as well work with it rather than struggling against it. We might as well make it our friend and teacher rather than our enemy.

In order to have compassion for others, we have to have compassion for ourselves.