The truth is that good and bad coexist; sour and sweet coexist. They aren't really opposed to each other.

The trick is to keep exploring and not bail out, even when we find out that something is not what we thought. That's what we're going to discover again and again and again. Nothing is what we thought. I can say that with great confidence. Emptiness is not what we thought. Neither is mindfulness or fear. Compassion––not what we thought. Love. Buddha nature. Courage. These are code words for things we don't know in our minds, but any of us could experience them. These are words that point to what life really is when we let things fall apart and let ourselves be nailed to the present moment.

Never underestimate the desire to bolt.

Fear is a natural reaction of moving closer to the truth. If we commit ourselves to staying right where we are, then our experience becomes very vivid. Things become very clear when there is nowhere to escape.

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

Resistance to unwanted circumstances has the power to keep those circumstances alive and well for a very long time.

Nothing in its essence is one way or the other.