The second noble truth says that this resistance is the...mechanism of what we call ego, that resisting life causes suffering.

Although we have the potential to experience the freedom of a butterfly, we mysteriously prefer the small and fearful cocoon of ego.

All situations teach you, and often it's the tough ones that teach you best.

Clarity and decisiveness come from the willingness to slow down, to listen to and look at what’s happening.

Feeling irritated, restless, afraid, and hopeless is a reminder to listen more carefully.

The way I regard those who hurt me today will affect how I experience the world in the future. In any encounter, we have a choice: we can strengthen our resentment or our understanding and empathy. We can widen the gap between ourselves and others or lessen it.

We spend all our energy and waste our lives trying to re-create these zones of safety, which are always falling apart. That's the essence of samsara - the cycle of suffering that comes from continuing to seek happiness in all the wrong places.