Our true nature is like a precious jewel: although it may be temporarily buried in mud, it remains completely brilliant and unaffected. We simply have to uncover it.

While we are sitting in meditation, we are simply exploring humanity and all of creation in the form of ourselves.

Compassion for others begins with kindness to ourselves.

Never give up on yourself. Then you will never give up on others.

Sometimes people's spiritual ideas become fixed and they use them against those who don't share their beliefs - in effect, becoming fundamentalist. It's very dangerous - the finger of righteous indignation pointing at someone who is identified as bad or wrong.

Most of us do not take these situations as teachings. We automatically hate them. We run like crazy. We use all kinds of ways to escape - all addictions stem from this moment when we meet our edge and we just can't stand it. We feel we have to soften it, pad it with something, and we become addicted to whatever it is that seems to ease the pain.

The approach is that the best way to use unwanted circumstances on the path of enlightenment is not to resist but to lean into them.