Compassion starts with making friends with ourselves.

Nobody else can really begin to sort out for you what to accept and what to reject in terms of what wakes you up and what makes you fall asleep. No one else can really sort out for you what to accept - what opens up your world - and what to reject - what seems to keep you going round and round in some kind of repetitive misery.

As we practice, we begin to know the difference between our fantasy and reality.

Nothing in its essence is one way or the other.

Constantly apply cheerfulness, if for no other reason than because you are on this spiritual path. Have a sense of gratitude to everything, even difficult emotions, because of their potential to wake you up.

Compassion practice is daring. It involves learning to relax and allowing ourselves to move gently toward what scares us.

In meditation, you learn how to get out of your own way long enough for there to be room for your wisdom to manifest