One very powerful and effective way to work with this tendency to push away pain and hold on to pleasure is the practice of tonglen.  In tonglen practice, when we see or feel suffering, we  breathe in with the notion of completely feeling it, accepting it, and owning it.

Everything is material for the seed of happiness, if you look into it with inquisitiveness and curiosity. The future is completely open, and we are writing it moment to moment. There always is the potential to create an environment of blame -or one that is conducive to loving-kindness.

We work on ourselves in order to help others, but also we help others in order to work on ourselves.

The root of suffering is resisting the certainty that no matter what the circumstances, uncertainty is all we truly have.

The most heartbreaking thing of all is how we cheat ourselves of the present moment.

We are one blink of an eye away from being fully awake

Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is indestructible in us be found.