Most spiritual experiences begin with suffering. They begin with groundlessness. They begin when the rug has been pulled out from under us.

To cultivate equanimity we practice catching ourselves when we feel attraction or aversion, before it hardens into grasping or negativity.

When we struggle agains our energy we reject the source of wisdom. Anger without the fixation is none other than clear-seeing wisdom. Pride without fixation is experienced as equanimity. The energy of passion when it's free of grasping is wisdom that sees all the angles.

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 sow the seeds of our future hells or happiness by the way we open or close our minds right now.

Buddhism itself is all about empowering yourself, not about getting what you want.

We give it up and just look directly with compassion and humor at who we are. Then loneliness is no threat and heartache, no punishment.