It's not a terrible thing that we feel fear when faced with the unknown. It is part of being alive, something we all share.

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.

Someone needs to encourage us not to brush aside what we feel. Not to be ashamed of the love and grief that it arouses in us. Not to be afraid of pain. Someone needs to encourage us: that this soft spot in us could be awakened, and that to do this would change our lives.

Resisting what is happening is a major cause of suffering.

True compassion does not come from wanting to help out those less fortunate than ourselves but from realizing our kinship with all beings.

Compassionate action involves working with ourselves as much as working with others.

Generosity is an activity that loosens us up. By offering whatever we can - a dollar, a flower, a word of encouragement - we are training in letting go.