Obstacles are our friends: they teach us where we're stuck.

By not knowing, not hoping to know and not acting like we know what's happening, we begin to access our inner strength.

The most difficult times for many of us are the ones we give ourselves.

Not causing harm requires staying awake. Part of being awake is slowing down enough to notice what we say and do. The more we witness our emotional chain reactions and understand how they work, the easier it is to refrain. It becomes a way of life to stay awake, slow down, and notice.

If you see a homeless person on the street, and they need food, housing, medical attention - if you can give that, do it. But at the same time, work with tonglen, because that is how you start dissolving the barrier between you and them.

It's a transformative experience to simply pause instead of immediately filling up space.

It is possible to move through the drama of our lives without believing so earnestly in the character that we play.