We can begin to open our hearts to others when we have no hope of getting anything back. We just do it for its own sake.

Hold the sadness and pain of samsara [suffering, confusion] in your heart and at the same time the power and vision of the Great Eastern Sun [fundamental awake human nature]. Then the warrior [brave enough to look at & work with reality] can make a proper cup of tea.

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

Words themselves are neutral. It's the charge we add to them that matters

If you have rage and righteously act it out and blame it all on others, it's really you who suffers. The other people and the environment suffer also, but you suffer more because you're being eaten up inside with rage, causing you to hate yourself more and more

If your mind is expansive and unfettered, you will find yourself in a more accommodating world, a place that's endlessly interesting and alive. That quality isn't inherent in the place but in your state of mind.

How do we cultivate the conditions for joy to expand? We train in staying present.