To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest. To live fully is to be always in no-man's-land, to experience each moment as completely new and fresh. To live is to be willing to die over and over again.

Patience is the training in abiding with the restlessness of our energy and letting things evolve at their own speed.

What's encouraging about meditation is that, even if we shut down, we can no longer shut down in ignorance. We see very clearly that we're closing off. That in itself begins to illuminate the darkness of ignorance.

Don’t worry about achieving. Don’t worry about perfection. Just be there each moment as best you can.

Tonglen is a way for you to be with people who need you - beginning with yourself.

Appreciate everything, even the ordinary... Especially the ordinary.

So many of us start along the spiritual path because we are suffering. But you must realize that for real healing to occur, there must first be deep compassion for yourself, especially the parts of yourself you dislike or consider ugly.