A lot of times people do spiritual practice just for themselves. I try to turn that a little bit. I try to make spiritual practice more a part of the community. I write about infusing people with compassion.

When stress is the basic state of mind, even good things stress us out. We have to learn to let go.

What distinguishes Shambhala is its intention of trying to create a society based upon certain principles. So, Shambhala's focus is not just on the individual, but on society as a whole.

It is said that if our intention is to help others-even if we are unable to follow it through-we will never have any regret. Regret is a result of trying to make "me" happy.

Ultimately, as individuals we each have to ask ourselves to be courageous and apply certain principles.

I think Shambhala can be a very strong force as a social example of how you can try to live a life balanced in terms of both the spiritual and the secular.

Each of us holds human destiny in our hands. It will be completely determined by how the mind feels about itself.