Observing desire without acting on it enlarges our freedom to choose how we live.

Nothing is wrong - whatever is happening is just "real life."

My understanding is that to love, we need to be able to totally surrender to the living/dying nature of this world.

We're so used to presenting ourselves and getting approval according to our achievements that it's difficult to be authentic and trust that we'll be accepted just as we are.

What would it be like if I could accept life--accept this moment--exactly as it is?

I speak a lot about what I call "the trance of unworthiness" which is really epidemic in our culture, this sense of "I'm not enough," or "something's wrong with me." Most of us have some level of it because our culture has all these standards (handed down through our families) of what it means to be okay.

Buddhist practices offer a way of saying, 'Hey, come back over here, reconnect.' The only way that you'll actually wake up and have some freedom is if you have the capacity and courage to stay with the vulnerability and the discomfort.