In the soil of the quick fix is the seed of a new problem, because our quiet wisdom is unavailable.

Just because we are working hard does not mean we are making anything happen.

When we come close to those things that break us down, we touch those things that also break us open. And in that breaking open, we uncover our true nature.

All life has emptiness at its core; it is the quiet hollow reed through which the wind of God blows and makes the music that is our life.

Every single choice we make, no matter how small, is the ground where who we are meets what is in the world. And the fruits of that essential relationship- the intimate, fertile conversation between our own heart's wisdom and the way the world has emerged before us- becomes a lifelong practice of deep and sacred listening for the next right thing we are required to do. We make the only choice that feels authentic and honest, necessary and true in that moment.

Even when our intentions are noble and our efforts sincere, even when we dedicate our lives to the service of others, the corrosive pressure of frantic over-activity can nonetheless cause suffering in ourselves and others. A "successful" life can become a violent enterprise.

For thousands of years we have gathered in circle--around fires, around bodies, around altars--because we can't do this alone.