“If we turn away from our own pain, we may find ourselves projecting this aversion onto others, seeing them as somehow inadequate for being in a troubled situation.”

When you flip the switch in that attic, it doesn’t matter whether its been dark for ten minutes, ten years or ten decades.

The difference between misery and happiness depends on what we do with our attention.

Metta sees truly that our integrity is inviolate, no matter what our life situation may be. We do not need to fear anything. We are whole: our deepest happiness is intrinsic to the nature of our minds, and it is not damaged through uncertainty and change.

Forgiveness that is insincere, forced or premature can be more psychologically damaging than authentic bitterness & rage.

We find greater lightness & ease in our lives as we increasingly care for ourselves & other beings.

If we have nothing material to give, we can offer our attention, our energy, our appreciation. The world needs us. It doesn’t deplete us to give.

With attachment all that seems to exist is just me & that object I desire.

The combination of realizing our distinctiveness along with our unity is seeing interdependence.

With a clear intention and a willing spirit, sooner or later we experience the joy and freedom that arises when we recognize our common humanity with others and see that real love excludes no one.

Abiding faith does not depend on borrowed concepts. Rather, it is the magnetic force of a bone-deep, lived understanding, one that draws us to realize our ideals, walk our talk,and act in accord with what we know to be true.

To reteach a thing its loveliness is the nature of metta. Through loving kindness, everyone & everything can flower again from within.

The mind thinks thoughts that we don’t plan. It’s not as if we say, ‘At 9:10 I’m going to be filled with self-hatred.

When we don’t tell those we love about what’s really going on or listen carefully to what they have to say, we tend to fill in the blanks with stories.

If we fall, we don’t need self-recrimination or blame or anger – we need a reawakening of our intention and a willingness to re-commit, to be whole-hearted once again.

We need the courage to learn from our past and not live in it.

Meditation is a microcosm, a model, a mirror. The skills we practice when we sit are transferable to the rest of our lives.

God is like the sun; you cannot look at it, but without it you cannot look at anything else.

I know deep hurt. But I also know deep hope. Sometimes God’s power is shown as much in preventing things as it is in making them happen. We may never know why. But we can always know and trust the Who.

The world “out there” won’t change until the world “in here” does.

The disciples obey because that’s what people do when someone rises from the dead and gives instructions.

Once we deeply trust that we ourselves are precious in God’s eyes, we are able to recognize the preciousness of others and their unique places in God’s heart.

Do you love the truth more than you need to be loved, or do you need to be loved more than you love the truth?

People do not plan to mess up their lives. They just don’t plan not to.

Love of self and love of life connects us with the prosperity of the Universe. Self-love creates self-expression and allows us to be creative in deeply fulfilling ways.