maps and new moons

Sincerity encompasses the qualities of honesty,genuineness, and integrity. To be sincere does not mean to be perfect… In fact, the very effort to be perfect is itself insincere, because it is a way of avoiding seeing yourself as you are right now… To be able and willing to see yourself as you are, with all of your imperfections and illusions, requires genuine sincerity and courage… If we are constantly trying to hide from ourselves, we will never be able to awaken from our illusion of self…

Enlightenment, peace, and joy will not be granted by someone else. The well is within us, And if we dig deeply in the present moment, The water will spring forth.

When I understand myself, I understand you, and out of that understanding comes love. Love is the missing factor; there is a lack of affection, of warmth in relationship; and because we lack that love, that tenderness, that generosity, that mercy in relationship, we escape into mass action which produces further confusion, further misery. We fill our hearts with blueprints for world reform and do not look to that one resolving factor which is love.

I think that’s what’s important, to see how we ourselves can become all that we are and can be. Everybody says they want to change, but it’s not that simple, it’s not that easy. Who’s ready to change and give up? Who’s ready to get out of their rut and leave it behind, not just pour honey or syrup over their heads and over the rut? Who’s ready to change and give up that rut, who’s ready willing and able?

There is no birth, there is no death; there is no coming, there is no going; there is no same, there is no different; there is no permanent self, there is no annihilation. We only think there is.

No work or love will flourish out of guilt, fear, or hollowness of heart, just as no valid plans for the future can be made by those who have no capacity for living now.

The moment we choose to love, we begin to move against domination, against oppression. The moment we choose to love, we begin to move toward freedom, to act in ways that liberate ourselves and others.

The way to change others’ minds is with affection, and not anger.

It is spiritual poverty, not material lack, that lies at the core of all human suffering.

Imagine you are walking in the woods and you see a small dog sitting by a tree. As you approach it, it suddenly lunges at you, teeth bared. You are frightened and angry. But then you notice that one of its legs is caught in a trap. Immediately your mood shifts from anger to concern: You see that the dog’s aggression is coming from a place of vulnerability and pain. This applies to all of us. When we behave in hurtful ways, it is because we are caught in some kind of trap. The more we look through the eyes of wisdom at ourselves and one another, the more we cultivate a compassionate heart.