the interrelatedness of everything

“if you can get into that place

where you see the interrelatedness of

everything

And: you see the oneness in it all

Then: no longer are you attached

to your polarized position”

- Ram Dass. “Be Here Now (Enhanced Edition).” HarperCollins, 2010-10-26.

stories that get in the way of direct experience

“Mindfulness helps us get better at seeing the difference between what’s happening and the stories we tell ourselves about what’s happening, stories that get in the way of direct experience.”

- Sharon Salzberg. “Real Happiness - Enhanced Ebook Edition.” Workman Publishing, 2010.

we miss a great deal

“We miss a great deal because our attention is distracted or because we’re so sure that we already know what’s going on that we don’t even look for new, important information.”

- Sharon Salzberg. “Real Happiness - Enhanced Ebook Edition.” Workman Publishing, 2010.

don't compare or compete

"When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everybody will respect you."

- Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

everything changes all the time

“meditation has taught me how to cope with the profound truth that everything changes all the time.”

- Sharon Salzberg. “Real Happiness - Enhanced Ebook Edition.” Workman Publishing, 2010.

we need very little to be happy

"Nature teaches us simplicity and contentment, because in its presence we realize we need very little to be happy."

- Mark Coleman, "A Breath of Fresh Air", tricycle.com

start appreciating

"Stop fighting with your family members, spouse, or friends. Start appreciating. Enjoy each other. Stop looking at the other’s faults. Start to appreciate each other’s qualities. Life is short. Even if you live one hundred years, how long will you live with all your faculties intact? The period we have to appreciate each other is quite limited."

- Gehlek Rimpoche, "An Interview with Gehlek Rimpoche", tricycle.com

advocating peace is not enough

"A hallmark of a genuine Buddhist practitioner is a truly peaceful mind. Advocating peace is not enough. One must have a mind that remains unflustered and nonaggressive even in extreme circumstances, including when one is provoked."

- Rita M. Gross, "Buddhism and Religious Diversity", tricycle.com

love is our bulwark

“Love is our bulwark, designed to provide emotional protection so we can cope with the ups and downs of existence.”

- Sue Johnson. “Hold Me Tight.” Little, Brown and Company, 2008-04-08.

concentrate the mind on the present moment

"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment."

- Gautama Siddhartha

a pattern that is all one color is no pattern

“The Creator is good, Perrin. The Father of Lies is evil. The Pattern of Age, the Age Lace itself, is neither. The Pattern is what is. The Wheel of Time weaves all lives into the Pattern, all actions. A pattern that is all one color is no pattern. For the Pattern of an Age, good and ill are the warp and the woof.”

- Robert Jordan. “The Dragon Reborn.” Tom Doherty Associates, 1991.

the truth is not solid

"Just as being truly compassionate doesn’t mean always being sweet and nice (sometimes it means being cold, harsh), being truly honest doesn’t mean speaking your thoughts and feelings as they arise. Other awarenesses and intention must be at work—and a recognition that the truth is not solid."

- Susan Piver Browne, “Right Speech”, tricycle.com

judging our emotions

"There isn’t any such thing as a negative emotion. There are negative things that we do with our emotions, but our emotions themselves are neither negative nor positive."

- Robert Augustus Masters, "From Spiritual Bypassing", tricycle.com

communicate from the heart

"The next step is to learn to communicate with the people that you feel are causing your pain and misery - not to learn how to prove them wrong and yourself right but how to communicate from the heart. This is a lifetime's journey, and a profound one; it's not something that happens quickly or easily." 

- Pema Chödrön. "Start Where You Are."

take life as it comes

“Relax, lad. Take life as it comes. Run when you have to, fight when you must, rest when you can.”

- Robert Jordan. “The Eye of the World.” Tom Doherty Associates.

the main point is not to get in trouble again

"The whole point of karma is to recognize how our actions determine our future, so that we can begin to act properly. It’s not just a cosmological or philosophical matter. It’s entirely practical. The main point is not to get in trouble again."

- Matthieu Ricard, "Karma Crossroads", tricycle.com