I used to have a sign pinned up on my wall that read: Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is ind… - Pema Chödrön

Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is indestructible in us be found.

When things fall apart and we’re on the verge of we know not what, the test of each of us is to stay on that brink and not concretize.

you’re never going to get your act together, fully, completely.

Rather than going after these walls and barriers with a sledgehammer, we pay attention to them. With gentleness and honesty, we move closer to those walls. We touch them, and smell them and get to know them well. We become familiar with the strategies and beliefs we use to build these walls: what are the stories we tell ourselves? What repels me and what attracts me? Without calling what we see right or wrong, we simply look as objectively as we can. We can observe ourselves with humor, not getting overly serious, moralistic or uptight about the investigation. Year after year, we train in remaining open and receptive to whatever arises. Slowly, very slowly, the cracks in the walls seem to widen and, as if by magic, bodhichitta is able to flow freely.