Quotes from Jack Kornfield

Live in joy, in love, even among those who hate.

There is no higher happiness than peace.

Equanimity arises when we accept the way things are.

May I be a guard for those who need protection; a guide for those on the path; a boat, a raft, a bridge for those to cross the flood; may I be a lamp in the darkness; a resting place for the weary, and a healing medicine for all who are sick. For as long as Earth and sky endure, may I assist until all living beings are awakened.

And as to me, I know of nothing else but miracles. WALT WHITMAN

One famous Zen master actually described spiritual practice as "one mistake after another," which is to say, one opportunity after another to learn. It is from "difficulties, mistakes, and errors" that we actually learn. To live life is to make a succession of errors. Understanding this can bring us great ease and forgiveness for ourselves and others—we are at ease with the difficulties of life.

The poet Hafiz writes, Don't surrender your loneliness So quickly. Let it cut more deep. Let it ferment and season you As few human Or even divine ingredients can.

Anger shows us precisely where we are stuck, where our limits are, where we cling to beliefs and fears.

But forgiveness is the act of not putting anyone out of your heart, even those who are acting out of deep ignorance or out of confusion and pain.

In this world, hatred never ceases by hatred, but by love alone is healed. This is the ancient and eternal law.

Your world is reborn each morning. And you are allowed to start over, at least in spirit, choosing your way with a beginners mind. Open wide the doors and windows, or close them and sit by the fire. But wherever you are, make room for the new, the uncertain, the mystery...And Love..

George Washington Carver explained, "Anything will give up its secrets if you love it enough." Mindfulness is this kind

Weigh the true advantages of forgiveness and resentment to the heart. Then choose.

Letting go does not mean not caring about things. It means caring for them in a flexible and wise way. In meditation, we pay attention to our body with care and respect.

The human mind has absolute freedom within its true nature. You can attain your freedom intuitively. Do not work for freedom, rather allow the practice itself to be liberation. When you wish to rest, move your body slowly and stand up quietly. Practice this meditation in the morning or in the evening, or at any leisure time during the day. You will soon realize that your mental burdens are dropping away one by one, and that you are gaining an intuitive power hitherto unnoticed.

When we let ourselves feel the fear, the discontent, the difficulties we have always avoided, our heart softens. Just as it is a courageous act to face all the difficulties from which we have always run, it is also an act of compassion.

Things are wrong and people misbehave, causing our hatred and suffering to arise. But however painful our experiences may be, they are just painful experiences until we add the response of aversion or hatred. Only then does suffering arise. If we react with hatred and aversion, these qualities become habitual. Like a distorted autoimmune response, our misguided reaction of hatred does not protect us; rather, it becomes the cause of our continued unhappiness.

When we feel anger toward someone, we can consider that he or she is a being just like us, who has faced much suffering in life.

It's not about you. It's about us. Life is difficult for everyone.

The knowledge of the past stays with us. To let go is simply to release any images and emotions.

If you expect your life to be up and down, your mind will be much more peaceful.

Though outer events may be difficult, the key to our happiness is how our mind responds to them.

Spiritual practice is not a mindless repetition of ritual or prayer. It works through consciously realizing the law of cause and effect. Perhaps we can sense the potential of awakening in ourselves, but we must also see that it doesn't happen by itself. How we act, how we relate to ourselves, to our bodies, to the people around us, to our work, creates the kind of world we live in, creates our very freedom.

wisdom? As the Zen texts explain, "To live in trusting