We know there's a Wisdom beyond what thought can grasp, but that -- on the other hand -- is not beyond our awareness of that limitation; to even suspect this truth opens our eyes to the unthinkable possibility: we need not be limited to the choices, let alone the actions of that limited level of self.

Spiritual blindness is not of the eye; (it is) the dark effect of being unconsciously identified with a lower level of consciousness that has no interest in looking beyond its own deeply conditioned beliefs... for fear of falling off the edge of the only world it knows.

The more we allow our mind to drift where -- and will -- as it pleases, the more likely will we find ourselves having fallen into some form of unexpected suffering. Being in full command of ourselves is inseparable from being in command of our attention; there is no other order, and no other freedom.

Imagining all that remains to be done to realize the contentment we seek -- or that we must struggle with to attain some illusive peace of mind -- is like trying to calm the ripples on the surface of a reflecting pond...by throwing a polished stone into its waters.

The agility of the "thinker" to explain and justify its mistakes -- AFTER it makes them -- is not insight; such "cleverness" is nothing more than its capacity to deceive itself, something it applauds each time it finds yet another way to navigate around the wreckage it tends to leave in its wake.

The painful experience we have to any unwanted moment is inseparable from being momentarily identified with our own negative reaction to it; which means -- all said and done -- that what we're actually suffering from, and uselessly struggling against in these moments -- is ourselves.

Imagine trying to see the whole of an ocean through a ship's porthole, and we have a pretty good idea why (our) life can so often feel small and confined; as if we have no choice but to be swept out to sea on a single wave of some fearful thought or feeling.

The mind asleep to itself doesn't realize it creates the stress and strain it can't stop trying to rescue itself from; and that the more it struggles to think of a way out of its self-induced conflict, the greater grows its struggle.

The mind asleep to itself doesn't realize that it created the problem that it can't stop trying to resolve; and that the more it struggles to try and think through a solution to its self-induced conflict, the greater grows its struggle to escape that suffering.

We are not being called to be more than we are, let alone to judge ourselves when we see we have missed the mark; rather, we are here to discover ALL that we are being given, and how - if we dare accept this unimaginable gift - we will see it multiplied a hundredfold.

Question: My partner and I have had so many painful experiences along the spiritual path, encountering people and paths promising at first and then proving to be so empty! In all honesty, one hardly has the heart to keep going...

The more any thought pushes you to run toward a time of some anticipated rest, the more you should work to slow down to see the following truth: with one hand, an unconscious self points to a "peace just ahead," even as its other hand is stirring up some form of anxiety that you might not get there!