“When we fly in an airplane above the clouds, we realize that the sun is always shining even when it is cloudy or rainy below. In the same way, when we cease to hold on to our identity, our ego, we begin to see that the nonexistence of ego is a powerful, indestructible state of being. We realize that, like the sun, it is a continuous situation which does not wax or wane. That state of being is called buddha nature.”
“No matter how trapped we may feel by anxiety, depression, or guilt, there is always another option available to us, and one that doesn’t ask us to stop being who and what we are. The trick is knowing where to look, how to look, and we can find peace of mind in the midst of raging emotions, profound insight in the midst of complete confusion, and seeds of compassion in our darkest moments, even when we feel completely lost and alone.”
“In essence, the mind is what is aware of everything – it is a clarity that perceives all external objects and events. But if you try to find it, it turns out to be as impossible to grasp and as elusive as a rainbow – the more you run after it, the farther away it appears to recede; the more you look at it, the less you can find. This is the empty aspect of the mind. Clarity and emptiness are inseparably united in the true nature of mind, which is beyond all concepts of existence and nonexistence.”
