Answers from the Heart: Practical Responses to Life's Burning Questions

The Buddha advises us not to try to run away from our fear, but to bring up our fear and have a deep look into it.

Q. I worry so much that it’s hard for me to do whatever I need to do. How can I stop worrying?

Sitting with your fear, instead of trying to push it away or bury it, can transform it. This is true of all of your fears, both small ones and big ones. You don’t have to try and convince yourself not to be afraid. You don’t have to try and fight or overcome your fear. Over time you’ll find that when your fear comes up again, it will be a little bi

When you are truly present, you are more in control of situations, you have more love, patience, understanding, and compassion.

If you feel you still need the medicines, you should take them. But don’t rely on them alone; rely on your practice. Environment is very important. For example, genes don’t turn on by themselves; the environment turns on our genes. Choose a sane, healthy environment where there are many elements that can water the positive seeds in you, the seeds o

And after that, when the emotion is about to come up, the child will know what to do. She will see that she can easily survive her emotions.

If we don’t have the cloud, we have the rain. If we don’t have the rain, we have the tea. That is the practice.

Only the person who is empty of self is happy; he has no jealousy, no hatred, no anger, because there is no self to compare.

Looking deeply we see cells in the body operating together, flowing like a river. We see a river of feelings, many feelings succeeding each other. We see a river of perception. We see a river of mental formations, and we see a river of consciousness. Consciousness isn’t an unchanging permanent entity; it’s a process, a stream. Looking deeply we see