A way to discover intimacy with ourselves and all of life is to live with integrity, basing our lives on a vision of compassionate nonharming. When we dedicate ourselves to actions that do not hurt ourselves or others, our lives become all of a piece, a seamless garment with nothing separate or disconnected in the spiritual reality we discover.

Our potential as human beings is measureless; it is vast, unfathomable. Our minds are incredibly dynamic, powerful, energetic force fields. Recognizing these realities is the ground for seeing that what we care about and what we do with our minds makes a difference. When we practice the brahma-viharas, we can benefit ourselves and all of life. Our

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According to the Buddha, “You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” How few of us embrace ourselves in this way! With metta

So the intention is enough. We form the intention in our mind for our happiness and the happiness of all. This is different from struggling to fabricate a certain feeling, to create it out of our will, to make it happen. We just settle back and plant the seeds without worrying about the immediate result. That is our work. If we do our work, then

We see that all beings want to be happy, and that this impulse unites us.

Out of this arises a sense of purpose, a sense of meaning so strong in our lives that no matter what the circumstances, no matter what the situation, our goal or our greatest desire at any moment is to express genuine love.

When we are alone we have one image of ourselves; when we are with other people we have another image. With people we know, we act one way; with those we do not know, we act differently. We feel fragmented and estranged from ourselves, so our gestures of friendship to others are often born out of loneliness and fear. Looking for trust and

Where love rules, there is no will to power; and where power predominates, there love is lacking. The one is the shadow of the other. —CARL JUNG