Love does not shirk from pain

From Nisargadatta Maharaj

Endless speech

We go "la, la, la" and someone else goes "la, la, la" and we're on automatic, and we're making friends or passing the time, or whatever, and not waking up enough - not so much to others but to ourselves. Why do we do that? Why do we talk so much? When the inner and the outer dialogue is going on, it hides our loneliness, it keeps us from being bored, doesn't it? It keeps us from feeling afraid. It fills up all that space that's empty, that's scary. It also blocks our heart from opening in some way and from the width of growing. We grow when things get quieter and we can look.

~Jack Kornfield

Near enemy of love

"The near enemy of love is attachment. It masquerades like love, it feels like it, but it's separate. It says, 'I love you but really I'm attached to you. I need you to make me whole." Rather, the sense of love is honoring and seeing our connection." ~ Jack Kornfield

Sight

  "We only need to open our eyes, and we see every kind of form and color - the blue sky, the beautiful hills, the trees, the clouds, the rivers, the children, the butterflies. Just sitting here and enjoying these colors and shapes, we can be extremely happy." - Thich Naht Hahn