Power, Love, and A Sound Mind Continued

I found this quote today while I was sorting through Buddhist and Hindu religious and philosophical texts in the bookstore. I lost my place in Jean Anouilh's "Antigone" recording the quote (and still cannot figure out precisely where I was- apparently that is more difficult to do in a french text), and every moment spent in this endeavor was a moment that should have been devoted to researching my paper on Tibet, but this quote was well worth the sacrifice.

The only reason that we don't open our hearts and minds to other people is that they trigger confusion in us that we don't feel brave enough or sane enough to deal with. To the degree that we look clearly and compassionately at ourselves, we feel confident and fearless about looking into someone else's eyes. -Pema Chodron, Buddhist nun

As this message is still be brought to you at the expense of my Tibet paper, I will refrain from lengthy commentary. Please see my rather convoluted scribblings in the post below, and feel free to contact me for discussion/friendly debate. :)