The world that we objectify is a mythical and dreamlike existence, but it still has rules. And the savvier we get about these rules, the more skillfully we can function in our delusion—and even find a way out of it. In other words, it behooves us to understand the rules of karma because the way we respond to the world of things can create a big mess—or, it can create the causes and conditions for our awakening. The rules of karma work like this: the more fervently we create artificial boundaries in boundarylessness, the more we struggle in our realm of unfixable things. The more we expand to accommodate things, the softer the boundaries of self and other become, bringing us more in accord with boundarylessness. One approach keeps us in the dark, the other moves us out of darkness. One creates suffering; the other reveals the natural qualities of love, compassion, and insight that release as we awaken to interdependence. – Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel, The Power of an Open Question

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